Stilform pens from China and undisclosed import duties
I have supported Stilform for a few years and bought six pens and some accessories. The products I have bought are good quality as they advertise on their online store.
I have two concerns about Stilform. They do not manufacture their pens in Germany as they state on their website or even put the parts manufactured in China together in Germany. And they do not inform you about import duties, especially concerning a country like the UK, which was part of the EU and might now pay duties on European imports. This pen, in this case, was sent from somewhere other than Germany.
I live in the UK and have never had to pay import duties on the pens I bought from Stilform. In 2021 I received a scam Royal Mail message on my phone to pay duties, but after speaking to somebody at Royal Mail, they assured me that it was not from Royal Mail (the service Stilform used to deliver the product in the UK).
I ordered another pen from them in December 2022 and paid the extra postal fee to deliver it faster with FedEx. The pen was delivered, and a week later, I received a bill from FedEx for duties on this delivery. I thought that it was another scam because FedEx will not deliver something unless the duties have been paid in advance. So, I ignored it and eventually received a letter from ControlAccount in the UK, a debt recovery company. I ended up paying 85GBP for a pen that cost 114GBP.
I thought Stilform produced their products in Germany, according to their website. ControlAccount sent me the Customs Invoice, which clearly states that this pen and wooden holder were shipped from China, not Germany.
I first tried to contact Stilform, but they didn't reply. I know it is only £85, but it is the principle of them lying about where their products are manufactured as well as broken trust that a company I have supported by buying their products lie and does not disclose the total cost of shipping, including duties to a destination so that a client can decide whether it is worth their while to buy that specific product.
How do you order a pen from Stilform, wondering what you will spend on delivery, including duties? I would rather buy a higher quality pen in the UK or USA (or wherever you live), which will cost me less than a Stilform pen, including duties.
What a pity!
Date of experience: April 13, 2023