Chaps, for those of you who purchased one of these, I saw the below post on another forum (hotukdeals) where they noticed they were charged for VAT on their amazon invoice. No VAT should be added for protective clothing so he managed to get the VAT portion refunded. May be worth checking your amazon invoice and sending their CS an email if you have
Comments:Hello,
I just placed an order with you for a motorcycle crash helmet. I then looked at the invoice breakdown and noticed it has been charged with VAT added to the price stated of £88.11 (£17.62 VAT @ 20%). As it is protective clothing, it should be exempt from VAT and not applied to this product. As this is the case, I should not have to pay the additional £17.62.
I would be grateful if you would look into this and arrange any refund due.
Thanks
Reply from Amazon.......
Message From Customer Service
Hello,
My name is Karl. I have received your email and understand that you would like to know why you have been charged VAT on your order for a helmet which comes under safety item.
In accordance with the laws governing members of the EU, Amazon.co.uk is obliged to charge VAT on all orders delivered to destinations in member countries of the EU.
In the United Kingdom, the VAT rate is 0% on a number of select items, including books, children’s clothing and safety gear. However, many items in our catalogue are subject to the UK VAT rate of 20%, by law.
Below is a link to the criteria for helmets:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/custome ... ie=UTF8&no.." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/custome ... =200135940" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
For items that are subject to VAT, the RRP and/or Price on the website includes UK VAT.
For a complete list of VAT rates, please review the VAT Rates Help page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/custome ... eId=502578" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If there is even one item in your order that is subject to tax, we are obliged to levy 20% VAT on that item as well as the postage and packing for the entire order. It is possible to place orders for items subject to VAT separately from those not subject to VAT.
Furthermore, giftwrap is considered a "non-essential" service so it is charged at 20% VAT.
When VAT applies to an order, the relevant charges will be clearly reflected on your e-mail confirmations and invoices.
Please remember that VAT charges only apply to orders being sent to member countries of the EU.
For dispatch to countries outside of the EU, VAT will not be charged. These packages may however be assessed for import or customs fees, depending on the laws of the particular countries.
Customs or import duties are levied once the package reaches the destination country. For certain destination countries, Amazon.co.uk will estimate and collect an import-fees deposit during the checkout process. These funds will be used to pay the import fees on your behalf to the appropriate authorities, when your package reaches the destination country. The estimated import-fees deposit will be displayed in the order summary in the checkout.
If an estimated import-fees deposit is not displayed in the checkout order summary, additional charges for customs clearance will have to be borne by the recipient. We have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they might be. Since customs policies vary widely from country to country, you may want to contact your local customs office for further information.
I hope this helps. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Warmest regards,
Karl
Once I had this one I replied saying that he had confirmed that there was no VAT due and this backed it up. The next I got was to say they were refunding and another later confirming they had. Hope this helps
It seems they are not all quite so reasonable.: