New Patek Phillipe Owner 5196R - Need Advice..

[legend502]

Hello Forum, as a recovering rolex collector I decided to start admiring Patek Phillipe ;)

For my 40th bday over the holidays my wife surprised me with a trip to Paris and an appt. at patek philippe paris vendome where we purchased the Calatrava 5196r. We filled out all the necessary paperwork and assumed that the representative did as well for a 16% VAT refund.

Upon going through customs yesterday the agent rejected the claim saying the form was incomplete as the store didn't note the the ID number of the watch on the form. Needless to say it was like a punch to the stomach and ~ $5500....

I immediately sent a note to the store - they didn't respond per my request. Now back in the states I called this morning and they were very short, said that always fill out the form that way, they will contact global blue and circle back. I felt rushed off the phone and now have a really really bad taste in my mouth.

Any suggestions on next steps? for the record we had NO other issues with any of our other purchases and refunds form other vendors.....

[Pocosso]

I am a the Captain of a private jet, I deal with this stories almost every days.

May I ask who refused your refund?

If you paid the watch with your Credit Card, you still can get the refund credited on the card, it will take longer than going trough the desk but it works fine.

In my career i had this kind of problem many time. I would recommend you to download the Global blue app, and scan your Refund Slip.
Then you can contact them or go to any other Global Blue desk in any place in the world and submit the form again asking to credit your card.

It will work.

The VAT authority in France is a bit Anal, you have 90 days (maybe 120) to submit the form.
Do not panic and try again following the status with the app.

I am a PP customer, they usually are very helpful, i would send them a mail copying also the customer care main office in Geneva.
Believe me, they will help you.

In the worst case they can cancel the invoice, you ship back the watch or drop it at another store in US, and they can resend it to you i USA crediting the full VAT, this is one right for you being not a EU Citizen.

Let us know how you worked it out.






Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk Pro

[legend502]

thank you so much - it was the France VAT authority - I will give that a shot - thanks I feel a bit more encouraged.

[josephvman]

Fantastic information Davide! Very relevant as well, since I'm going to be in Italy in ten days and was planning on bringing something home with me if possible. Any suggestion on Rolex/Patek/FPJ dealers in Modena (Maranello)? Is the current shortage of stainless sport pieces as bad in Italy as it is in the US/UK?

Many thanks!

Originally Posted by Pocosso

I am a the Captain of a private jet, I deal with this stories almost every days.

May I ask who refused your refund?

If you paid the watch with your Credit Card, you still can get the refund credited on the card, it will take longer than going trough the desk but it works fine.

In my career i had this kind of problem many time. I would recommend you to download the Global blue app, and scan your Refund Slip.
Then you can contact them or go to any other Global Blue desk in any place in the world and submit the form again asking to credit your card.

It will work.

The VAT authority in France is a bit Anal, you have 90 days (maybe 120) to submit the form.
Do not panic and try again following the status with the app.

I am a PP customer, they usually are very helpful, i would send them a mail copying also the customer care main office in Geneva.
Believe me, they will help you.

In the worst case they can cancel the invoice, you ship back the watch or drop it at another store in US, and they can resend it to you i USA crediting the full VAT, this is one right for you being not a EU Citizen.

Let us know how you worked it out.






Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk Pro

[legend502]

Davide, do you happen to have the email address for Geneva customer care?

[Pocosso]

I should have it,
Let me see if i find it.


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk Pro

[TJMike]

Originally Posted by legend502

Hello Forum, as a recovering rolex collector I decided to start admiring Patek Phillipe ;)

For my 40th bday over the holidays my wife surprised me with a trip to Paris and an appt. at patek philippe paris vendome where we purchased the Calatrava 5196r. We filled out all the necessary paperwork and assumed that the representative did as well for a 16% VAT refund.

Upon going through customs yesterday the agent rejected the claim saying the form was incomplete as the store didn't note the the ID number of the watch on the form. Needless to say it was like a punch to the stomach and ~ $5500....

I immediately sent a note to the store - they didn't respond per my request. Now back in the states I called this morning and they were very short, said that always fill out the form that way, they will contact global blue and circle back. I felt rushed off the phone and now have a really really bad taste in my mouth.

Any suggestions on next steps? for the record we had NO other issues with any of our other purchases and refunds form other vendors.....

Sorry to hear. However, not getting the VAT back should not have cost you $5,500. Unless you paid well over the MSRP of the watch (which I assume you did not). It costs about 16,500 euros.

[legend502]

thanks for giving me a heart attack! its the 5296r; not 5196... good catch

[Mbbgysam]

I once had an issue bringing some goods back from the EU with a stopover in Iceland. The EU tax office said "you can't stamp here, you need to stamp in Iceland", and of course the Iceland tax office said "you can't stamp here, we aren't the EU". You live and you learn...

I was living in Portland, OR at the time and they magically had a Danish honorary consulate there (really just a lawyer who was an honorary Danish consulate on the side). I made an appointment, brought the goods to his office, and he signed/stamped the form for a fee. I mailed the forms in and got the refund on my card many weeks later.

Looks like you're in Sacramento. There's an honorary French consulate listed there, or you could try the regular French consulate in SF.

Good luck!

[Sonzy]

Please keep updating us with this issue until it solved. Thanks

[legend502]

absolutely, thanks for the suggestions - when I went to submit through global blue - I scanned the bar code and it came back - Rejected by customs. " This transaction has been rejected by Customs and as a result we are unable to proceed with your tax refund.

I have to admit - whats probably more frustrating at this point is that it seems like nobody from the salon gives a hoot or a care to acknowledge my concerns. Geneva has been shut down from Dec.21 - Jan7 holiday but I also let them an inquiry on the customer care side.

[benlee]

Originally Posted by legend502

absolutely, thanks for the suggestions - when I went to submit through global blue - I scanned the bar code and it came back - Rejected by customs. " This transaction has been rejected by Customs and as a result we are unable to proceed with your tax refund.

I have to admit - whats probably more frustrating at this point is that it seems like nobody from the salon gives a hoot or a care to acknowledge my concerns. Geneva has been shut down from Dec.21 - Jan7 holiday but I also let them an inquiry on the customer care side.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. It must have been immensely frustrating. Can you try to escalate this to a higher authority in customs? If it is a requirement for the serial number to be printed on the form, then the Patek Salon Paris is at fault here. Maybe you can contact Global Blue in Paris to find out if there is indeed such a requirement. The situation is more difficult because you have already left the country with the watch. It should have been resolved on that day.


Getting large amount VAT refund on watch purchase is always a tricky situation. The last time I did a large refund in cash was in London. I recalled the travellex cashier actually tried to tell me they can't refund me in cash because they don't have enough pounds in the counter. I protest and they finally got the cash for me after "seeking approval". I waited there like 30 mins for the cashier to wait for a supervisor to approve. Such hassles do happen.

Regardless, the Paris salon should have been more helpful. This is the second incident I read about the poor service and attitude issues of Paris Salon. I don't think I will ever want to deal with them. They sound like they don't care at all about their customers.

[legend502]

Thanks benlee, when I faxed the form back - because I didn't have any emails numbers and was leaving from the airport I asked them to contact me. They didn't. So when I arrived back to the states I called 2:30am my time to make sure I caught somebody in the office and the woman had the nerve to tell me the always fill out the form that way and they would be in contact - rushed me off the phone.... and refused to forward me to mgr. at this point I was able to find the contact for the international customer service director - I will send him a heartfelt note over the weekend. I'm now back to rocking my yellow gold president and submariner until this gets resolved.

[Michael T]

I would send a copy of your passport, warranty certificate and the sales receipt to Patek in Geneva and ask for the proper receipt. The consulate idea is a good one too.

[Pocosso]

Remember that it would be your right to get the watch from the saloon at 0 (Zero) VAT being a foreign Citizen.
This is almost impossible to get as the shops doesn’t trust you to present the stamped invoice in 90 days from the purchase.
The shop should be responsible towards you about this problem.
Do not wear the watch, as you may have to ship it back.
I am sure you will solve this problem.




Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk Pro

[legend502]

Update - I had to escalate to Geneva and all of a sudden they reached out the next day. After a bit of back and forth here is where we are now. I do appreciate the effort but it also requires a HUGE effort on my part. All this has really taken a toll on whats supposed to be a happy occasion.

Thoughts?

=============

Dear Sir,



We had a meeting this morning with (sales rep) and the Head of Global Blue France concerning your file (which is a unique case for us).



According to her, the French and European Customs have a new system that shows a tendency to be more and more strict and pernickety.



Until now, and for all our tax refunds, the information on the invoice were sufficient. Unfortunately, in your case, the customs officer has been particularly picky.



Regarding your administrative procedures with the French Consulate on your side, you will find herewith the list of all the documents you must submit to them within a period not exceeding 6 months after your return.



1) You must ask the French Consulate of San Francisco to issue a certificate of presentation of the goods for tax refund adjustment (included the list of all the documents required).



2) With this stamped certificate, we ask you to send us by FedEx or DHL the whole file.



3) From our side, we will go to the French customs in Paris to finalize and regularize the repayment of your tax refund.



I wish to renew our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and assure you that we are doing everything possible to help you solve this problem and find solutions.



I would be very happy to offer you the expenses related to your trip to the Consulate and your shipping documents costs. For this, could you, please, send us your invoices with the file, as well as your bank details in order to allow us to refund your expenses?



Do not hesitate to contact us for more information if needed.

[Sonzy]

Good luck.

[Razorsedge1]

Sounds like a big headache to me. Good luck.

[korneevy]

I love France but having lived in Paris for a while, this whole arrangement with the customs will be a long-playing game...the French public service is not the most efficient (some say not efficient at all), and most people try and avoid dealing with them at any cost, or only deal in person as otherwise nothing gets done. Hopefully Patek has some contacts in the customs as they do cross-border shipping etc. rather frequently and handle serious amounts of cash in tax payments etc. Good luck, ~5K is well worth the effort just sorry for you being out in this idiotic position as none of it was your fault. Ce la vie, as they say;)

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by legend502

thanks for giving me a heart attack! its the 5296r; not 5196... good catch

Better all around watch as a first PP. You will love it after all this mess is cleared up.

[bobfish]

Originally Posted by korneevy

Ce la vie, as they say;)

It's " C'est la vie" ;-)

Anyway, if someone needs help to place a call in french ( or translate french laws), I'll be more than happy to help.

[vman]

Great that Patek responded. I too faced the same issue when purchasing luxury goods in France. Decided not to pursue the refund as the amount was quite small compared to yours.

Check this out: http://www.consulfrance-sanfrancisco...hp?article3109

Just looked at my receipts from Germany--none showed the watch number. Passed through German customs w/o issues.

[Passionata]

Originally Posted by legend502

Update - I had to escalate to Geneva and all of a sudden they reached out the next day. After a bit of back and forth here is where we are now. I do appreciate the effort but it also requires a HUGE effort on my part. All this has really taken a toll on whats supposed to be a happy occasion.

Thoughts?

=============

Dear Sir,



We had a meeting this morning with (sales rep) and the Head of Global Blue France concerning your file (which is a unique case for us).



According to her, the French and European Customs have a new system that shows a tendency to be more and more strict and pernickety.



Until now, and for all our tax refunds, the information on the invoice were sufficient. Unfortunately, in your case, the customs officer has been particularly picky.



Regarding your administrative procedures with the French Consulate on your side, you will find herewith the list of all the documents you must submit to them within a period not exceeding 6 months after your return.



1) You must ask the French Consulate of San Francisco to issue a certificate of presentation of the goods for tax refund adjustment (included the list of all the documents required).



2) With this stamped certificate, we ask you to send us by FedEx or DHL the whole file.



3) From our side, we will go to the French customs in Paris to finalize and regularize the repayment of your tax refund.



I wish to renew our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and assure you that we are doing everything possible to help you solve this problem and find solutions.



I would be very happy to offer you the expenses related to your trip to the Consulate and your shipping documents costs. For this, could you, please, send us your invoices with the file, as well as your bank details in order to allow us to refund your expenses?



Do not hesitate to contact us for more information if needed.

With all my respect which part is so complicated ,you make an appointment and fedex the docs then cash the vat ,or just leave as it is .TBH i m really surprised that such a solution even exist and d be really greatfull to PP taking care of the case in such a favorable manner ,i think most brands wouldn t bother to even reply to your email.just go ahead and enjoy the cash

[korneevy]

Originally Posted by bobfish

It's " C'est la vie" ;-)



Anyway, if someone needs help to place a call in french ( or translate french laws), I'll be more than happy to help.

That’s why I no longer leave in France decided to go fully phonetic on the spelling, it’s long overdue!

[66Berret]

would like to know how this eventually ends.

[PatekSF]

Originally Posted by Pocosso

I am a the Captain of a private jet, I deal with this stories almost every days.

May I ask who refused your refund?

If you paid the watch with your Credit Card, you still can get the refund credited on the card, it will take longer than going trough the desk but it works fine.

In my career i had this kind of problem many time. I would recommend you to download the Global blue app, and scan your Refund Slip.
Then you can contact them or go to any other Global Blue desk in any place in the world and submit the form again asking to credit your card.

It will work.

The VAT authority in France is a bit Anal, you have 90 days (maybe 120) to submit the form.
Do not panic and try again following the status with the app.

I am a PP customer, they usually are very helpful, i would send them a mail copying also the customer care main office in Geneva.
Believe me, they will help you.

In the worst case they can cancel the invoice, you ship back the watch or drop it at another store in US, and they can resend it to you i USA crediting the full VAT, this is one right for you being not a EU Citizen.

Let us know how you worked it out.






Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk Pro

This is all great info, but as the Global Blue form states, no Customs stamp = no refund.

You'll have to return to France with your watch and have the form stamped. Neither PP nor Global Blue can help ...