Please note: International customers only. Until recently, a percentage of equipment was subject to importation charges based on the value of the equipment. This consists of import duty, VAT at 20% plus handling charges. In some cases, import costs can exceed our repair charges and that isn't sustainable. There is a method of deferring these charges within the UK because they are temporary imports. However, the UK system isn't currently set up to help small businesses such as ours, requiring bank guarantees, which is the preserve of large international companies. We have absorbed these additional costs so far, but since Brexit, more and more overseas shipments are falling into this trap, with 100% of any EU shipments being subject to such duties and VAT. To make matters worse, our customers are being charged the same duties and VAT based on the value of their equipment on return.

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For the time being, we can take international work providing you agree to pay the disbursement fee which is roughly 20% of the value of the equipment stated by you on the customs form plus the cost of shipping, plus import duties. These duties (tariffs) have been suspended for some time for goods entering from the EU but for the rest of the world are approximately 4.5%

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We offer a 12-month guarantee on our work and please be aware that for our existing customers, we will honor those guarantees and absorb any VAT and duties that we incur as before, should equipment have to be returned for remedial work. Those are the only circumstances in which we will receive international repairs. We still have a number of international jobs in the system, awaiting repair. We will carry on and complete these in the usual way. Please note that if you do get charged VAT and duties upon return, that is a matter for the government of your country. There may be an appeals process, so consult the website of your local tax authorities. Should we receive any unsolicited repair work from outside of the UK, we reserve the right to add any VAT and duty charges incurred by us to the final invoice. UK work is completely unaffected by this.

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We have had a great relationship with all our international customers and would like to say a big thank-you for your support over the years. The internet has made the world a smaller place and as a result, we have made many friends. It is a shame that governments have a different agenda. We will continue to work with the Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to find a solution, so we hope this is au revoir, not goodbye.

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27th April 2021. Alan & James Starkie