Hermes @ Heathrow Airport

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#46
Has anyone been through here lately and what sort of stock did they carry? My DH is going through in a couple of weeks and I wondered if it was worth asking him to check it out. I'm looking for exotic bracelets such as kelly Dog and Rush and a couple of cadena's TIA
 
#48
I just came back from Paris & London. I got some stuff in Paris which came up to around 6000euros and some stuff in London.

I queued at Terminal 3, the VAT counter outside check-in. And the queue so long that it stretched outside the airport! After about 20minutes, this guy came around and said he will be collecting the forms from those who have opted for credit card refunds.

So he went around, glance through the forms to make sure everything was filled in and checked our passports, and just took the forms.
He said he's collecting the forms and will be stamping them and mailing them for us.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get the refunds back. The last time I exited from London in Dec last year, I had to queue for about 30mins to get to the counter but they didn't ask to see the goods or instructed me to show the goods to the VAT counter after immigration check-in.
 
#49
Dont mean to scare you. Are you sure the guy is an official from the VAT refund department? It seems strange to me that they took your form and the receipts.

Is it something like a VAT refund company (it appeared in Canada before), ie. you gave them all your receipts and forms and they arranged the refund for you. Then they took out a portion of the refund as the remuneration.


carebearz said:
I just came back from Paris & London. I got some stuff in Paris which came up to around 6000euros and some stuff in London.

I queued at Terminal 3, the VAT counter outside check-in. And the queue so long that it stretched outside the airport! After about 20minutes, this guy came around and said he will be collecting the forms from those who have opted for credit card refunds.

So he went around, glance through the forms to make sure everything was filled in and checked our passports, and just took the forms.
He said he's collecting the forms and will be stamping them and mailing them for us.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get the refunds back. The last time I exited from London in Dec last year, I had to queue for about 30mins to get to the counter but they didn't ask to see the goods or instructed me to show the goods to the VAT counter after immigration check-in.
Click to expand...
 
#51
My SO said he saw him working behind the counter while we were queuing before he came out to collect the forms. Half the queue passed their forms to him so I supposed he's really working for them.

The VAT counter is the only one in Terminal 3 before check-in. I know if we submit VAT refunds in UK, they do take a certain percentage (think it's around 3-4%) as processing fees. Could it be Canada also does the same thing? They take a certain commission as processing fee?
 
#52
No comment on Birkins however I did purchase jewellery in London and was told to claim the VAT refund after immigration. However I have yet to receive my refund to be honest, not sure if fault lies with the counter I claimed it from or from the VAT service the seller was using.

and for what i purchased it was a lot of money to kiss goodbye! :(
 
#53
carebearz said:
My SO said he saw him working behind the counter while we were queuing before he came out to collect the forms. Half the queue passed their forms to him so I supposed he's really working for them.

The VAT counter is the only one in Terminal 3 before check-in. I know if we submit VAT refunds in UK, they do take a certain percentage (think it's around 3-4%) as processing fees. Could it be Canada also does the same thing? They take a certain commission as processing fee?
Click to expand...

They refunded the whole 7% GST to me if I made the application myself. If I arranged it through agents, a service charge was levied. GONE WERE THE DAYS......no more GST refund in Canada for visitors. So bad.
 
#54
Oh, I see! The counter at Heathrow..that's the tax agent? It was the only counter in terminal 3 that stamps on tax rebate forms. And they have all the tax agent logos such as Tax Free Shopping, Premier Tax Free etc plastered all over. So I'm not sure if they're actually govenment officials (the customs) or a tax agent.

Would it be right to say that the counter after check-in is Heathrow customs themselves? While the counter before check-in is a tax agent?

I just read Heathrow's website and it seems that Travelex is the appointed agent to take care of such matters. They will issue stamp the forms, and send them to the British customs for the stamps and then mail it onto the retailers or retailers' tax agents. Their website says there's no extra charge for this service.

http://www.travelex.co.uk/uk/personal/vatrefunds.aspx
 
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#55
I did my refund for VAT from London in 2004 (when I was returning home after graduation...long time ago). For sure, you cannot get the whole 17.5% VAT back. The % of refund depends on the size of purchase, ie. you get more % of refund when the price is high, the curve is exponential. I once kept a chart for refund that I got from Burberry, but I do not know where I put it.

As to currency of refund, I remember they gave me cash in GBP. But my parents opted for CAD which was processed through credit card. I didnt ask how much they got at the end.
 
#56
Hello everyone, I would like to ask about your experience at Heathrow on luxury bags (Hermes, Chanel etc).

I plan to purchase a bag during a planned Europe trip. Ideally I would like to start using it right away, as I get to enjoy this while on vacation. Also, if possible, I would like to use this as my bag for the return flight back home.

Questions on the VAT refund process at Heathrow:

1. If I'm carrying (as in using the bag), can I still claim a refund? I can still show the receipt.

2. If #1 is not allowed, I can also just pack the bag inside my luggage. However I would have removed all packaging materials from it (tissues, labels cut off as I intend to use it, packaging box removed as it is so bulky). Does anyone have experience of a bag inspection in this condition - will they still honor the refund?

TIA!
 
#57
^Yes you can still claim the refund if you have used the bag and shown the receipt. I think you have a time period of around 3 months from when you've bought the bag to claim the VAT refund.
 
#58
hi syma, thanks helpful!

have you experienced showing a bag in less than pristine condition at heathrow (e.g. tags cut off, no box, packaging tissues removed) and still got the refund? i do understand most of the time, they don´t even bother to check, but just in case you have experienced of them actually checking. i heard refund has been denied if you are carrying the bag.

TIA!
 
#59
Hi


Can anyone please advise whether the boutique in T3 or T5 is the largest and which has the best selection of items? Typically what kind of items does each of them hold in stock?


Thanks
 
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