It's been almost 5 mths - no VAT refund from FSH

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#16
Hi, luvpurse, sorry to hear what happened Do u see any custom stamp imprint at all? maybe even just a corner? I noticed some of these stamp are faded, some only show one word 'Roissy', as the green copy can be full of other info/scribbing, it is sometime hard to detect this stamp.
 
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#18
luvpurse said:
Hi there,

I just got back from Paris. Went to the store to ask about my refund. I had to talk to the cash register person. SA didn't know anything. He looked at my green form (pink was mailed after get custom stamped). He said how come I didn't have custom stamp. I told him custom only stamped the pink form but not the green one. However, there is a date that the custom wrote on pink form that went through the green form. He told me he will forward this to the team that process this and someone will email me...

Yesterday I got an email. The person wrote that Hermes can't process the refund since custom didn't stamp my green form!! :tdown::crybaby:

I wrote back to her to see if I can show other proofs of traveling/leaving the country.... I haven't heard back...

Also, Paris has new VAT form. It's not pink and green anymore. There are two separate white sheet of paper, one to mail and one to keep. Don't forget to make sure to ask custom to stamp both forms. So you can prove to Hermes if you haven't received the refund...

Urghhhhhh, I'm sooooooo sad!!!
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luvpurse, i am sorry to hear about what happened. however, i have always had both pink/green forms stamped by custom. so i am not sure why the UK customs didn't stamp your copy.

can you tell us which terminal you were at? since I am still puzzled why Global Refund did NOT take your form and mail them for you!
 
#19
Chill said:
Hi, luvpurse, sorry to hear what happened Do u see any custom stamp imprint at all? maybe even just a corner? I noticed some of these stamp are faded, some only show one word 'Roissy', as the green copy can be full of other info/scribbing, it is sometime hard to detect this stamp.
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I think "Roissy" is a stamp leaving France? I left from London... :(
 
#20
hanyeu said:
luvpurse, i am sorry to hear about what happened. however, i have always had both pink/green forms stamped by custom. so i am not sure why the UK customs didn't stamp your copy.

can you tell us which terminal you were at? since I am still puzzled why Global Refund did NOT take your form and mail them for you!
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Do you leave from France or other countries? Lesson learn, I need to make sure from now on that both from got stamped... I believe I left from terminal 2.

I think Global refund shouldn't take the form since Hermes Paris processes VAT in-house? The envelop Hermes in Paris gave me has Hermes mailing address on there...
 
#21
luvpurse said:
Do you leave from France or other countries? Lesson learn, I need to make sure from now on that both from got stamped... I believe I left from terminal 2.

I think Global refund shouldn't take the form since Hermes Paris processes VAT in-house? The envelop Hermes in Paris gave me has Hermes mailing address on there...
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I am confused as well.

In France, it is the customs who stamp your form.

In London T3, it is Global Refund who acts as both the refund agent as well as custom to stamp your form. Hence, I was told by the lady to give her all the forms (with my copy stamped obviously for my record keeping) and she will process everything.

I may be wrong, but I didn't locate a "custom agent" in T3 who does the VAT form like they do in France.

Perhaps others can chime in?
 
#22
hanyeu said:
I am confused as well.

In France, it is the customs who stamp your form.

In London T3, it is Global Refund who acts as both the refund agent as well as custom to stamp your form. Hence, I was told by the lady to give her all the forms (with my copy stamped obviously for my record keeping) and she will process everything.

I may be wrong, but I didn't locate a "custom agent" in T3 who does the VAT form like they do in France.

Perhaps others can chime in?
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This was my experience leaving from London as well.

The officer at the VAT refund counter (no idea if he was Global Refund staff or customs staff) took all my papers. And all my refunds came in without a problem.

I know for Paris, if your detaxe form is the older type with a green and pink carbon copy, they feed it into a machine that prints "Roissy" on both sheets. If it is the newer detaxe form (like a very long receipt, both copies white and no carbon copy), the customs officer has to manually stamp both copies.

On my last trip, the customs officer didn't even stamp my own copy, but he did stamp the copies I mailed out.
 
#23
BTW Luvpurse, if you look at the back of your detaxe form, I believe they do have additional instructions for you to get the form stamped when you are back in your own country. (Only certain forms have this instruction though, don't know why!)

IIRC, it involves having to visit the local EU embassy in your country, with the item in question, as well as your passport and any documentation (air tickets etc) to prove you left the EU and the item in question is indeed in your possession outside the EU.
 
#24
I think Luvpurse can send the form back for restamp only if she has both 'pink' and 'green' copies, but in this case, she has submitted the pink form.....
 
#25
Just as a reference:

I always get cash refund at the airport now after stamping, for costly purchases, eventhough there is a small fee for each receipt. Fee differs from country to country but there is none from Amsterdam airport.

It gives me a peace of mind and one will know if there is any problem immediately.

London Heathrow is best in terms of cash refunds because it is a 1 stop counter. Stamping and getting cash immedately.

I had experience of missing a tax refund when using the credit card refund option. Luckily not for big ticket items.
 
#26
^ The fee you pay for cash refunds is IMO not worth it for big ticket items, since it's a percentage of the refund amount and not a fixed fee.

Plus, FSH only allows refunds via CC. They don't do cash at all.
 
#28
I am still waiting for my Hermes refund. Mailed my stamped form at CDG Jan 11, 2011. Have not heard from them. I contacted the Hermes 800 number...no help, told me to contact Paris directly. Emailed their website twice, got a robotic response "we will contact you shortly". Since, it was to be credited to my Amex, I asked cc to trace. Hermes Paris store told me that it will only take six weeks to get card credited. Hello!!!! where is the refund???? Can some one share experience re Hermes refund? Thanks.
 
#29
luvpurse said:
Hi there,

I'm getting so concerned. I bought one bag from FSH and another one from George V end of March. I got custom stamp in London, put in the envelope and dropped the mail at the airport. I haven't got my refund yet. :(

I tried the website and email listed on the form but they don't seem correct. I called the number listed but got automatic recording giving me another number which doesn't make sense...

Has anyone tried to contact Hermes regarding this? Can you give me contact info?

I'll actually be in Paris again this weekend. I wonder if SA can help me with this.... :sad:
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I am also waiting for cc direct refund from Hermes. Try 011-331 40 174 171 or 633. Have not gotten thru, but this is the phone numbers in Paris. I am still trying to connect to them. 171 is the store 633 was given to me when I called. Pls let me know the outcome.
Good Luck, lolsfo
 
#30
it sounds like there are quite a few of us still waiting for a refund...i was there during the january sale and neither my gf or i have received our refund yet.
 
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