The Customs Story
Usually when we take a major holiday we like to bring something unique home to remind us of our good time. We were on the last day of our vacation, however had not made a purchase. This time I, Sam, took it upon myself to buy something unbeknownst to Bob…a surprise for when we arrived home!
Venetian glass being known worldwide…why not? But, it had to be something different! There were numerous shops with a huge array of goods for sale, anything from five to hundreds of thousands of dollars. I spotted something in a shop window, so Ernie and I entered, quickly spoke to the proprietor, made the selection and requested that he immediately wrap it before Bob discovered my antics. Back on the street we found Bob and Stephen and we were on our way. No explanation was given as to the contents of the package; however, there were questions!
The Value Added Tax had been deducted from the price upon purchase; however there was a requirement that the article must be declared when at the exit point of the European Union, which in our case was the Frankfurt airport. I quickly went through the wrong gate, in effect exiting the EU, handed the package back to Bob who proceeded to find the appropriate tax office, not knowing where he was supposed to go, nor the contents of what he carried. As time went on and there was no sign of Bob, I became (unnecessarily!) frantic…imagining he was lost, had maybe been detained and was going to miss the flight. He appeared about 45 minutes later, having succeeded in fine style. We were home free, or so I thought!
Canadian Customs in Ottawa was a breeze, except I forgot the package in the customs area and was not allowed to return. Gone was my surprise and my money.
The loss was, as required, reported to Air Canada; however there was no tag or identification included with the package. For the next few days calls to Air Canada yielded no results. Having dinner with friends a few days later I relayed the story. I was advised to maybe call the Ottawa airport Lost & Found office…I hadn’t thought of this. A quick call located the package and it was couriered the next day…the $45 fee was well worth it!
To see the Bob's surprise click here.