Never Again!

Our story

We crossed the border into Turkey on July 21st, while we were still making our way through Europe. We didn't have to be in Istanbul for a wedding of dear friends until the 28th, so we decided to take some time to explore the country.

Saturday August 12 (Day 1)

While in Selime on Saturday, August 12, we were planning to drive to Cappadocia. However, our camper's dashboard displayed a message stating that the car would not restart after driving 450 kilometers due to a problem with the AdBlue tank.

Panic - what to do?

We decided to abandon our travel plans and drive directly to Ankara (290 kilometers away). We arrived at the Citroën dealer (Citroën Otosay Otomotiv) just before closing time.

We arrived at 5:45 pm. Fortunately, we found a saleswoman who speaks English. She called a mechanic who had already left for the day and who came to the car at 5:55 pm with a laptop. After a diagnosis, he concluded that the AdBlue tank needed to be replaced. This was strange, as we had bought the car in February from Bi-Camper in Helmond with only 31,588 kilometers on the odometer. Although the technician was able to reset the message on the dashboard, he could not predict when it would reappear.

We thanked the saleswoman and the mechanic and went looking for a place to stay. We needed some time to process everything and discuss our options.

After a break, we called the Emergency Center of Camperverzekerd. After a 45-minute wait (!), I got Lucas on the line. I told him about our bad luck. I also told him that we had to be in Istanbul on August 28 for a wedding party and that my son from the Netherlands was coming there and might be able to bring a new tank with him. He liked the idea.

After checking the travel insurance policy and the all-risk insurance, Lucas consulted a colleague and came up with the following plan. Repatriation would be very expensive, so it would be great if my son could bring the tank with him (I didn't know at the time that this would never get through customs). We would leave the camper in Ankara, get a rental car, and claim a hotel until August 28. After the 28th, we would return to Ankara with the tank and have the camper repaired. Please note that the distance between Istanbul and Ankara is 5 hours (on toll roads). This would take two whole days!

This seemed like a simple plan, but it turned out to be too easy. As it turns out, things don't work that way in Turkey.

Monday August 14 (Day 3)

The answering machine of Bi-Camper indicates that they are on vacation. Unfortunately, it later turned out that this was the number of the seller and not of the company - they were open.

I called a garage in The Hague and they said they could have a new AdBlue tank delivered the next day. I then called the Camperverzekerd emergency number. After waiting on hold for 21 minutes, someone finally answered the phone. I asked if the insurance would pay for the shipment of the part. I reasoned that it would save them thousands of euros if they didn't have to repatriate us. The person on the emergency line told me that they only handle standard matters and advised me to call the head office.

The insurance company will only contribute €150 towards the €375 shipping costs.

I then received a call from the garage in the Netherlands, who said they could deliver the AdBlue tank the next day.

I took a taxi to the Citroën garage in Ankara to confirm that they could replace the tank.

I called the emergency center again and explained that we could not and did not want to drive any further. I said that we wanted to stay in a hotel from today onwards, in anticipation of the AdBlue tank arriving from the Netherlands and the repair. The emergency center said that we are entitled to 10 days of hotel accommodation, with a maximum of €50 per person per night.

We left the parking lot and checked into the Park hotel in Ankara.

Wednesday August 16 (Day 5)

I sent an email to Citroën Ankara about the shipment and arrival of the AdBlue tank.

Later that day, I received an email from FedEx saying that the part would not be cleared by customs. I would need to hire a broker. I carefully read the email and realized that the package had not yet left the Netherlands! I was shocked that FedEx would receive my payment and then immediately send me this message. It is outrageous that they would not warn me before I paid!

Monday August 21 (Day 10)

I found out that the garage had sent the document by regular mail (registered). I called PostNL, but they said that there was nothing they could do. The letter would be delivered between August 23 and 31st!

This would not work because we had to be in Istanbul on the 27th for a wedding.

Eda Sencar Atalay from FedEx in Turkey emailed me to say that the recipient's name had been changed and that I needed to find a customs clearance agent. She still seemed to think that I wanted to import (and sell) the part for my car. She gave me an email address that turned out to be invalid. She did not seem to understand that I did not want to import the part, but rather have it installed in my Dutch car and then drive it back to the Netherlands.

Wednesday August 23 (day 12)

Asya Nakliyat was able to tell us that our part had arrived in Istanbul and was at customs. They said that they could not do anything for us, other than help us find a customs clearance agent.

In contact with a friend in the Netherlands with a Turkish background. He told me that clearing customs would be a lengthy and costly process.

We decided to give up on the repair and repatriate the camper. 

We asked FedEx to return the part. They emailed us saying that we had to confirm by the 29th of August that we wanted to return the part. They did not tell us how to confirm this.

When we asked how to confirm, they said that we had to pay 145 US dollars in Turkish liras, in addition to the freight costs. They did not tell us how to pay this amount. We emailed them again asking how to pay.

FedEx then sent us a document that we had to sign and an IBAN number that our bank in the Netherlands could not trace.

We called the emergency center of Camperverzekerd (on hold for 26 minutes). We got a lady on the line who could not help us and registered a callback request. Fortunately, someone called back within 10 minutes.

We explained our wishes: repatriate the camper; transport the camper to the Netherlands; we would drive a rental car from Ankara to Istanbul for the wedding on Monday and then back to the Netherlands as soon as possible.

The man on the phone passed this on to the department that would pick up the camper and said that he did not know when they would contact us. He said that if they had not contacted us in 2 days, we should call again.

Reported damage on the website of our Insurance company

Friday August 25 (Day 14)

We had to go to a car rental company (Enterprise) in a large building complex called ETI, where a train station is also located. It was quite a challenge to find the counter of this company. A friendly man saw us looking and asking for directions outside and decided to help us. He took me to the counter and because dogs are not allowed in the building, he took Ella to the basement where the cars were.

Finally, we left the building with a rental car on our way to Istanbul.

When we arrived in Istanbul, we parked the car on the street (for a fee) and checked in at the Antea Best Western Hotel.

Monday August 28 (Day 17)

We had already researched the regulations for flying with a dog, and we knew that a dog weighing more than 8 kilos is no longer allowed in the cabin on our lap. We wanted to make sure of this and also check if our tickets were already issued, so we went to the nearest Turkish Airlines office.

When we got there, we interrupted two men who were playing on their phones and computers. They told us to go to the main office in the Taksim district. We walked in that direction and eventually found a taxi that was willing to take us (with our dog).

At the main office, they confirmed our understanding of the regulations, and they told us that we would need to buy a crate for our dog and that our tickets had not yet been issued.

I called the emergency center of Camperverzekerd, but the representative told me that she would put me on hold for another half hour. I was so frustrated that I hung up the phone.

We went for a coffee to calm down, and then we went to a street with four pet stores to buy a crate. The second store had the right size in stock. We also bought a bench, a water bowl, and some snacks for our dog.

We received our tickets by email on August 13th for the flight from Istanbul (SAW) to Amsterdam (AMS). The flight is scheduled to depart at 8:50 AM on August 30th.

Wednesday August 30 (Day 19)

We checked out of the hotel at 5:00 AM and took a taxi to the airport. At the Anadolujet check-in desk, we learned that our dog had been booked to travel in the cabin. However, the plane on this flight did not have air conditioning in the luggage compartment, so our dog could not come along. We went to another Anadolujet counter, where our ticket was rebooked to a later flight on a plane that did have air conditioning in the luggage compartment. This meant that we had to wait an additional 5 hours at the airport (with our dog), for a flight that was only 3.40 hours long. Of course, we had to pay extra for the rebooking.

Later we tried to check in for our flight at 2:10pm. Again we were told that the dog could not come along and the man at the desk led us to the desk where we were previously helped with rebooking. Now we were told that we could go tomorrow. Same time and that the dog could come along. No excuse, no compensation - nothing! No hotel, no food, not even a drink.

There is nothing to do but wait until tomorrow at the airport with the dirtiest toilets I've ever seen in an airport.

Friday September 1 (day 21)

We took the train back to Schiphol to pick up the dog. We were nervous again, knowing that Swissport unloads the normal suitcases first, then the special dimensions, and only then the pets.

Because boarding starts again half an hour before departure, we were nervous when there was still no dog 15 minutes before that. We were told not to worry, because that's how they always do it.

Fortunately, our dog eventually came to us and we were able to take the train back home.

I was in bed for four days after all the stress. Can you imagine?

Thursday September 7 (Day 28)

Yesterday I replied to Fedex on their threatening email that I am not a professional import export company and that it is about my property. I also sent the link to this blog.

Because I don't have much confidence that anyone within Fedex will delve into my case or think outside the box, I'm going to delve into customs today. Can I access it? And what about the National Ombudsman? Or do I have to go to a lawyer? Or should I try TV and newspapers?

Called the customs phone (of the Netherlands) today. The lady on the line thought it was a sad situation but they can't help it. She did say that what Fedex is doing is wrong. If this product has never been released by customs in Turkey, they could have simply returned that item. She advised me to file a complaint with the customs authorities in the Netherlands. This must be done by email.

What I already conclude from this is that the 145 dollars that I suddenly had to pay to fedex in Turkey (excluding the return) is therefore also not correct!

On the advice of the lady of the telephone customs line, I sent an email to the complaints department of the customs in the Netherlands.

In the afternoon I received a call from Camperverzekerd (still an excellent company in my opinion, don't get me wrong). The lady had contacted the salvage company and unfortunately they cannot tell us when our camper will come to the Netherlands. All our luggage is in there, including our bicycles and our kayak. Do we have to buy new clothes, cutlery and crockery now because it won't be there for months?

I hope that the salvage company will also see this report and will understand that we would like to hear from them.

In response to the threatening email from Fedex (get address details from Broker quickly, otherwise we will charge you storage costs), I filed a complaint via the Fedex website in the Netherlands.

By the way, there is still no response to my message to Swissport about the dog (which they forgot to unload).

A lady from the insurance company called me. She is very involved and offered me all the support. I was very grateful for this conversation. Many things could have gone better, but I am very satisfied with the insurer itself so far.

Monday September 11 (Day 32)

No answer or response from Fedex. Guess what! Received package today. My AdBlue tank can now suddenly be delivered without a broker and without import papers. No idea how this suddenly came about. Last week I received threatening messages from Fedex (for even more costs, import needed in NL) and today my tank suddenly arrived on the sidewalk.

This has become the most expensive AdBlue tank in the Netherlands. € 1,500 purchase and no less than € 900 costs to #Fedex. Fedex is truly a disgrace, they have completely screwed up in Turkey. The way they do business is very similar to fraud.

First they sent me this message:

Dear recipient, importer, 

We expect the above-mentioned shipment in the Netherlands one of these days. In order to continue to serve you optimally, we request that you complete and return the attached 'Direct Representation' authorization. This authorization relates to shipments that we transport and clear for your company. Fedex is recognized in the Netherlands as a customs agent and as an 'Authorized Economic Operator' (AEO). This allows us to simplify security and customs procedures for your shipment and handle it on your behalf. 

We use the information provided in your authorization for this purpose. Would you therefore be so kind as to provide Fedex with the requested information below? 

-       Original copy of direct representation by post (Address is on the form) 

-       Copy of direct representation by email 

-       Extract from Chamber of Commerce with the names of the authorized representative who may sign on behalf of your company, only they may sign the direct representation! 

-       VAT number and EORI number (If you have not provided your VAT number in time, we would like to point out that we must declare the shipment to Dutch customs within a legal period. This means that VAT will be levied. You can pay the VAT via your VAT return. FedEx will not process a request for refund or revision of the return) 

We would like to receive your response for the attention of nl-import@fedex.com For additional information, please refer to www.douane.nl In advance thank you for your cooperation. Serafin Rzewucki Clearance Broker Associate FedEx Express Europe Tel: 31 0800 0222333 Fax: 31 20 5005565 email: nl-import@fedex.com Please note that after 2 working days storage fees will be charged. If no instructions are received within 5 working days then the shipment will automatically be returned to sender (according to our conditions of carriage). Our conditions of carriage, which can be found on www.fedex.com

Then I filed a complaint with customs and Fedex.

And without any reaction they now delivered the package! Is this phishing? Does Fedex want to see if the customer takes a bite so that they can charge more and if that doesn't work then just deliver?

Tuesday September 19 (Day 41)

I received a call from our Camper supplier that the Camper has been delivered.

The camper was very dirty and the electrical connection for the bicycle carrier was broken during transport. We quickly made an appointment to view the camper and bring the AdBlue tank for repairs.