US Customs suck - Page 1

Wow....am I glad to hear all these comments. I thought I was alone.  Just yesterday I experienced the nightmare of suctoms for the first time when going to pick up my new puppy from Canada at Philadelphia airport.  After driving 5 hours to get there (leaving at 530 am) the cargo folks at air canada (who were great) sent me over to US Customs to get a paper signed, bring it back, and the pup is ready to go home with us.  No problem...right?  WRONG!  The Customs guy, a lazy looking man with no interpersonal skills at all, and no eye contact at all, looks at the paper, disappears for a minute comes back and says I am a puppy breeder (the dog was 10 weeks old!) and I need a "broker."  A what? He says you know what I mean your a puppy breeder...and that is the last thing he said. Now, both the person giving me the dog FREE and myself searched exhaustively on the internet and every official site to make sure we had everything in order...no where could we find a broker requirement.  Not only that, but the guy refused to answer any questions...like what is a broker, where do I find one (maybe he sayd downtown???), what I need one for, what does a broker do...etc. no respose whatso ever, the rudeness of this man goes beyond comprehension.  As a retired 30 year law enforcement official (retired as a Major), had he been one of my men and treated someone like that, he would have been suspended before he could get that substantial bottom of that chair.  Okay we go back to cargo and the women there says in her 24 YEARS working there she has never heard of this, and didn't even know what a broker was........okay after much running around we finally find a broker at the airport, but he only does frieght but was able to give us a name at the Philadelphia Navy base.  Can you believe this......so off we go, (I'm a wreck) because now the pup has been traveling and in her crate over24 hours.  We find this "broker" who was very pleasant and nice, and $300 dollars later he sends us back to customs.  He said they would be expecting us as he called ahead.....a new guy is there at customs, takes the paperwork and and gives us a signed paper and advises us he will put the completed paperwork in the brokers mailbox RIGHT THERE AT Customs!!!!  Wait a minute...I thought they didn't know of any brokers or where to go!!!!!!  I still don't know what I signed or why, or paid $300 for???  I ask the younger customs guy for the name of the man previously and he said he is right here if you want to talk to him, well, I said no I would just like his name, after several requests (the guy obviously did not want to give me the earlier guys name...he goes back to get him, and he refuses to come forward!!!).  The young guy comes back out and just says the other guys last name and disappears!!!  

Okay, I have six dogs, 1 is neutered and I do go under a kennel name trying to preserve an ancient and rare breed of dog, but does that make me a puppy breeder????  Is that such a crime now to have 6 dogs and on occassion and upon demand and careful screening breed a litter a year???  I had to put a value on the pup even though it was a gift!  Who breeds 10 week old puppies?  Where is this information on brokers????  Where is common courtesy......what was suppose to be an exciting day turned into a nightmare.....I don't care about the money, thank goodness we can manage that with the help of a credit card, but God Lord......what is to become of people who love and are devoted to the betterment and preservation of their own pets, companions and sharing that joy with other devoted and committed folks?  30 years in law enforcement, been to Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo serving in missions and I left feeling like a criminal, indignation....you bet!

Sounds like PAYOLA to me.

You were dealing with incompetence -- which is so prevalent.   I feel your pain.

did you ask to talk to the supervisor?
what about the supervisor's supervisor?

Did you expect anything else its the government. Like anything our Racist in Cief Obama mama touches. We will soon be paying a fur tax for the shedding and a tax for the methane from dog farts and a tax per tooth a dog has and a fee for the air they breath $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
so we can help those who refuse to work

I have learned to hire a broker because I was tired of getting treated like pure sh...
I did call the 800 number for customs headquarters and they advised me THAT YOU DO NOT NEED A BROKER even if you are a breeder.  Now, do I really want to tell them that I have checked and I don't need a broker?  BIG NO!!!  I want my dog so I will just pay the money and they know that.

http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3749

Did you list yourself "personally" as the importer of the dog or did you list a kennel name? 

As you can see, this import "law" has been in effect since February of 2009.  Better to travel, or have someone else, travel with the dog.  When importing dogs from Europe, it is common to have a company such as Gradlyn handle the formalities so they act as the broker.  Some say (of course I wouldn't be one of them) it's another example of too much government and one more way to over tax the people.  Ahhh the taste of tea.

I just paid the importing co at the Phila airport $285 and all went well. Just another extra to importing a pup. Quite an eye opener. Now still waiting the 30 days after the last shot to let him out of confinement as per the CDC-US Customs paper I signed. So I did not go to customs. Everyone was very nice to me and did all the work after the $285 was paid. They google your name and if it comes up associated with any kennel, you got some splaining to do.

It's better to go over there, pick up the puppy, and fly back with it yourself.