The Costa Business Centre SL www.buyyoursmokes.com

This is a sad and sorry tale about trying to beat the excise duty that you have to pay on cigarettes or tobacco, and if it only stops one person using this facility that dispite lots of assurances from the companies that provide the service stating it is legal I will have done a good service.

I was on a paid email list receiving email from HTLmail, although they paid very little you were allowed to chose the emails they sent you by checking a mail prefrence list, although cigarettes were not a thing that I had checked I received a paid email from them one day stating that I could import the cigarettes from Spain for the sum of 180.00 euros. I should add since HTLmail were aware I had made an order and used there special referrers code I have not heard a peep from them.

Initailly I queried with the company and HTLmail if this was legal, and received a reply from Graeme from the Costa Business Bureau stating that it was, all I would need to do is fill in a form stating they were a gift and giving him my credit card details, therefore I filled in the form and sent it back in a prepaid envelope.

I was assured by the company that as long as the cigarettes were not for myself rather a gift, than the transaction would be legal, all they required was a form signing stating that the cigarettes were a gift and details of the credit card and required brand of cigarettes. I could then sit back and wait for my gift to arrive.

Duly completed I assumed all would go well, however, the recipient of my gift was in for rather a shock, when they received a letter from Customs and Excise stating that they cigarettes had been siezed by them as they had to have duty paid. This rather upset them as you could well imagine and was queried with Customs, who stated that the sender of the gift had to be abroad when the purchase of the cigarettes were made and could not try and use this company as a third party to buy the cigarettes.

At present there are 800 cigarettes awaiting their fate, which, I gather is to be burned in a furnace in a secret location some time very soon. This is a civil matter not a criminal matter and if the matter is taken up with customs than I have to go through a magistrates court.

The company stated that they have fulfilled there obligation, dispatching the cigarettes, and when I complained they stated that the Government were more interested in stopping a few cigarettes than the thousands of illegal immigrants that are flodding into our country everyday. They also stated that they have only ever had four consignments stopped? Well I can't argue with that, I have no ability to disprove this, however, the letter from customs stated that they had stopped my shipment, along with a LARGE number of other cigarettes, and therefore I leave you to draw your own conclusions. I have not been able to get them to reply to my emails since.

If you do visit this site and look up the F.A.Q. you will note they say nothing about the fact that the cigarettes or tabocco could be siezed by Customs. Well given bad publicity may deter you or any other person from using there services the companies concerned are as follows.

www.buyyoursmokes.com

They were dispatched by

The Costa Business Bureau.SL

As I said if it sounds too good to be true than the chances are it is, the recipient of these cigarettes was obviously unhappy to receive the strongly worded letter from Customs and Excise, and although Graeme at www.buyyoursmokes.com stated this is legal, it would appear as far as Customs are concerned it is not.

I hardly need say that I am not prepared to make a stand like they suggested and take the matter up through the courts, given that I dont smoke myself, I understand litigation is expensive and after paying the credit card bill of £126.73 I feel it would be pointless incurring any additional expenses. I still have to buy a birthday present as well. (you can laugh now)

As I said, if this only stops one person using the service than I feel this will be worthwhile. It is not legal and although they state they have done this thousands of times and not had the goods confiscated, why did they need me to sign a purchase form which as it transpires is an imdemnity against them should the goods be siezed.

I hope no one uses this service.