Anybody from UK?

Is anybody from the UK and has anybody ordered from the USA.

Is it simple and straight forward or does it take months.

Would anybody from the uK care to share experiences re equipment etc and getting used to CPAP.

Hi there
I have purchased from cpap.com a couple of times and there a couple of possible pitfalls.
1. The cost for shipping to the UK is high. Check before you order and compare the total against the (inflated) cost from the UK suppliers.
2. Anything shipped from the US will attract import duty and VAT.

Here's a couple of ways to get round these problems, though of course I wouldn't want to suggest that you (or anyone else) should knowingly avoid import duty or VAT, nor suggest that I know anyone who may have done either of these

1. Get cpap.com to ship to a friend/relative who lives in the US and ask them to repackage the items and send them to you as a gift of low value. My guess is this that this would work particularly well for smaller items, like card reader/software/masks.

2. If you have a friend/relative who is going to the US on holiday/business, get the items shipped to them whilst they are there, and then they can bring them back in their hand luggage. In the unlikely event that they are challenged, who is to say the items are not for their own use. Again, my guess is this is a better options for machines/humidifiers. I guess also it would work equally well if you have an American friend/relative visiting the UK.

Good luck

... and it doesn't take long. I ordered a mask from cpap.com for direct delivery to me in the UK and it took about a week (though the tax demand made the puchase uneconomic).

Does one still have to pay taxes even if it is for medical use? It seems ridiculous.

Unfortunately i know no one in the USA.

What sort of taxes have you had to pay for a mask then approx, just to get an idea.

Uhm, well I went to the University of Kentucky...

Go Wildcats!

Another thing a person would have to consider is the actual electricity over there. The typical voltage at the wall outlet over there is 220 volts and the frequency is 50 hz. Here it is 110 volts and 60 hz. The pap machine may be switchable for the differences, I don't know. I am fairly certain that the various machines or equivalent are available over there, but one from here would take some checking.

I know of some machines that switch automatically, I presume most would, but you can always read the info in the machine's description before you buy it.
I can tell you with absolute certainty - having recently tried it - that the PB420E and the PB humidifiers do it without giving it a second thought.

The main issue would be the shape of the prongs (outlet shapes are very different in different countries). I believe Britain not only drives on the left side of the road , but also has these big square shaped prongs on it's electric cables... so, if I were to order from another country, I would specifically ask if the shop has a cable with prongs to fit my country's outlets.

I live in Israel, bought my machines locally, the prongs are European style - worked fine in Switzerland as well as here, and for the States I needed those simple adapters that cost about $3 a piece...
O.

sleepdeeper wrote:Does one still have to pay taxes even if it is for medical use? It seems ridiculous.

Unfortunately i know no one in the USA.

What sort of taxes have you had to pay for a mask then approx, just to get an idea.

Hi sleepdeeper

I can't remember the exact figures. It was a mask costing about $100 (approx £55) and as I recall the kind people at customs added VAT at 17.5% and a small sum for import duty, then the UK courier added a further service charge. I think it all came to nearly £30. I think I could have reclaimed the VAT as it is medical equipment but frankly I couldn't be bothered. Taking account of the delivery charge made by cpap.com I don't think it worked out any cheaper than buying in the UK.

Sorry, I don't know what to suggest if you don't know anyone in, or travelling to the US

Thank you all for your input.

Littlebaddow you seem the only one from the UK that has had experience of making a purchase from the US.

It seems as if we are in a loose loose situation, super inflated prices if we buy from UK with very little choice as who to buy from.

I have also experienced a massively arrogant attitude from the UK companies who have the 'monopoly' in the UK who treat the hospitals they supply like Gods and bum lick the staff in them like there is no tomorrow, but the little guys ie individuals like us, who wish to buy from them
like s--t!.

To summarize, if we buy from the US we get clobbered for postage Vat and import and any other taxes any body wishes to slap on.

We seem to be in the wrong country at the wrong time!

I will need to consider flying to the Us just to pick up a CPAP I think, it probably won't work out cheaper that way I know but at least the UK sharks won't be getting my money!

I know there is at least one other UK forum member who has purchased from cpap.com but can't remember who.

We do seem to be between a rock and a hard place on this. My experience of speaking with the Respironics people here is dreadful. They didn't know anything about c-flex and didn't know whether the software and card reader came together or separately. Their ignorance as well as extortionate prices drove me to shop online in spite of the import issues.

A trip to the US doesn't sound so daft, if you're going to buy all of the equipment and it's going to save you hundreds of pounds look on it as a hoiday from the savings you've made. Alternatively, with so many Brits heading to Florida on holiday, perhaps you could find someone local to you who might be prepared to bring it back? I know it's a bit risky carrying things in your luggage for other people in these days of heightened security, but I'm sure you could explain to them, show them the source website and perhaps a letter/presription from your doc as evidence of the medical need.

I too found respironics's ignorance astounding, they talked down at me assuming i had no knowledge what so ever and were quite belittling in their approach, I already has amassed a lot of info from these boards, for which I shall be eternally grateful.

When I mentioned software they suggested it could be dangerous for a non clinician to have access to what is going on, as the data could be misinterpreted.

I was so ill with my sleep apnoea last year that I really felt I was dying and the doctors were just too busy to bother doing anything about it. My pressure was far too low and it took them just over a year to work it out.

Self monitoring is the only way forward particularly in the UK particularly for me.

I found Resmed even worse as they made all sorts of empty promises and never delivered whilst pretending they always have the patients best interest at heart and not just money money and more money!.

I am cross, frustrated and fed up and I will do anything to buy out of the UK. If needs be i will go to Europe if costs from the US are exorbitant or may I shall buy from cpap.com in gratitude for these boards and after that buy from europe.

Really? You deal direct with Respironics and Resmed in the UK? In the USA, we deal with dealers of these products but not the manufacturers themselves.

On another topic I am very much saddened and distressed by the attacks on the people of London. I am also heartened by the courageous responses to these evil acts.

They are just the guys who have the sole rights to sell the products in this country and they have the right to call themselves resmed and respironics etc.

Basically if I understand it correctly they have a monopoly but are just reps who have the sole import rights and there is no competition here, and they are just laughing all the way to the bank!

Not that I am cenacle or anything

Re London It was a close shave for me personally. People generally are being very brave with getting on with their lives, after such a terrible thing.

Maskedmechanic wrote:
On another topic I am very much saddened and distressed by the attacks on the people of London. I am also heartened by the courageous responses to these evil acts.

Thank you. I'm sure the thoughts of all of us are with the victims and their loved ones.

In these dire incidents, it is heartening to see the response by the emergency services - the ambulance service, the doctors, medics and nurses, the police, the fire brigade - whose selfless dedication shows that there is hope for humanity, in spite of the evil, cowardly, behaviour of the very small minority.

I am being asked by customs to pay £141 VAT in taxes to have my machine sent over. That is $246 in US dollars which to me seems a lot of money.

I have completed and submitted the form below and am keeping my fingers crossed and so hopefully will not have to pay it.

It would be good if there was some way that the form were already completed prior to dispatch of goods, to prevent delays and then stuck to the out side of the goods marked: 'For the Attention of Customs'.

The goods would then go through swiftly and smoothly preventing the equipment being held at customs and avoiding the 20 or so calls I needed to make, to finally locate the goods in some UK Customs holding office.

This is the form which, hopefully may help others in the future:


10.3 Importation of goods for disabled persons into UK: eligibility declaration by a disabled person
Please note that there are penalties for making false declarations
Customer:

If you are in any doubt as to whether you are eligible to receive goods or services zero-rated for VAT you should consult VAT Notice 701/7 VAT reliefs for disabled people or contact the National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000 before signing the declaration.


I (full name) ......................................................................................

Of (address) ..................................................................................

declares that:
• I am chronically sick or have a disabling condition by reason of: (give full and specific description of your condition)
• and that I am importing the following goods from outside the European Community for domestic or my personal use:

Description of goods and Condition:

• The Condition: I suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and the treatment for the condition requires me to use a CPAP machine on a daily basis.

• The Goods: The equipment/goods consist of a blower, called a CPAP machine with attached humidifier, software, to monitor the condition and a mask. The equipment is for personal use.

• Additional Information: I need to use the machine any time I sleep. It acts as a splint to prevent my airways from closing, which would otherwise result in my stopping breathing, leading to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and even heart failure.

• My condition is chronic and I will need to be on the machine for the rest of my life. I attach a hospital letter to confirm my condition.


I claim relief from value added tax


................................................................................(Signature)


..................................................................................... (Date)

Please PM me if anybody want me to send them the form in an email attachment, which I will gladly do