Vincentian in Canada seeking answers to clear scooters

HI MR. JACKSON,

I have shipped some items from Toronto to SVG.

Among those items are 2 battery powered scooters. No engines, no fuel capacity and not mechanically operated.

Motorized because the battery gets charged.

It’s over 5 weeks of back and forth with customs and [a] valuator by the name of Christopher Mason. Mr. Mason immediately , in my mind made a decision that he was going to be rude and difficult. I have called and spoken to Mr. mason and let’s just say he is not inviting or accommodating.

The first issue he had was wanting make and model. He vehemently stated that if he did not get a make and model he would not release the scooters. I contacted the seller in China and the email was returned as undeliverable. I forwarded the undeliverable email to the email of SVG customs that I retrieved from their website. I can assure you that it’s an unmonitored email.

There have never been an acknowledgement of any of my emails.

Now I decided to do my due diligence by reviewing the customs act and it’s articles, giving the benefit of the doubt to Mr. Mason. The act is silent on scooters but speaks to mopeds. After five trips from Georgetown to Kingstown , notwithstanding travel cost, long waits and unreturned calls, Mr. Mason had another reason for not releasing the scooters.

-he was unable to find the purchasing bill.

Strange enough the bill was the first thing he removed from the scooters some 4 weeks prior and it was [the] exact price on the bill he valued the scooters for. Then he needed more;

• we need a broker because we need license plates So, my husband and I are Vincentians citizens who reside abroad, do you see any problem with licensing and insurance ?

What do I tell the insurance company that I am insuring as a vehicle/ motorcycle. There is no make, no model, no VIN number, no fuel capacity, no engine. Technically, an electric scooter does not require vehicle insurance due to their classification as Personal Light Electric Vehicles, they cannot be ridden in public. Internationally and regionally, they are all over the globe and only locally in SVG this is becoming a requirement.

I tried contacting the comptroller , Selwyn DaSilva to file an appeal, but Mr. DaSilva who is in his office (when I called 4 times from Canada) was not in a meeting but was unavailable. I was instructed by the office staff that, when I call he would much rather the information be given to them ( a third party) and they would give him the information. Messages and channels do send the wrong information at time. Please, help me understand, how you have a process of appeal in place and how does that process work if implementation is an issue, especially if the players in that prices are dodging people, too busy to deal with the process and an office yes person should give the information. I am not asking for a free pass or a handout, what I am asking for is procedural fairness. When a valuator goes outside of his area of employment and goes on the internet to be an investigator then we have problems. What mechanism did he use on the internet to attribute his findings to. He made a decision on his [gut] feeling and not in contravention with the legislations that he is guided by.

The Customs Control and Management Act, has no language defining what a motorcycle is as in the attachment provided( importation of vehicles).

How do I know that information on the internet is the same as the scooters that he has before him?

I do hope that this matter can come to some quick resolve before I file an appeal with cabinet.

It should not be this difficult. These scooters are all over the world in more developed counties and smaller islands.

None of which requires what Mr. Mason is asking for. Mr. Mason is not the comptroller of customs.

So he has overreached beyond his area of employment.

Do we now need plates and insurance for wheel chairs or kids cars with motors?

I have searched the following website https:// customs.gov.vc/faqs.

php and it defines what a motor vehicle is: [information not included for reason of length] I am anxiously awaiting an answer to my questions and a solution. I do believe that my shipment has been sitting at customs way too long. If this process is going to continue, an expeditious answer would assist me with filing an appeal to cabinet.

Fayorn John Employee with Ministry Of the Attorney General & A Licensed Paralegal with the Law Society Of Ontario