So I have been on the phone for hours with my local government and the UK government trying to resolve my issue…
I live in a small island called Jersey where VAT (value added tax) does not apply to products. Whenever I purchase something from the UK I do not pay this VAT or sometimes if I do I will email support and get the VAT money refunded back to me afterwards. As Framework state that they do not support tax refunds or exemptions but will provide a VAT receipt, I took matters into my own hands of finding a way to claim back my £348.18 that is VAT. Being a substantial amount of money on my framework 16 order, I spent these hours on the phone with many different departments which led me to the same conclusion. The VAT cannot be claimed back with a receipt unless bought through a business and therefore must be done by the business selling the product.
I was told it is pure laziness that stops companies refunding VAT on items, as its not a lot of paperwork to sign off and work to get done. I have reached out to support many times asking for help in my situation but got nothing.
Does anyone know a possible solution or can get Framework to sort this issue out?
VAT is sometimes just an unavoidable cost for visitors to the EU as well. Visitors don’t need to pay VAT on many purchases, but some shops just do not offer VAT refunds, some charge a fee, some process refunds through a 3rd party. Your purchase also has to be over a certain amount. Even when you can get a refund, it can be a lot of steps and a general hassle. Some travelers just decide it’s not worth the trouble. Framework has said that they don’t handle VAT refunds, so you either have to get it from your government, or you may be out of luck.
how much exactly is “not a lot of paperwork”? Framework is still a relatively small company that gets a lot of orders, and my guess is that they are unable to spare the time to figure out all the orders that can have the VAT refunded, then do the paperwork for all those orders. They are also a US based company that could complicate this process. I’m sorry to say it, but if they were to make this happen for you this one time, they would be liable to make it happen for everyone who wants it done in the future, and that may not be logistically possible for them right now.