Thursday 27 December 2012

Do you pay Import Duty Buying from SLR Hut? How Much Are Customs Taxes with SLRHut?

How much is Import Customs Duty with SLR Hut? How Much Are Customs Taxes with SLRHut?



Do you pay Import Duty Buying from SLR Hut? How Much Are Customs Taxes with SLRHut?
Do you pay Import Duty Buying from SLR Hut?
How Much Are Customs Taxes with SLRHut?

Despite the .co.uk domain name SLR Hut is based in the USA so any goods ordered from them are liable for import duty consisting of VAT at 20% plus Customs duty. It has been reported that SLR Hut illegally declare extremely low values for goods they send to the UK in order to evade UK taxes and duties.

If you are caught with packages that have been declared of low value but are actually worth more then you could be liable for the additional VAT and duty that has been underpaid. Even if the value is declared low then you are still obliged to pay the duty and handling fee for the goods before you can receive them.

As an example we ordered some equipment costing £160 from Hong Kong and the duty including the shipping agents charge was £35 on top of the cost of the goods. It also appears that SLR Hut will sell you overpriced accessories and warranties which make their prices no cheaper than the goods you can buy in the UK without the same pressure selling techniques or hassle of ordering from abroad.

Monday 10 December 2012

Facebook Website Down 10 December 2012? Facebook DNS look-up failed

Looks like the Facebook website is currently down as of 10 December 2012. All other websites I use  are ok but Facebook is currently showing the following message on Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

and on Google Chrome the message given is:

This web page is not available


How to fix "Facebook DNS look-up failed" error

Unfortunately as the DNS look-up failed error is due to a problem with the Facebook servers then there is no fix you can use on your PC to resolve it. As mobile devices can sometimes use different methods and routes to access Facebook you may be able to connect using your cellphone/mobile phone or iPhone/iPad with the Facebook app instead.

Facebook Error Messages 
The server at www.facebook.com can't be found because the DNS look-up failed. DNS is the network service that translates a website's name to its Internet address. This error is most often caused by having no connection to the Internet or a misconfigured network. It can also be caused by an unresponsive DNS server or a firewall preventing Google Chrome from accessing the network.

Facebook Website Down 10 December 2012? Facebook DNS look-up failed
Facebook Website Down 10 December 2012? Facebook DNS look-up failed

This follows an outage on Google's Gmail service earlier today when the email platform used by millions worldwide was unavailable for around 15 minutes from 5pm GMT.

Previously this message has occured when Facebook's server database has failed meaning the servers controlling internet traffic lookups are unable to connect to it

This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including:
  • Internet connectivity has been lost.
  • The website is temporarily unavailable.
  • The Domain Name Server (DNS) is not reachable.
  • The Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have a listing for the website's domain.
  • There might be a typing error in the address.
  • If this is an HTTPS (secure) address, click Tools, click Internet Options, click Advanced, and check to be sure the SSL and TLS protocols are enabled under the security section.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Baumatic B144SS Oven Not Heating Up - Fan Not Working

The Baumatic oven in our rental property seems to be a fairly unreliable piece of equipment. The fan has already failed once and I had a call from the tenants this week that the Baumatic B144SS electric oven was not working after the rear of the oven/fan started glowing hot and the Baumatic oven was no longer heating up.

It appears that the element has failed on the Baumatic oven and that the element needs to be replaced. There are 4 screws holding on the rear plate of the oven which covers the fan and element. On inspection the element had broken so was no longer a continuous loop. A replacement element was £25.


Baumatic B144SS Oven Not Heating Up - Element replacement
Baumatic Oven Not Heating Up - Element replacement

The element is straightforward to fit and is attached by 2 screws that are easily accessible.

Once the element is replaced then the rear plate can be fitted back with the 4 screws again.