Hi AB,

I can understand your unhappiness at having to pay this 19% as I did the first time it happened to me but I really don't think there is a way around it.

I may have misunderstood you but you seem to think you are purchasing from the USA but you are actually purchasing the product from Digital River (Element 5) who are in Germany so you are having to pay this 19% charge as we all do in Europe.

Have you tried contacting Element 5 to ask them about this? The link below should help you if you want to do this.

Element 5 Support

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Sorry, but I think you're wrong here.

For physical delivery of products from foreign, non-EU countries to Germany customs duties, value added tax and excise duties always apply, except for some goods with a value below 22 EUR:

Zoll, Fragen zum Internethandel

For electronically delivered services no customs duties apply, VAT still applies, though:

Merkblatt zu Warenbestellungen über das Internet (E-Commerce)
UStG, § 3a Ort der sonstigen Leistung

See also the special regulations for foreign, non-EU companies delivering services electronically to clients in the EU:

VAT on eServices

EDIT: links corrected

…

Thanks for your postings and links.As I have a VAT-ID and if I get an invoice from a german company ( 5 elements ), than I will pay the Vat. In this case I will get it back from the german tax. So, lets finish the discussion with the VAT and I am looking forward now to work with iClone to produce interesting 3 D animation videos.

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.

Finally I got now my program yesterday, but it was a hard way: I ordered to pay in USD and accepted the VAT. Than I got a message, that the payment got not through, I should try it again. I ordered again. Than I got an eMail that I am bounced, because the card company refused payment. I phoned with the card company and they told me that there was no inquiry for a payment on my card account. So I phoned with element 5 and told a Mr. B. that my card not was tried to debited by element 5. I asked what the problem is. He only said: Try it again, I will cancel your order. I phoned again with element 5 and had another employee, a Mr. H, at the phone. I asked him, why element 5 will not proceed my order. He told me, that he cannot understand it, maybe because I want to pay in USD. I told him, that I want to debited my card now and get the licence keys as soon as possible. He said, he will manage it now and after 3 mintutes I had the licence keys, but only after 4 hours disputing with elements 5.

Its really a pity that it is not possible to order directly with reallusion and that I am forced to make business with such a company like elements 5.:w00t:

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.

Hi A.B,

Sorry to hear of your problems ordering through Element 5. I did once have a similar problem myself but switching to a different card solved it. I guess if you don't have, or want to use another card this would be a serious problem and one that really needs looking into by Element 5.

This has been a testing time for you but thanks for hanging in there and getting it sorted in the end.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Thanks for your posting, Peter. It has nothing to do with my card. Yesterday I ordered again add-ons at element 5. The first add-on got throug directly with permanent access to download. Than I ordered 1 hour later the nightclub props and there was no permanent access to download. I had to wait 5 hours to get an eMail with the download link.



I want to order more add-ons, but is there really no possibillity that I can order directly with reallusion?



I want to work seriously with iClone, but its very frustrating, to wait 5 hours for a dl-link after ordering with credit card.



I have other cards, too, but I should be able to decide myself, with which card I want to order, or not? Also the card data are safed at element 5 and it needs less time for me to order with the same card.

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.

Today I wanted to order 5 programs ( characters, texture and motions ) and the game with element 5 goes on. :w00t: Again I got a mail, that my order will not be proceeded. I should call to my card company.:D That is the biggest nonsense I ever experienced in my life, since I`m ordering nearly daily by credit card in the internet.:hehe:It needed 14 days to get the iClone programs and now I cannot begin to work, because I have problems with element 5 to get the needed add-ons. PLEASE HELP, dear team of reallusion!!!!!!!!!!!
:Whistling:

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.

Hi Andi,

Sorry to hear your problems ordering persist. Was the card that Element 5 rejected this time the same as before? If so then it would seem they have a problem getting clearance for one reason or another. If it is possible could you try another card? As I mentioned before this has also happened to me before so you are not alone.

Sadly there is no way of ordering direct from Reallusion. Online orders are handled by Element 5 (Digital River). I agree that waiting several hours for a download link is a pain but sadly that is the method they use.

All that I can advise is that you could try contacting Reallusion Support and let them know of your problems. Also you could try getting back to Element 5 and see if they can explain why a perfectly good credit card is being refused each time.

I wish I could help you more myself but I have nothing to do with sales and can only pass on your issues for further review.

http://www.reallusion.com/CustomerSupport/User/QForm.aspx

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

I followed the advise to contact element 5today again to get an explaination what the problem concretely is, but the stuff of element 5 in Germany is very unfriendly and tell me "that the system is refusing my orders". They ( the call center ) can nothing do for me.

I must wait now 48 hours, until I get the next information.


This company now becomes a nightmare for me. They treat customers of reallusion like enemies. :w00t:



And her motto "Just a click from your software" is unfair (illegal) competition because its not true.

I ordered on wednesday. Today, on sunday they havn't cleared the problem. God created the world within one week. I will tell you how long element 5 needs to send a download link, if I received it one day.

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.

The intervention of Peter Edwards helped, that I got today -one week after the oder-:w00t: the download links from element 5.

Also the International Sales Manager from reallusion, Jaqueline, offered me a possibillity for ordeing in the future, if there will occur again problems at my next orders with element 5.

Many thanks to Pete and Jaqueline:)



But as I wanted to install the Human Basic add-on, There came the following message:



"Unable to retrieve information from internet to validate your serial number right now. Please retry installation on a later time. Setup will be terminated."



I guess, that its only possible to install the program within the office hours of element 5. Maybe they want to monitor all installations. I don't know..............

:unsure:

Andi

PS: Meine Erfahrungen mit der Einarbeitung in iClone in deutscher Sprache in meinem Blog.