I am in the middle of an extremely disappointing experience with bordbar, a German company, when…read morepurchasing a beverage trolley for approximately $3,000 USD. The customer service was severely lacking, and the lack of transparency regarding additional shipping costs was shocking.
After placing my order, I was contacted by UPS requesting a Tax ID or Social Security number needed inorder to schedule / receive delivery. As an individual retail customer, not a commercial business, I don't have a Tax ID and was uncomfortable providing my Social Security number for a retail purchase. However I felt trapped and provided my SS# to both bordbar and UPS as requested. To my dismay, UPS then informed me that I would need to pay an additional $3,300 in fees (duties, tariffs, fuel charges, etc.) COD upon delivery. None of these fees were disclosed by bordbar in their terms and conditions or during the purchase process.
When I contacted bordbar's sales representative, Ms. Susanne Boltz, she claimed this was an unusual issue and that they had never encountered it before. However, after checking Yelp reviews, I found another customer reporting a nearly identical problem just last month (May 2025), except with DHL as the shipper. It's clear bordbar fails to inform customers about potential additional costs and fees, which is unacceptable for such an expensive purchase.
I've since opened a dispute through PayPal, and bordbar said they would process a refund minus $200 in shipping fees, which I find unreasonable given their lack of transparency. My refund request is now with Ms. Susanne Boltz, who is consulting with the companies owner, Mr. Stephan. I hope they do the right thing and provide a full refund. If that happens, I'll update this review, but for now, I strongly advise others to avoid bordbar. Check reviews carefully before purchasing--I wish I had.
