Pie VAT

This app is awesome! Don’t be fooled by the enticement to shop tax free in Trondheim UNLESS you shop where they use this app. If you have shopped at places like Husfliden and spent a bundle thinking you’re going to get some of it back, be prepared to be sorely disappointed. If your flight out of the country leaves early in the morning, the tax free “office” at Værnes will be closed and that thing you bought just to spend the minimum tax-free shopping quota will be particularly annoying. The whole Global Blue thing will seem like a scam once you’re at the airport with your stash of clothes and souvenirs IN YOUR HAND LUGGAGE, of all places, no longer for any reason. I’m going to be asking the stores in Trondheim that use Global Blue to switch to this app!

The Pie VAT app is the most user friendly and efficient VAT refund process I have ever experienced. No need to find a refund office like Global Blue and get your customs stamp at the airport while you are trying to make your flight. It can all be done online through the app. Once you leave the country/return home you just take a photo (gps coordinates for your location will be captured providing proof the items purchased were exported). Bingo - I got my refund approved in less than 24 hours after submitting. I certainly hope more stores affiliate with Pie VAT. I will ask before I buy in the future and will gladly support establishments that use Pie VAT versus Global Blue (I lost 2 VAT refunds because of an early flight home and long lines at airport that did not allow me to get my customs stamp and refund request submitted before boarding my flight).

Not easy to get refund. Need patience to go through process to receive tax refund. Problem is that it is hard to find message service that is a big help if the company or if you have made a mistake with emailing what is required to receive the refund. There are other issues that need persistence. The same Information had to be submitted several times, at the store then by me when I received an email from the company and finally by the customs representative at the airport. The customs repre had take time to figure out how I could get the tax refund. The store where I bought the items gave me an envelope and said I should enclose the purchase receipt and a photo of the items. Mail it out. The customs repr said that if I mailed the envelope to the address that was on the envelope, I would not receive any refunds because at that office they would not be familiar or have any thing to do with that type of information. I order to receive a tax refund had to go through email that had links that were not always accurate, example, link to change password when tapped got to login only. Sometimes was asked to login and sometimes did have need to login. Persistence, patience and working with company’s messenger service (if you can find it) will help to get refunds.