Avoiding Customs when Shipping from US to UK? - General Topics

Hi all
I wanted to buy a phone from the marketplace here on xda. However I have read that you have to pay a customs duty and VAT on the item, which would be about 23% of the items value.
I was just wondering whether anyone has ever shipped an item (preferably a phone) from the US to the UK without incuring customs charges, and if any had any tips for me so I that I don't get ripped off?
Thanks

Yes I have and gotten away with no tariff but I called it gift under 50 bucks. I am guessing as long as it is used and not a computer........ it flew under the radar.

Technically, what you are asking is help on how to break the law, so I'd be careful
Personally, I've found that things sent by USPS (i.e. regular mail) rather than a courier can sometimes get through without charges, although most things are caught these days. If the sender uses UPS, DHL, Fedex etc. you'll almost certainly be charged.
Note that marking something as a gift makes no difference (unless it's under something like £28 - not sure of the exact figure). Second hand items are charged based on their market value, so that doesn't help either. If the sender uses an insured service, the insured value is usually marked on the package, so it will be easy for customs to place a value on the item.

Thanks for the replies. I know its technically against the law but it is quite a ridiculous law, since you have already paid for the item and all your doing is just paying some customs officer for sitting there opening packages.
So basically USPS, not insured, at a price of under $50. Any recommendations as to which service of USPS to use? Priority Mail, Express Mail etc.

Related

Raphael vendor / Reseller Reviews.

There's a lot of different resellers about and equally many roumers of who's good and who's dodgy at the moment . So that we all know who's who out there, heres a little Thread with Vendor reviews.
If you have something positive or something negitive to say about a seller please say it here.
Also please rate your vendor XX out of 10, I might add a field to the vendor wiki.
Vendors and prices here >http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Raphael_Vendors
I've always used Expansys / MobilePlanet. I'm USA so MobilePlanet.
There is some atrocious whining in their forums from - for want of a better term - EXTRAnoobs.
But in my dealings they are professional, rock solid and I've never had any problems.
Onthegosolutions
I have used Maobile Planet in the past and had no specific problems.
For some years not I have been using OntheGoSolutions and I have been pleased because I always know who I am speaking with. Seems to have very little turnover and they are small enough that I can communicate with one person. They are definitley not the cheapest but have at least twice in the past lowered a price for me when I pointed out an advertised lower price elsewhere.
I bought my Raphael online from Expansys Canada... All I can say is the transaction was very easy, and shipping was SUPER FAST!!!
Ordered it Friday afternoon (approx 3pm), after a small billing problem (I gave them a different phone number from the one on my Credit Card account), confirmed the order on Monday morning at 10am (they aren't opened on weekends), I had the device in my hands Tuesday just before noon...
All in all, besides the phone # problem, I'm very happy with the transaction. It was easy, smooth and fast...
Inkino UK
To all in London and southeast
Eugene at Inkino (I never knew I needed one), 48 Tottenham Court Road www.inkino.co.uk is a mine of information on all things HTC. They are one of the few, if only, HTC Ultimate Partners and it shows.
I have bought my Trinity and now Touch Pro from there.
Yes I could probably get a few pounds off here or there but the service and honest opinions I have had from Eugene and his collegues at the sister branch 9 Great Russell Street mean that I will simply not buy from elsewhere. If I have a problem I know I can call up or drop in and I will speak to someone who knows his products inside out and is a straightforward trader.
Pleasure to do business with.
I ordered mine from Expansys UK. I live in Cyprus and Expansys is propably the best choice. Although I should have used Expansys Cyprus, the UK site was 40 Euro cheaper so I went with them. The service is excellent! Prices are among the best in the market. (630 EURO inc. DHL shipping fees).
They support Paypal, which is a big plus in safety matters, and by using DHL you get your phone in record time.
All in all, i am a happy customer=p
I'm in the US and I bought mine from Clove. A tad more expensive, but I was having problems with Google Checkout (which Handtec uses for overseas orders). Clove was a little slow to receiving my order, but once they did they shipped it out within hours. DHL got it to me in 2 days, all the way from UK to California, and by 10am no less.
One thing about Clove (that I appreciated) is that they require you to confirm the order by calling your CC company and requesting the 6-digit charge authorization number for the charge. Maybe it's an extra hassle, but it's nice to know they're serious about your security.
I would order from Clove again, but of course now I have no money.
I'm in the US and purchased from Smart Mobile Gadgets. All was as they said, including Saturday delivery.
I ordered my TP from On the Go Solutions in July. They said they would call and make sure I still wanted it before they would ship. They also shipped the day the said they would, a month in advance. I am very satisfied with the way they do business.
This is a statement of one set of circumstances and does NOT impute or call into question the credibility or otherwise of this particular organization. There may be an explanation - but so far - my client has not received one.
A client of mine bought direct in a Buy It Now eBay auction from a company with a high level of positive feedback with thousands of positive transactions on eBay. Their public site is - Popular Electronics http://www.popularelect.com.
Approx 24 hours after buying eBay declared the auction NULL AND VOID and advised my client that they do not have to pay. eBay stated:
"As eBay removed the item, you are no longer obliged to send payment for it. Please don't send money or respond to any emails from the seller.
If you've sent payment but haven't received the item, please wait a reasonable period of time for delivery. If you don't receive the item, please contact us again by clicking "Contact Us" on any eBay Help page and selecting the following contact options:
Buying and Finding>Fraud and Payment Concerns for Buyers>Item Not Received or Item Not as Described (you paid)"
My client has called and emailed the company direct and not received any replies.
I've carefully reviewed the eBay email and header codes and believe the email is genuine and not a phish. All the auctions that for TouchPRo's that WERE on ebay from this company have disappeared at 9/3/2008 14:00 EDT.
I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
BEWARE OF THE TIGADUACELLULAR!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2617797#post2617797
Has anyone actually baught anything from tigerCellular out there? If so let us know are they real or fake? thanks... im betting the latter but you never know
2call.nl 5/10
Got my TP from 2call.nl
Price without contract (as I use company sim) was good and delivery was very fast.
However, as my TP came with the know problems (GPS instable and hot, black paint falls off,...), I asked 2call within two weeks after pruchase to take my device back and replace it by a new one.
They refused.
As price and delivery is not the only thing I expect from a retailer of a some hundred euro device, I personally will not buy at 2call.nl again.

Those looking for omnia 2!!1 fraud alert

Those looking for omnia 2!!1 fraud alert
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do not buy from the following, this guy is trying to scam me!!!!!! (Paypal claim in process)
Payment To:
Christopher Chan Zhipeng (The recipient of this payment is Non-U.S. - Verified)
Seller's ID:
mobilehubsg
Seller's Email:
[email protected]
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/mobilehubsg/
Shipped an empty box. Fedex listed weight of package at 1/2 a pound, which is the empty box in a bag!!!!
Seem strange being that he has 100% feedback on ebay.
His rating and the fact that it is a store and not an individual is why i bought it there. First place I saw that had it. Made the purchase, and he was very courteous throughout the process. I went to my companies mailroom this morning to pick it up, opened it and it had nothing but and empty box. The reason i suspect this to be fraud is that he entered all the info for the shipping to FEDEX at his home and listed the package weight at 1.1 pounds. Fedex tracking lists the package at less than half that weight (due to the product not actually being there.) If this guy ships the thing or refunds my money, I would be very surprised. IF this turns out to be something he can explain, other than it msut be FEDEX's fault, AND i get what i paid for, I would be happy to retract/edit my claims. Until then I mostly put this out as a warning to others. I will update when i have more info.
Thread moved to General forum. The Marketplace is for trade discussions only.
Dave
Delivery companys
There is often problems with stolen items within delivery companys no matter how much of a worldwide company they may be

Viewsonic Tablet: Say No to Sears Restocking Fee

I've never had a problem returning anything at Sears except once. I bought a floor model once and returned it to store pick-up area. Then went to cashier to get refund. Cashier wanted to charge a restocking fee. I said no. Cashier calls down to pick-up they say it requires a restock fee. I tell them it's a floor model and what's to restock just set it back on the floor. They say only manager can over rule pick-up receiver. I ask for manager. They call manager who tells them by phone to not charge restock fee.
Read policy below and notice the "MAY, BUT NEED NOT BE" in the policy. The restocking fee only applies if they determine the item was "used". If everything is in perfect condition including the box and manual etc., no restocking free would be charged. This means everything in the box including enclosed coupons if any, English manual, Spanish manual, ever single thing. Box needs to look new so open it and everything carefully. Put everything back together perfectly. Should look new and ready to resell. If anything is missing they will only exchange it for the same or like item. Be nice during return, even if you need the manager.
From Sears website as of today 11/30/10
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back
Restocking/Cancellation Fee Policy (Not applicable in HI)
A 15% restocking fee is charged on Home Electronics returned without the original box, used, and without all of the original product packaging and accessories; Mattresses, built in Home Appliances, and special orders on Hardware, Sporting Goods, Lawn & Garden, and Automotive merchandise. Home Electronics returned in opened boxes may, but need not be, determined to have been used. Special orders cancelled after 24 hours of purchase are subject to a 15% order cancellation fee.
My receipt on the 27th had wording about the return policy and the 15% restocking fee. I returned my gtab for another on, and never paid the restocking fee. It was clearly opened, and the returned item marked for clearance. So yes they may have this policy, doesn't mean they enforce it, maybe because I wasn't returning but exchanging....i'm not going to complain. Just wish I could have gone back and gotten the item on clearance knowing now how to unbrick these things. Live n learn, someone hopefully got a great deal.
Where was that? Which sears?

[Q] No Nexus S for me

[Mods - i hope this is the right forum to post this..sorry if it isn't]
That's it folks ... I guess there is no gingerbread+nexus S love coming my way :'(
I've been dying to get this phone since the day it released... ESPECIALLY because it's such great value for money ..
BUT - I'm in Dubai ...and it wud cost me a total of about $700+ to get this mean boy shipped safely to me
[$530+$5 case + $45 sales tax + ~$120 shipping]
Does ANYBODY know a better way to get it here?
I don't want to buy it off ebay or somewhere else, because I want someone i trust to 'test' the device for problems (and exchange it if needed) before shipping it here...
Help anyone?
[and please don't beat me up for asking!]
They are cheaper here in canada
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
They'll be in Italy soon, closer than America, plus the Italian version will have 720p and a Super LCD.
Interesting ....
I have an iPhone 3g now ..and it's nearly dead [literally]
i see it choke every few minutes ... so I'm slowly preparing to put it back in its original packaging and bury it somewhere..
I can keep waiting till a European one comes about .. but from the articles I've read, i think the reduced shipping cost wud be offset by a higher up-front (529 Euros) price
Till then i'll keep praying my iPhone survives...
@the_ahmadzais: I was under the impression that it hasn't been released anywhere BUT US and UK till now? I couldn't find any google hits that talked of a Canada release, but i probably am wrong..
still ..is there a subtantial diff in prices?
it's mainly the shipping cost that is killing me ... 120$ !! [that + taxes count for 25% of the total bill to get it here!
*ouch* ]
It's been my observation that it's common practice for sellers to overcharge for shipping. Basic one-week shipping to Dubai from the United States via USPS is about half that. Of course, if you want to use a specific carrier (UPS, FedEx, et cetera) or add extra services, it costs more. But honestly, most of that stuff is just a way for the parcel service to squeeze more money out of you. I've been selling and buying online for years, and I've yet to have a package lost or grossly mishandled. If anything's been broken in transit, it was because the seller did a crappy job packaging it. Also, state sales taxes vary. Here in Oregon, there is no sales tax. So the break even point for buying and shipping a Nexus S for me would be roughly $590. Even in states with the highest sales taxes, that only goes up by about $50. So if you're buying from the U.S.- unless you're insisting either on super express shipping (less than a week) or some form of package insurance which would add to the cost- I would consider anything above $650 at most to be pure seller profit.
This non-availability is an android bug imho
abhilashraj said:
[Mods - i hope this is the right forum to post this..sorry if it isn't]
That's it folks ... I guess there is no gingerbread+nexus S love coming my way :'(
(...)
Does ANYBODY know a better way to get it here?
[and please don't beat me up for asking!]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This wouldn't be no problem if the gingerbread reference phone was available as developer phone. Obviously google refuses to notice that there are android developers outside the USA.
This issue already has been reported as a bug. Star it. ;-)
Ya basically the ups shipping is expensive and the phone is 500 at some local stores Asian dealers. Its coming to all Canadian providers on March.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Abilash, I understand the feeling ... frustration. I was in the same boat as you ... think you even commented about it.
I got a friend to buy it (am in Kuwait). Initially I thought I'd make the payment through paypal and get it shipped to him. On trying to complete the process, paypal through up a message saying that my paypal location does not allow shipping to the desired location (US - CA) and therefore payment cannot be completed :-s whatever that meant.
Anyway, my friend ran a quick check ... nothing detailed (checked for bad screen issues, loose volume controls and back button problem), but it back in the box and shipped it to an Aramex mailbox address in New York. Cost him $16.90 including insurance.
The item has yet to reach the address, but one its there, I understand Aramex will automatically ship it to the Kuwait address of the holder of that box. Again, I understand that the shipment cost to Kuwait should be about KD.5 or 6 (about $18/-) plus a possible customs tax of KD.3 or 4 (about $13/-).
You could either find some friend that has this box already or may prefer to apply for a box if you intend to do a lot of purchase from the US.
http://www.aramex.com/shopandship/default.aspx
zachthemaster said:
They'll be in Italy soon, closer than America, plus the Italian version will have 720p and a Super LCD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where has this been confirmed? If a new version comes out with 720p I'm gonna be an unhappy customer.
mr mystery said:
Where has this been confirmed? If a new version comes out with 720p I'm gonna be an unhappy customer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Super Clear LCD has been confirmed, but 720p was just a mistake: some idiot thought that 720x480 is 720p, and if only one person says it, it goes around the internet in no time.
There is a possibility that 720p video recording will come to the Nexus S in the future. Some say it can be done with an update...
Finally getting somewhere with the shipping issue
Really nice to see people offering their two cents..
thank you!
@zorak - the massive addition causing the price to jump beyond the $650 mark is only the shipping cost @120 ... I am using fedex's/ups' online estimate tools to approximate shipping cost... I understand that the estimates wud be off by a bit vs. the actual cost... but I doubt it would be a a $50 drop ...probably a $10 drop ..
i will ask my friend to check if they have other/slower delivery options costing lesser though (the online estimate only shows 'speedy' trnfrs...
@Paparasee: opening that aramex box idea was something i DID NOT know of!
even after adding the initial setup fee of $35 to the $16.90 (shipping to new york) and $31 (shipping to Kuwait) ..the total cost STILL works out to be cheaper than the 120 that fedex and UPS are asking for
how has your experience been so far with the Aramex box? i.e. my packages/the phone wouldn't be lost in transit yea?
on another note-- my brother and I have been putting off amazon purchases SOLELY because of shipping costs .. I didn't know such a thing existed !
the_ahmadzais said:
They are cheaper here in canada
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shipping from Canada to Dubai will be equally as expensive than shipping it from USA
besides the Canadian version of the SNS is not out until March
zachthemaster said:
They'll be in Italy soon, closer than America, plus the Italian version will have 720p and a Super LCD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll not choose a SLCD it's not comparable to SAMOLED
i've played with the SLCD from the next HTC phones, and they are not lively, it lacks the vivid display of the SAMOLED
so if the buyer wants a SAMOLED display, it'll need to purchase the America version, UK version is also SAMOLED
if they don't mind the low quality of the SLCD then they can buy the Euro version with SLCD
abhilashraj said:
the massive addition causing the price to jump beyond the $650 mark is only the shipping cost @120 ... I am using fedex's/ups' online estimate tools to approximate shipping cost... I understand that the estimates wud be off by a bit vs. the actual cost... but I doubt it would be a a $50 drop ...probably a $10 drop ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason to use UPS or FedEx is if the postal service in either the sending or receiving country is corrupt or dysfunctional. Shipping via the postal service will get your package to its destination in only a few more days and for literally half or less the cost. UPS and FedEx are ripoffs.
abhilashraj said:
@Paparasee: opening that aramex box idea was something i DID NOT know of!
even after adding the initial setup fee of $35 to the $16.90 (shipping to new york) and $31 (shipping to Kuwait) ..the total cost STILL works out to be cheaper than the 120 that fedex and UPS are asking for
how has your experience been so far with the Aramex box? i.e. my packages/the phone wouldn't be lost in transit yea?
on another note-- my brother and I have been putting off amazon purchases SOLELY because of shipping costs .. I didn't know such a thing existed !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Experience ... well, can't tell you yet cause the package will probably reach my friends box today or tomorrow (saved $35 since my friend has one already ). But, my friend has been using his box for ages ... no problems, no lost stuff. As soon as the "stuff" hits your box, you'll get an email notifying you of movement in your box. From then on, you have a tracking number to follow up on.
Forgot to add ... it was distortedloop that advised me to "buy the extra insurance coverage" when opting to use the US postal service for shipping to NY. ... thanks again distortedloop
Paparasee said:
Experience ... well, can't tell you yet cause the package will probably reach my friends box today or tomorrow (saved $35 since my friend has one already ). But, my friend has been using his box for ages ... no problems, no lost stuff. As soon as the "stuff" hits your box, you'll get an email notifying you of movement in your box. From then on, you have a tracking number to follow up on.
Forgot to add ... it was distortedloop that advised me to "buy the extra insurance coverage" when opting to use the US postal service for shipping to NY. ... thanks again distortedloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha! Cud u check ur XDA inbox once you get the phone?
I have asked a couple of questions on the Aramex service, that u'd be able to answer once you have their bill
and again . THANK YOU!
Androyed said:
Super Clear LCD has been confirmed, but 720p was just a mistake: some idiot thought that 720x480 is 720p, and if only one person says it, it goes around the internet in no time.
There is a possibility that 720p video recording will come to the Nexus S in the future. Some say it can be done with an update...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the Nexus S hardware had a bottleneck in the memory bus that prevented full frame rate 720p recording; at least that was the chatter last month around here.
Paparasee said:
Experience ... well, can't tell you yet cause the package will probably reach my friends box today or tomorrow (saved $35 since my friend has one already ). But, my friend has been using his box for ages ... no problems, no lost stuff. As soon as the "stuff" hits your box, you'll get an email notifying you of movement in your box. From then on, you have a tracking number to follow up on.
Forgot to add ... it was distortedloop that advised me to "buy the extra insurance coverage" when opting to use the US postal service for shipping to NY. ... thanks again distortedloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Paparasee -- any info on your fone yet?
@abhilashraj ... YEAH!!! I finally got it. My friend dozed of and forgot about the package. He finally brought it to me by about 8.30 or 9pm.
About your queries ...
a) Aramex did not add a separate box nor add anything to the box packed by friend. They just sealed it with their tape.
b) The phone was in its box and that was put into a little bigger box by the Best Buy guys when they shipped it ... I presume that all that ordered it online got it that way cause I saw a video of an unboxing of the NS and that had a similar external box.
c) Not sure about the others, but my friend said that he did put a couple of bubble packs into the box so that there would be no play area for the NS box. This did not add any weight.
d) My friend paid USD.16.90 to ship it from CA to NY (where all Aramex boxes are.
e) Aramex picks up and ships to the final destination only twice a week and hence the delay to get here.
f) Not sure who decided on the weight (whether it was re-weighed or not), but BestBuy had indicated a weight of 1.2lbs when they shipped it to my friend. He probably used the same figure when he shipped it to NY.
g) Aramex used the same figure when they shipped it to Kuwait.
h) Per the Aramex calculator, I was to be charged KD.5.80 for the 1.2Lbs. They charged me 6.800. According to the guy that delivered, if the weight was 1.1Lbs, the charge would only have been KD.4.25/-. That again is their calculator rate plus 1/-.
Yes, its a big relief to have it delivered at that rate ... pretty cheap I would say. The biggest relief though is that I got it
Now for figuring out what is what on my 1st android. Will get used to it and play around in the market with free stuff before I start rooting and the like.
In the meantime, I would require a good office editor and will open a separate thread requesting user opinions!
Cheers & Good luck with your phone.
distortedloop said:
I thought the Nexus S hardware had a bottleneck in the memory bus that prevented full frame rate 720p recording; at least that was the chatter last month around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the entire thread
When the Nexus S was first being reviewed, some places said it had 720p as well. It's reviewers not knowing what they are talking about. The version going to Italy has the same camera.
What about Aramex?
ps : arabic letters not yet connected in 2.3

Android market 'hidden' costs

Not sure if this is the right area to post this or if it been posted before, but was just wondering on other opinions of googles hidden costs when buying apps off the market.
Not sure if this only happens in certain countries but I am in the uk and when I buy an app that is priced in euro's there is a 'hidden' £1.50 charge applied to my card, so a $1 app really costs about £2.30. So if I buy 10 apps, google make £15 quid off me!
I feel this is totally unfair and am wondering of the legalities of not even warning about this charge when you buy the app?
And also it does not seem fair that google are making money off the hard work of developers, I know they get a share of the price but then they also get the extra 'card charge'.....the word ripoff springs to mind here!
I live in the states and I haven't experienced this, perhaps it has something to do with the conversion rate?
rosso22 said:
Not sure if this is the right area to post this or if it been posted before, but was just wondering on other opinions of googles hidden costs when buying apps off the market.
Not sure if this only happens in certain countries but I am in the uk and when I buy an app that is priced in euro's there is a 'hidden' £1.50 charge applied to my card, so a $1 app really costs about £2.30. So if I buy 10 apps, google make £15 quid off me!
I feel this is totally unfair and am wondering of the legalities of not even warning about this charge when you buy the app?
And also it does not seem fair that google are making money off the hard work of developers, I know they get a share of the price but then they also get the extra 'card charge'.....the word ripoff springs to mind here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it is like that. Other people will confirm, but I guess it may be some thing with your credit card or bank, as I believe this does not happen to almost anyone.
antonio1475 said:
I don't think it is like that. Other people will confirm, but I guess it may be some thing with your credit card or bank, as I believe this does not happen to almost anyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it happens to me whenever I buy an app that is in euros, on two different bank cards with different banks, and the money goes to google as it says it on the statement next to the charge.
what I'm getting at is even if it does only happen to a small amount of people (or even just myself), does it make it any less unfair to not warn of this?
And some may say well just buy apps that are in £'s but then I would be missing out on a hell of a lot of apps
rosso22 said:
Well it happens to me whenever I buy an app that is in euros, on two different bank cards with different banks, and the money goes to google as it says it on the statement next to the charge.
what I'm getting at is even if it does only happen to a small amount of people (or even just myself), does it make it any less unfair to not warn of this?
And some may say well just buy apps that are in £'s but then I would be missing out on a hell of a lot of apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it just fits to your problem:
http://www.techeye.net/mobile/android-apps-conceal-hidden-charges
antonio1475 said:
I think it just fits to your problem:
http://www.techeye.net/mobile/android-apps-conceal-hidden-charges
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, explains a lot, I think google should definitely start showing the true price of apps before you buy them, and warn of any charges you may incur....Is it any wonder that people use cracked apps!
To be honest, I hadn't noticed that VAT wasn't included in the prices, I just presumed they had it set up so that your local VAT rate was included (wouldn't be hard to do).
As for the £1.50 charge, that's down to your bank to inform you of it, which I bet they did, but you (like the rest of us) just never got round to reading the small print in the bumf that came with our accounts.
dbzfanatic said:
I live in the states and I haven't experienced this, perhaps it has something to do with the conversion rate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Never seen such a thing. (Also in the states.)
dgalanter said:
Same here. Never seen such a thing. (Also in the states.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah probably a UK thing....they are always finding ways to sting us for more money here
It'll be your bank's handling charge for exchanging £ to €
The same as if you jumped on the ferry and bought a bottle of wine with your bank card rather than cash.
If you don't think your account should incur charges for non £ transactions (ie you're sure it says you won't be charged in your terms and conditions), then contact you bank and complain.
Demand the refund of £1.50 (was VAT added to the charge? I suspect it was so add an extra 20%) and £10 as compensation for their mistake.
xaccers said:
It'll be your bank's handling charge for exchanging £ to €
The same as if you jumped on the ferry and bought a bottle of wine with your bank card rather than cash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just pay with with coins next time then eh?........now where's the coin slot on my phone?
And getting charges back from a UK bank......dont make me laugh
thanks for the info
rosso22 said:
I'll just pay with with coins next time then eh?........now where's the coin slot on my phone?
And getting charges back from a UK bank......dont make me laugh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Email the developer and ask if you can post them some dosh
If your terms and conditions state that there is no charge for foreign transactions, then under the banking rules you're entitiled to those charges back.
Quite often a polite phone call even when the charges are valid can result in them being refunded.
I've had overdraft charges refunded simply because I phoned up and had a bit of joke with the person in the call centre, they have a thankless job putting up with customers abusing them for mistakes the poor sods aren't responsible for, if you can make one of their's day, they can give in to resonable requests.
Like when O2 barred my phone without warning me because my bank screwed up my direct debit. 4 days after making a manual payment the bar still hadn't lifted, so I got through to a west indian woman and while she was looking into it I said "I just wanna use my phone" in a jokey way, she laughed and sorted it and credited me £15.
Maybe with Google's plan for a web based marketstore they'll be the option to add apps to your basket and pay in one go, so only 1 charge, doubt it though.
I still cannot believe they have not sorted this. The majority of UK debit cards will charge £1 - £1.50 for every transaction, meaning that I (and surely thousands of others) have completely avoided buying budget apps as it just makes them too expensive.
There has been some talk of a paypal or charge through your phone provider option, but no sign of either in the UK yet.
There are a couple of accounts and credit cards that don't charge a set fee, often credit cards have say a 2.5% charge on conversions that's perfectly acceptable for small purchases ... well a lot better than £1.50!
Another person from the states here, and i've never encountered something like this
lol, it's not a big deal. Although i did find out unexpectedly
I hope with carrier billing will come to the rest of the civilized world, until then you have to deal with your local financial laws and jump through hoops.
I have been getting similar. Frustrating and hard to get around without calling the bank to check their daily forex rate and having their list of card charges handy before calculating the actual price manually. Seems a PITB for a $2 app
Im from Mexico and I experienced something similar, I just bought one of the 10 cents Apps and I got the notification of two charges, both from Google, one for the 10 cents and one for $1 US. I know its not my bank, because I've used my card on a recent trip to the US and my bank didnt apply any extra charges, besides on the detail of the transaction it says GOOGLE GOOGLE.COM/CHCA US for the extra...
Any news from google on that?
$0.10 apps really only cost $0.10 for me in Canada

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