http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/2010/12/apple-resellers-law-suit-threatens.html
"As I write this Greek users of Twitter are flooding the micro - blogging service with comments and complaints about the Apple reseller in Greece, Systemgraph. According to the newspaper Protothema, a Greek internet user is being sued for 200,000 euros by the company following complaints he made online about how his attempts to get his imac repaired went awry.
In his post blogger Arkoudos wrote that Dimitris Papadimitriadis, a 35 year old doctor problems began when he saw that there were shadows on the screen and returned it (under guarantee) to the authorised service provider, Systemgraph who identified and claimed to have repaired the issue. However, when Papadimitriadis realised that the problem had not been fixed and returned his machine once more to the company his troubles began in earnest.
On the other hand Systemgraph stated in their defence that the customer had been "rude and aggresive" and that the company had offered to repair the screen once more and was under no legal obligation to replace the machine (that being the responsibility of the store that had sold the computer). According to their statement on the AV Club forum the law suit was in response to an "organised attempt to slander and insult" the company via social media sites, blogs and forums.
This case in disturbing on two levels. Most importantly is the idea that any unwanted or disagreeble comment made on the internet can be punished with massive fines or the threat of legal action. As Papadimitriadis puts it on Twitter, "If the blogger/consumer loses (the case), then all we will be able to write in our own name will be recipes". Already freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Greece is in deep crisis with the country's Press Freedom Index ranking dropping over 30 places this year alone making it the lowest placed in the EU.
Also what the case highlights is just how weak consumer protection is in Greece and that buying any big ticket item involves a risk which most other European consumers do not have to factor in. Even when the guarantee is valid some companies are loathed to accept the costs involved with repairing or replacing faulty goods. Of course, the consumer can insist on their rights as Papadimitriadis said he did when he took his case to the consumer ombudsman but this can be a long and often futile affair and even if the courts find in favour of the customer businesses can just chose to ignore the decision.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the case are the uproar which is currently being generated on the internet via Twitter and blogs shows that consumers do have the power retailers think carefully about how they are preceived online and remind them of the power of negative word of mouth".
That's just a ****ty deal! I don't see how they aren't obligated to fix it if they,
1.Didn't fix it in the first place,
2.It's still under a guarantee.
If they took it in to fix it, but didn't, and I took if I had to take it back again to get it fixed, I would be mad too! Even more when Macs aren't exactly the lowest priced item on the block. If I'm buying a product and a service from you, then actually do your job.
People are taking the Internet too seriously. The company I used to work for let go of me because of a facebook post, just saying that "work ****ing sucked today".
Too bad he couldn't use that first amendment right...
And.. always need to be careful what you post on the intarwebs it seems nowadays - especially if you use facebook and don't set your privacy settings correctly.
Might be dumb but this is the turn of the times. I hope the Doctor wins as he was sharing his experience with support for just the one machine. Apple is getting ridiculous after "Attenagate".
avgjoegeek said:
And.. always need to be careful what you post on the intarwebs it seems nowadays - especially if you use facebook and don't set your privacy settings correctly.
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that idea is just wrong , why the users ? why is it the people who "should" hold their mouths always ? isnt the consumer internet made for the people ?
whys it always the honest tax payer who has to back off , when unlawfulness , and tyranny appears ?
there should be an uprising and boycotts against scum corporations and companies and governments that see people as nothing but cockroaches
too bad ppl have "better" things to do , like watch football on tv , with their mouth shut
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!
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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.
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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
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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
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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?
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Same here. Never seen such a thing. (Also in the states.)
dgalanter said:
Same here. Never seen such a thing. (Also in the states.)
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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.
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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
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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
This worked for me...
I had to call about 20 times to get them to comply with the terms. the last time I called, the call was escalated to the management team almost immediately. I talked to the man very calmly and explained the situation with him. I told him that sprint had changed the terms of my contract several times, I had the original contract in which I signed dated 9/21/2010 and I was not going to accept the new terms with their material changes. He said that sprints attorneys had already looked at the changes to the "surcharges" paragraph and they were not an adverse material change due to the fact that sprint is just imposing limits which it had none before. So I went on to explain the adverse change to the arbitration agreement which impeded my ability to pursue any wrong doing and showed sprint favoritism. I told him of all the complaints I had been researching about JAMS arbitration showing the business favoritism. He asked me to hold a minute and came right back asking if I had considered the buy back program. I told him absolutely not I was not going to loose $250 on a phone less than a year old which they would only give $95 for and expect me to pay $110 for an ETF. He said unfortunately there is nothing I can do. I replied, I am following all the terms of the contract, I stated the Provisions for breaking the contract with no ETF (material change) and again told him this new arbitration agreement which I would be using to pursue the change to the "surcharge" paragraph adversely affects me. He asked me to hold he would transfer my call to the head of his call center because his hands were tied. About 20 minutes later he came back on the line and told me he had talked to the head of the call center and he was willing to mark my contract fulfilled as of last month and set my account to cancel at the end of the billing cycle so I could port my number if I wanted. I told him that was awesome and I appreciated them abiding by our contract even though it took multiple calls to get it completed.
1. Take notes. write down the names and employee ID of all the people you talk to.
2. Make sure you tell them you want to cancel due to the material change to the terms and conditions.
3. If you get a person that seems like they are put out by having to be at work right now tell them something came up and you will have to call back later and thank them for their time. then call right back and get someone who is having a better day.
4. Tell them you do not like the fees but the change to the arbitration agreement is the material change that you do not agree with, it is because they are impeding your ability to resolve any disputes with sprint due to the changes to the arbitration agreement so it adversely affects you.
5. Do not let the persuade you into the buyback program unless you know what the conditions are and you don't mind loosing all the money you paid for your phone upfront, you will still have to pay the ETF and they don't pay much for phones ($95 max for the Epic). You could sell your phone on craigslist for more than they offer and possibly enough to cover the ETF.
6. Always remain calm and collected speak slowly and plainly, be courteous mind you manners. Talk to the employee for a minute ask where he is located and how his day is going. Make sure you are improving their mood sympathize with them. Tell them you understand they have been told what to say and they have to follow orders but someone must be able to complete this and abide by the terms and conditions. Talk to them like their on your side (reverse psychology). If I can make them laugh over something I usually have their support when the call is escalated to the next department. It definitely makes a difference if the previous employee leaves a good comment and they side with you on the account and doesn't say you are an ahole.
7. Do not let them persuade you into the buyback program unless you know what the conditions are and you don't mind loosing all the money you paid for your phone upfront, you will still have to pay the ETF and they don't pay much for phones ($95 max for the Epic). You could sell your phone on craigslist for more than they offer and possibly enough to cover the ETF.
8. If the employee does not agree the arbitration change is a material change. mention "In Cunningham vs. Fleetwood Homes of Georgia, reported at page 611 of the third Federal Reporter, volume 253, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that arbitration clauses are material terms to a contract.”
9. They may offer a discount of .50 each month to offset the surcharge or $10 a month for 3 months to continue service. If you take these offers your contract will still be in full effect and you will be stuck with the new terms.
10. Get a CONFIRMATION NUMBER and keep it safe. Do not loose it just in case the employee lied which has been known to happen from time to time. check your account online and click "see my contract details" it should show almost immediately the contract is complete. press print screen and save the image at least until your final bill has arrived and is correct. I have been burned by companies which lied in the past because it does not matter what they tell you on the phone its what is in writing that counts. If they lie and you have no proof 30 days after the change you are stuck in your contract.
With a bit of luck they should let you out of the contract depending on the representative. They have no legal grounds to make you stay. If they refuse try again be persistent. I overheard the employees talking in the back ground at one point about how many times I had called over this issue. one of them even said "he is one persistent a**hole". Do not give up, if you don't find yourself making headway after 25 calls file a complaint with the BBB, FTC, FCC, your state attorney general, local chamber of commerce and your state public utility commission.
Good Luck,
Brandon
Online retailers are wishing themselves a Snappy Christmas, with predictions this will be their best year yet.
However, with the online boom comes the threat of internet scams.
More Australians shop on their mobile phones than any other market place and this Sunday our online shopping is tipped to have its biggest day ever.
Credit cards that won't ruin Christmas
EBay reckon they will see almost two-and-a-half million people come into their site to source Christmas gifts – and over half of those people will be on their mobile phone. That figure is up to 30 per cent on last year’s total.
While there remains worries over online shopping – such as the worry of not receiving your gift in time – for the time poor and those wishing to avoid trudging through shops, it can be more than welcome.
The online boom has prompted a warning, though.
While many business websites look professional and trustworthy, they are not always what they seem.
Rod Stowe of fair trading said: “Web sites that show bad English, grammatical errors - often that is a good indication of a scam-type site."
For the disorganized, surveys show a quarter of people buy their gifts on Christmas Eve - four per cent of them at a service station on Christmas day and eight per cent regift last year’s present.
Whatever you decide, remember there are only 21 days left.
Avoid fraud
A black mark on your credit file can follow you around for as long as seven years and can stop you getting credit.
7News finance expert Scott Pape has three tips to keeping a clean credit file.
1: Don’t apply for too many loans.
2: Pay your bills on time.
3: Get a copy of your credit file.
To find out your credit rating for free writes to:
Veda Advantage
PO Box 964 North Sydney NSW 2059
One time my friend owes me a hundred bucks and he asked me to pay back by buying me coffee, movie, dinner, etc until the balance is settled. So I came with an idea called IOU One. The purpose is to pay back your friends via favors. I have created a new website: iou-one.today
Well in case you are going to a fast food shop and you don't bring enough cash. Your friend pays for you. You can use it to create an IOU and your friend can ask u pay back later.
How do you think?
I think it is a good idea, however; I wouldn't ever personally d-load it.
I wouldn't ever hold my friends accountable for a few bucks here and there.
Say I buy lunch for one of them today... they will "catch me next time" and buy my lunch another time.
When they "catch me next time", I know the prices of each of the 2 lunches won't be the exact same but being friends we don't count the pennies and make sure the debt is paid back in full to the exact amount.
So when we are talking about a lunches, drink/candy at the movies and so on, we are talking about a smaller amount of money, probably no more that $20 bucks or so. I won't ever hold a few bucks over my friend's head... their friendship means more to me than that.
g'luck! :good: