PRS-T1 $ony ripping off UK Customers

[Gilmartin]

I've read that the PRS-T1 is now being sold in the USA for $129, yet Sony UK are up to the same old trick of co9nverting the $ sign to a £ sign and charging £129 in the UK.
$129=£80 (approx) add on VAT at 20%=£25, so total price should be about £105.
You can kiss bye bye to my custom, $ony, until you such time as you stop useing we Brits as cash cows and sell us your goods at the same price as you sell to your American customers.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by Gilmartin

I've read that the PRS-T1 is now being sold in the USA for $129, yet Sony UK are up to the same old trick of co9nverting the $ sign to a £ sign and charging £129 in the UK.
$129=£80 (approx) add on VAT at 20%=£25, so total price should be about £105.
You can kiss bye bye to my custom, $ony, until you such time as you stop useing we Brits as cash cows and sell us your goods at the same price as you sell to your American customers.

I agree with you that we do always seem to end up paying more for items here in the UK but it is not quite as bad as it first seems as you have to remember that the US price is plus sales tax.

For some reason, which always baffles me when I go to the States, everything is shown without the tax included. Everyone has to pay the tax so I can't understand why they don't include it by default.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

I agree with you that we do always seem to end up paying more for items here in the UK but it is not quite as bad as it first seems as you have to remember that the US price is plus sales tax.
For some reason, which always baffles me when I go to the States, everything is shown without the tax included. Everyone has to pay the tax so I can't understand why they don't include it by default.

We quote the price without tax because tax varies from state to state and city to city in the US. You can drive across the street and pay a different amount if you are on the border of two cities.

[HonzaK]

Ripping off UK customers? In the Czech Republic, PRS-T1 costs the equivalent of $305, which is the highest price in in Europe I believe:-(

[vxf]

I don't know about the UK - but in Italy, every electronics-item costs in Euro exactly as much as it costs in the US in dollars - which, at current exchange rates, means a 35% premium.

Of course it upsets me - but singling out SONY is unfair. It's just the curse of a less-competitive market...

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Gilmartin

I've read that the PRS-T1 is now being sold in the USA for $129, yet Sony UK are up to the same old trick of co9nverting the $ sign to a £ sign and charging £129 in the UK.
$129=£80 (approx) add on VAT at 20%=£25, so total price should be about £105.
You can kiss bye bye to my custom, $ony, until you such time as you stop useing we Brits as cash cows and sell us your goods at the same price as you sell to your American customers.

I find it just a little surprising you haven't noticed this before, as it has always been the case.
And depriving Sony of your £'s won't have much effect, as I think you'll find it's standard for most of the big electronic groups, at least. Did you never buy a CD, back in the day, or perhaps you always check the £/$ position on every product you buy ?

I'm sorry to say I don't think Sony is the only big bad ogre out there doing it... It's the market, innit.

[elcreative]

And in the UK there is also duty paid on imports as well as VAT... want something different, start your own political party, fill the House of Commons and change the law otherwise you're stuck like the rest of us... in the real world...

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

We quote the price without tax because tax varies from state to state and city to city in the US. You can drive across the street and pay a different amount if you are on the border of two cities.

Yep, and not every state has sales tax. Mine being one of those. However, our income taxes are higher since there is no sales tax.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

I'm sorry to say I don't think Sony is the only big bad ogre out there doing it... It's the market, innit.

Indeed not, just take a look at Adobe. To buy their software here in the UK you pay more than the $1=£1 ratio, it's more like $1=£1.50!!

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

We quote the price without tax because tax varies from state to state and city to city in the US. You can drive across the street and pay a different amount if you are on the border of two cities.

I understand that your tax rates vary from state to state, but I still cannot understand why the displayed price does not include the sales tax even if it means the prices are different from one side of the street to the other. After all you are actually going to pay those prices so why not tell everyone up front what the final cost is going to be.

And it would save me having to keep a calculator to hand all the time to work out what I've got to pay.

[seajewel]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

I understand that your tax rates vary from state to state, but I still cannot understand why the displayed price does not include the sales tax even if it means the prices are different from one side of the street to the other. After all you are actually going to pay those prices so why not tell everyone up front what the final cost is going to be.

And it would save me having to keep a calculator to hand all the time to work out what I've got to pay.

we like to psyche ourselves out. See, for example, the whole strategy of pricing things at $139.99 rather than $140. I'm sort of kidding about that, but not entirely. Personally, I hate 1cent pieces and wish we would deal only in 10 and 50c pieces (it makes counting your change a lot easier.. ) but that comes of having lived in a country where it was like that.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

Indeed not, just take a look at Adobe. To buy their software here in the UK you pay more than the $1=£1 ratio, it's more like $1=£1.50!!

Never bought anything of theirs - never will, now !!

[kartu]

While we are at it, could someone explain why oil price on London stock exchange is 15$ higher than in New York?

[forcrp]

Just to clarify, since I'm going to get one of these, when the Sony site says that the PRS T-1 is $129.99, does it mean that any person who buys it in the US pays that amount + whatever % of tax? I'm from India, so I've been doing a LOT of number crunching to find out which way of buying it is the least harmful rip off. Currently, having taken the $129.99 to be final price before shipping+customs, it's already at $210.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Gilmartin

I've read that the PRS-T1 is now being sold in the USA for $129, yet Sony UK are up to the same old trick of co9nverting the $ sign to a £ sign and charging £129 in the UK.
$129=£80 (approx) add on VAT at 20%=£25, so total price should be about £105.

Your arithmetic is incorrect. 20% of £80 is £16, not £25.

Sony 'ought' to be selling the PRS-T1 for £99, including VAT. Currently, the cheapest UK price seems to be £129.