Feeling Ripped Off

[BroadAmbition]

The Shureflo pump we have onboard 'B.A' is used to extract shower water from the shower tray overboard.  We inherited the pump when we became the custodians of 'B.A' back in 2002, the pump has been in use for the past eleven years giving sterling service.  However recently it's performance started to reduce.  So I stripped it down, cleaned it out and all was well.  On the Lads week it started failing again.  Further investigation revelead the plate and O ring to be past their best.  The impeller looks fine but must be worn by now too.

So, eventually we found a service kit on Ebay for £30:00.  However it has to come from the USA the postage was listed at £40:00 giving a total of £70:00 not including any import tax we may get stiffed with.  A new equivilant Jabsco pump is around £100-ish so there was no way I was spending £70:00 on a service kit.  A phone call to ASAP supplies in Beccles - they can't supply but are very helpful in giving me a number of a UK supplier that may be able to.

On contacting said UK supplier, yes they can supply a service kit for £24:50 and have one in stock, we can order on-line.  Bro duly does and said service kit has arrived with a total invoice or £41:40  This is the part where I'm feeling ripped off.  How do we get to £41:40 from £24:50?  Add on £10:00 carriage = £34:50 then add on vat = £41:40  The suppliers have charged us £12:00 carriage including vat on the carriage.  I took the parcel to the my local P.O unopened.  Their charge 1st class signed for? £5 in total.  So the total invoice should have been £34:40.

I know its less than £10:00 I'm griping about, but it's £10:00 in £41:00 which is nowt in the grand scheme of things but this is outright profiteering / Rip of Britain in my book.  We won't be ordering owt else from this company that's for sure. IAW the TOS I can't mention them by name, but beware of ordering any items from a pump specialist in Albion Street, Southwick, W. Sussex

Griff

[BrundallNavy]

Are but it’s post and packing. Cardboard is getting expensive you know 

[JennyMorgan]

Being for a boat surcharge?

Yorkies can't add up surcharge?

[CambridgeCabby]

You also have to consider the time spent in packing and wrapping the said item and the time spent taking it to the post office , often nowadays it costs more in wages to send an item than the item costs itself.

That said, I  believe companies need to be more transparent with the total invoice costs and not hide the additional fees in the small print 

 

[JanetAnne]

I once ordered a pair of Bowman o rings from a well known south coast supplier only to be told my order didn't make their minimum order value requirement. 

"No problem" says I, "just send two sets" When my seals arrived they were in a huge jiffy bag that included the company's latest (charged for) catalogue. I got one set of seals, value £6, the catalogue I hadn't asked for (£5) taking the order over the £10 minimum and then the carriage charge because it would no longer go in the post and came by UPS.  All in my one pair of seals at £6 with p&p and vat cost just under  £28!!

 

[RumPunch]

Yep - had an incorrect item of clothing delivered. I returned it in a jiffy bag for exchange, and they charged me twice what I paid in postage to send me the replacement back in the same, reused bag !

[JawsOrca]

Had similar questions at Trimnet. A Businesses can't use the post office as it takes too much time to go there certainly when/if you consider the labour element of doing this so (plus when you consider the business will want a tracked service the costs rises way above the courier charge) so really it has to be courier.

Standard courier charge is about £7 plus VAT, time is spent to pack the parcel plus the materials for packaging equates to the other £5.

There are a couple of really bad couriers, UkSnails and Hermitarge who are lower but it is the end user who suffers so most businesses will go with a dearer customer to save work later.

When you look it like this the business doesn't make any extra profit (just a ton of hassle) to post parcels therefore they do question if it's really worth doing so, I know many that don't bother.  I personally think it's unwise to judge a company based on shipping costs and issues as it beyond the companies control.

 

[dnks34]

I dont say this to deliberately disagree as I have read many poor reviews about “Hermitage” etc but using them on a small scale sending around 50 parcels over a few years I have never once had a problem. Might be my turn soon then!! 

[rightsaidfred]

2 hours ago, JawsOrca said:

Had similar questions at Trimnet. A Businesses can't use the post office as it takes too much time to go there certainly when/if you consider the labour element of doing this so (plus when you consider the business will want a tracked service the costs rises way above the courier charge) so really it has to be courier.

Standard courier charge is about £7 plus VAT, time is spent to pack the parcel plus the materials for packaging equates to the other £5.

There are a couple of really bad couriers, UkSnails and Hermitarge who are lower but it is the end user who suffers so most businesses will go with a dearer customer to save work later.

When you look it like this the business doesn't make any extra profit (just a ton of hassle) to post parcels therefore they do question if it's really worth doing so, I know many that don't bother.  I personally think it's unwise to judge a company based on shipping costs and issues as it beyond the companies control.

 

That's strange as probably half the stuff I buy on the internet comes via Royal Mail or Parcel Force and another 30 to 40 % via Hermes with UPS and DHL making up the remainder a lot of which is either free or around £4 P&P I guess it depends who you are buying from.

Fred

[Paul]

3 hours ago, JawsOrca said:

A Businesses can't use the post office as it takes too much time to go there

but they will collect parcels from online business users free of charge when using tracked services, or for a nomial charge if using Royal Mail parcels