E-Mails sent to - M&S,Topman,Subway,Burton,etc

jonny68

Probably a complete waste of time but i sent e-mails of complaints about prices in Ireland v prices in the UK to the above companies ans also Dunnes Stores, all but Burton responded with a mulitude of excuses ranging from higher costs in Ireland to blaming the Government, M&S were the most fortwright in their response, anyone else bother to send e-mails of complaints?I've too much time on my hands right now hence these e-mails but these companies are just some of many who are blatantly ripping off Irish consumers with prices here substantially higher than in the UK and it really grates me.

Frank Spencer

About what?

jonny68

Buck_Naked wrote: »

About what?

sorry fnished now i had to edit the post.

Cabaal

You send complaints via e-mail?
and you understand why there is differences don't you?...the reasons have been explained 100% of times before its not all a bull**** excuse

jonny68

Cabaal wrote: »

You send complaints via e-mail?
and you understand why there is differences don't you?...the reasons have been explained 100% of times before its not all a bull**** excuse

what other method would you suggest i do send a letter, maybe call customer service and talk to some uninterested,underpaid sarcastic person:rolleyes:

I wasn't suggesting prices should be on a par with the UK, however i did state that in a lot of cases prices are substantially higher than the UK,this is including extra costs taken into consideration, i also made a point of saying to M&S about recent closures of some of ther stores saying if they had lower prices perhaps this would not happen.

Cabaal

send a letter, e-mail is not taken seriously tbh

jonny68

Cabaal wrote: »

send a letter, e-mail is not taken seriously tbh

how the hell have you come to that conclusion:eek: a letter would most likely be binned or just left lying in some tray and never responded to, at least with an e-mail your most likely to get a response!

Some people say we should just put up and shut up but boll*cks to that, ive had enough of being ripped off right,left and centre for absolutely everything in this city and im not the only one, something has to give especially with this recession.

ntlbell

on the road again.....we're on the road again.....

Kintarō Hattori

I'm sure these emails will have a great result.

jonny68

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I'm sure these emails will have a great result.

well it's better than doing fcuk all isn't it, so take your sarcastic remarks elsewhere:rolleyes:

jonny68

Mr.S wrote: »

Why are you complaining about a product, sold in a completely different country for a lower price

jaysus these companies in case you don't know are UK owned companies im comparing the prices charged in the UK compared the the substantially higher price they charge in Ireland, sometimes up to 70% more.

Arciphel

I predict ten pages for this thread.

the groutch

jonny68 wrote: »

jaysus these companies in case you don't know are UK owned companies im comparing the prices charged in the UK compared the the substantially higher price they charge in Ireland, sometimes up to 70% more.

so what, they can charge 200% more if they want, it's up to each individual if they want to shop there or not

phantom_lord

jonny68 wrote: »

jaysus these companies in case you don't know are UK owned companies im comparing the prices charged in the UK compared the the substantially higher price they charge in Ireland, sometimes up to 70% more.

there's a bunch of reasons for that, for starters ireland is a much smaller market, with high costs. but mostly it's just because of recent currency fluctuations. do u expect them to log into xe.com every morning and change the price of everything?

ntlbell

phantom_lord wrote: »

there's a bunch of reasons for that, for starters ireland is a much smaller market, with high costs. but mostly it's just because of recent currency fluctuations. do u expect them to log into xe.com every morning and change the price of everything?

brick walls boss. brick walls..

Kintarō Hattori

jonny68 wrote: »

well it's better than doing fcuk all isn't it, so take your sarcastic remarks elsewhere:rolleyes:

I reserve the right to sarcastic remarks when you clearly haven't read the multiple posts/threads which explain in great detail why you can't directly compare prices here and in the UK to each other.

jonny68

What a waste of time posting on here, and here i am thinking this is for rip off Ireland and you have people all but saying it's ok for these companies to charge these prices...forget about it, lock/delete the thread im done.:rolleyes:

ntlbell

jonny68 wrote: »

What a waste of time posting on here, and here i am thinking this is for rip off Ireland and you have people all but saying it's ok for these companies to charge these prices...forget about it, lock/delete the thread im done.:rolleyes:

Man, it's not about if it's ok or not they're a reasons for it and these reasons have been discussed indept on this forum if you look on the front page now there should 2/3 threads.

It's just getting a bit tiring we know we understand companies charge more here we get it but there is reasons for it and it's not just "irish people are stupid we'll charge them more"

its not that simple

rubadub

Why do you seem to be you limiting yourself to companies which happen to operate in the UK too?

Most of these companies are selling and competing with Irish stores too, therefore logically you must also think the Irish stores are "ripping off" people. So why not complain to Irish owned stores too?

Or since you think they have it so good, why not do the decent thing, open a shop and sell me my food etc at prices nearer what you pay in the UK, if it really is that easy surely all these newly redundant people with payouts would be opening up all over the place, plenty of premises will be up for sale soon.

Laphroaig52

the groutch wrote: »

so what, they can charge 200% more if they want, it's up to each individual if they want to shop there or not

the groutch is spot on. It's a free market and sellers can set prices at whatever they like. Likewise, it's up to the consumer to decide whether the price represents good value for money or not.

Competitve forces in a free market mean that prices will generally converge towards a point that the market will accept and which allows sellers to cover their overheads and make a profit.

Naturally sellers will try to maximise their profits in a given market...that's why they are in business. Different market forces (e.g. level of competition, consumer's spending power, local taxation and overheads, economies of scale etc.) will influence the pricing strategy in each market. Maximising profit is not a bad, evil thing as long as sellers are honest and transparent in their business.

Why would you expect a seller to set prices lower than what a given market will accept? Would you do that if you were in business?

As long as the price is clearly displayed and the seller delivers the same goods that were on offer and doesn't attempt to decieve the customer, it's not a rip off. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. If you do buy it, you accepted the price so stop whining.

Cabaal

There's alot of people making sense in this thread and none of them include the OP

rubadub

Cabaal wrote: »

There's alot of people making sense in this thread and none of them include the OP

Yep, I really do not see the point in complaining to staff or even shops. The shops know stuff is cheaper elsewhere, the majority of people know it. Why bother wasting more money and paper sending letters. They just bin them, if you really want to get back at them, then hit them where it hurts, DO NOT SHOP THERE. Do you really want them to have to pay somebody to reply to you? you do realise this will result in that cost being added to the products and so rising the prices again.

Why bother saying you are going elsewhere, when their profits are dropping they will realise you are going elsewhere, retailers are more than well aware people are going up north. People say they are treating us like idiots, but it is often those people who are treating them like ignorant idiots.

There also seems to be a strange presumption that retailers in the UK & here get their stock, ingredients for food etc for the exact same price!

darc

Why send a letter to subway? or any other food service company?

Most if not all subway fillings are sourced in ireland, their stores are in Ireland paying rents & rates in euro & their staff are based in Ireland and are paid Irish rates of pay.

In food service, staff costs can be as much as 50% of turmover, rent / rates 20% with less than 20% being the actual cost of the raw product. - I'm sure Subway in China charges about €1 for a sub, likewise in New Zealand its about $7 (about €3.50) for a foot long!!

When all the moaners about sterling difference are prepared to accept sterling equivalent in their pay, sterling rates of PAYE & pay £3000 a year local charges, then and only then do you have real grounds for complaint!

ntlbell

How much is a starbucks tall late?

how much is the same in the arsehole of ohio?

tallaghtfornia

May seem a bit unfair by saying this but I had to take a pay cut this week as businness is bad plus the govt now take an extra 1% of me iam the olny one in the house with an income - I just go to the North once a mth now and do a big shop and anything big I want I just wait till iam going up and reserve in Argos - People will argue that Iam giving my money to the UK govt - Times are tight and I have mouths to feed at this stage I don't care - This goverment does not care about me so iam taking my business elsewere!

Bottom line is if you don't like the prices down here don't moan about it just dont shop down here!!

Sorry for the rant!!!!

Lplated

I wouldn't bother writing to the stores either, just shop in the places that give you best value.

@those who still make the 'higher costs in Ireland' argument - the recent Forfas report ( here - http://www.forfas.ie/publications/20...le,2623,en.php
), seems to rubbish it.

Summary of report is that while costs are higher in Republic, taking into account their proportion of overall costs, costs are only 5 to 6 % higher down here.

Presumably some of the balance of the difference is accounted for by exchange rates, and the rest may be accounted for by our traditional reluctance to shop around, or our willingness to pay whatever price was charged regardless of value.

Lplated

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I reserve the right to sarcastic remarks when you clearly haven't read the multiple posts/threads which explain in great detail why you can't directly compare prices here and in the UK to each other.

It would seem that the central argument in those earlier threads is wrong (see link to Forfas report in above post).

The report got reasonable coverage in the media, and has been mentioned on boards a few times, so I'm a bit surprised that posters such as yourself seem to be ignoring it and continuing to rely on outdated, incorrect assumptions.

Lplated

rubadub wrote: »

There also seems to be a strange presumption that retailers in the UK & here get their stock, ingredients for food etc for the exact same price!

Wouldn't you think its a fair assumption that certain retailers get their stock, ingredients etc for the same price? i.e. those retailers that trade both sides of the border, like M & S, burtons, Dunnes etc...

It seems unlikely, incredible even, that the many large retailers who trade on both sides are sourcing the same products in different places - 'central distribution' i think is what they call it.

In fairness to the OP, and others, the vast majority of complaints have been as a result of comparisons between any given retailers store in Ireland as compared with one run by the same retailer in the North. With certain exceptions (e.g. locally sourced meat products), its a very resaonble presumption that those stores buy all of a given product from the same source at the same price.

rubadub

Lplated wrote: »

Summary of report is that while costs are higher in Republic, taking into account their proportion of overall costs, costs are only 5 to 6 % higher down here.

Higher costs, I did not see it say 5-6% higher cost of actual price paid by the consumer for the product.

Lplated wrote: »

Wouldn't you think its a fair assumption that certain retailers get their stock, ingredients etc for the same price? i.e. those retailers that trade both sides of the border, like M & S, burtons, Dunnes etc...

Some stock maybe, probably still arriving in containers to the UK, then needs all the added admin, shipping costs etc to come here. Then you have the likes of fixed priced goods, like ipods, consoles etc. I doubt nintendo would sell to tesco if they bought it at UK wholesale price, and then shipped to here. Then just like region coding on DVDs, they have "region branding", so the Coke on sale in tesco here is different to coke on sale in the UK. Of course €2 shops, takeaways and the like might go up north and get cheap coke, but I imagine again coke would not supply tesco if they did that.

Even if it was the exact same price the VAT is different, so going back to the forfas report again, it was not the price paid by the consumer, the irish times people seem to have read the report wrongly. Even if the costs were much lower to run a shop here, I expect prices of things like consoles could be higher, due to RRPs, which take into account VAT.

And my comment again

Why do you seem to be you limiting yourself to companies which happen to operate in the UK too?

Most of these companies are selling and competing with Irish stores too, therefore logically you must also think the Irish stores are "ripping off" people. So why not complain to Irish owned stores too?

Why would M&S charge UK prices here (even if they could) when Irish owned shops can "rip people off" by charging more for similar items. They charge what the market will pay.

Lplated

rubadub wrote: »

Why would M&S charge UK prices here (even if they could) when Irish owned shops can "rip people off" by charging more for similar items. They charge what the market will pay.

I agree with you 100%. The market will charge what the market will bear.

My take on all this though is that I'm not prepared to bear it anymore. I'm quite happy to drive to the North and stock up on groceries etc... Also happy to include America in a holiday once a year and buy clothes etc over there.

Because I think I have been ripped off over the years, when I do go to the North I tend to avoid shops that also trade down here - in other words I don't think I'm really taking my customs from them in the Republic if I simply hand them my cash in the North.

Equally, while I find I can save 50% plus at the moment by going up, I would still go up if the margin were much tighter, simply on point of principle.

ch750536

Irish consumers need to change and not just due to the 'credit crunch'. For too long consumers have been loyal without due reason, this has to change.

As I have said before in other Forae(?) living in both countries and being paid in sterling, taxed in Ireland is a real eye opener. Irish tax system alone makes me €13,000 a year better off.

Although most people in the world seem to think Ireland is a part of the UK (including some on this thread) it is not. For this reason things may be different in Ireland than in England.

I accept this, so should everyone else. Once you accept that the high prices are not the fault of the UK companies, then whose fault is it?

Fault lies with the consumer. Haggle, walk away, research. Be a vigilant consumer. Treat every penny as if it were made of gold.

Maybe then the prices will start to come down.