miller 1 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I just got an offer from British Airways to fly return to the UK for 30,000 yen. Amazing. They forgot to mention that there would be 90,000 yen added on to that in taxes and other bullshit. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Anyone remember the days when the advertised cost was the COST?? Ahhhh.,....... Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Pisses me off that they can still get away with doing that. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 The "other" things, though, are not theirs to control. Things like arrival and departure taxes (or the other way around, perhaps - depart before arrive?) and fuel surcharges are imposed by someone else. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I got that as well Miller JA, that doesn't mean they don't know what them costs are going to be....after all they tell you 1 click later. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I got that as well Miller JA, that doesn't mean they don't know what them costs are going to be....after all they tell you 1 click later. Link to post Share on other sites
tokabochi 9 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 If I remember correctly, KLM give you the full price straight up when you look online. Link to post Share on other sites
BeerTengoku 35 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 They do know the costs as they negotiate petrol costs way in advance to prevent exposure to fluctuations. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Yep, but they are in the business of getting bums on seats. IF they told you the full price up-front, they'd likely have a reduction in bums. They are advertising a product, at the actual price of the product (nothing wrong with that, is there?) They then, 1 click later, tell you the extras that the external forces (like Gummints and airport owners) charge them. We have a Goods & Services Tax (aka GST, and in UK, I believe VAT) - the cost of a product can be advertised as $XXX (plus GST) quite legally. That shows you what the product is valued at, and what the Gummint is going to get out of the sale. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 It goes the other way as well. Personally, I will avoid them - in part because of the shitty way they go about doing things such as this. Their choice, of course. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Don't prices advertized in Japan have to include tax now? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 but that isn't the actual cost of the product....however way you spin it, the actual cost is what you have to pay them all up.....its not as if you pay the airline, then toddle off down the street and pay the government then nip round the corner and pay the airport. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Yep it's simply them 1) not being customer friendly and 2) deceptive Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 And I'll have none of it, I say! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 why can't it all be free??!! Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 but that isn't the actual cost of the product....however way you spin it, the actual cost is what you have to pay them all up.....its not as if you pay the airline, then toddle off down the street and pay the government then nip round the corner and pay the airport. Missed the point entirely! The cost of the product is XXX, tax and other things are EXTRA. The fact that they collect the tax is no different to a VAT/GST situation, you pay the store the total, they pay the gummint the tax and the airport owners and so on. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 No I didn't! When I go into a shop, they don't advertise a can of coke for 90 yen then at the till charge me 120.....they advertise the actual price I need to pay Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 It's a matter of perception. I personally prefer Japan's system in which the advertised price includes the GST/VAT. I like knowing what the cost is to me, and I don't really care how it's split between the manufacturer, the transporter, the wholesaler, the retailer, the government. I can understand, though, that some people might want to know those breakdowns. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I'm with you, Jim, BUT I was pointing out the airline's take is that they are trying to minimise the perception of the cost, by doing what they are doing. @Tubby, food is generally exempt from GST, but, in any case, if you buy a car, they don't tell you the total cost, including insurance, registration etc until later. The advertised prices are usually the least they can lawfully tell you, and that it the base price without "extras". Then, when you go to pay you have to fork out for insurances, registration, road tax, etc. Link to post Share on other sites
KlingKlang 1 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I'm with you, Jim, BUT I was pointing out the airline's take is that they are trying to minimise the perception of the cost, by doing what they are doing. Well,, yeah, duhhhh. I'm with pie-eater, when other airlines are upfront about the cost, and others deceive, I'll give the former my custom. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Your choice, in some cases we don;t have that luxury! One carrier ONLY does the here to capital city route, so take them or drive! Not a huge choice of direct flights to Tokyo from here either. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Yeah, JA, airlines recently are heavily into what amounts to bait-and-switch advertising, and car rental outfits have been for the longest time. It's rather outrageous. I just had BA offer to fly me to London for 30,000 yen, without mentioning the 70k+ add-ons. Got a good laugh out of that one! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Another nice scam these days (in the US anyway) is the combination of toll roads that have no provision for cash payment and car rental deals that include an automated toll paying device at $10/day. Leaves you choosing to be wallet-raped, cited for toll evasion or stuck on by-roads. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 We got them here too, both Sydney & Melbourne have "cashless" tolls. Trouble is you have 24 hours to pay if you use one without the transponder unit in the car (it's just a RF thingy that can be read at high speed) but most casual users will not be home within 24 hours! Imagine a bloke like me, drives to Sydney to catch a plane to Japan and uses a toll road to get to the airport. Will I be able to pay the toll within 48 hours? Unlikely! Some other scams of similar ilk are the cashless public transport things. Some of them are self-destructing if unused for more than 3 months, then requires a fee to "re-energise" and reload it. Again, a PITA for the casual user who lives far enough out of the city to avoid using the PT system for most of the time, but has to get into the CBD for some reason or other on occasion. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 I'm with you, Jim, BUT I was pointing out the airline's take is that they are trying to minimise the perception of the cost, by doing what they are doing. @Tubby, food is generally exempt from GST, but, in any case, if you buy a car, they don't tell you the total cost, including insurance, registration etc until later. The advertised prices are usually the least they can lawfully tell you, and that it the base price without "extras". Then, when you go to pay you have to fork out for insurances, registration, road tax, etc. yeah but you don't pay registration, insurance and road tax to the car dealership!! Jeez!! Link to post Share on other sites
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