VAT Rip-off's start...

[buzby]

Preparing for a well-deserved break to the USA, I thought I'd check out the parking costs at my local airport and the off-airport parking company I've used for years. In view of the then pending VAT decrease, I wasn't too impressed to discover the cost of 16 days parking was to be £59.09 for the period - for good measure I used the web to provide a quote the week before the VAT reduction, and this week when the reduction should have applied. The cost? £59.09 for either week.

 

OK then, perhaps the system wasn't that clever, so I waited until today and ran the quote again, only to be told by the online quote system that the cost of my parking was to be.... £59.09!

 

Calling the firm directly, I asked them when they planned to put the NEW VAT rate into the system, only to be told that it was already there. I suggested that this couldn't have happened as the rates were the same last week and this. I was told that as their rates fluctuate, the cost of parking had actually gone up - whilst the VAT rate had gone down!

 

CONSUMERS BEWARE! The VAT reduction is being manipulated by certain unscrupulous traders to keep prices exactly the same, whilst they quietly increase their basic charges to take up the slack!

 

There is little I can do to force the issue - except not park with them, but aat this late stage I cannot compare prices of other firms to see if they are treating consumers unfairly. I'll be dropping an email to their local Trading Standards anyway, but the whole affair is quite unsavoury.

[davethorp]

There was always going to be some companies that tried to take advantage of the change for themselves rather than pass it on.

 

I am pleased that every company I deal with so far has passed the reduction on

[robin9342]

The whole VAT reduction is nothing more than a bribe and a [problem] by the government anyhow. I believe that with the latest petrol duty increase we now pay a staggering 70p in every £1, with more increases due in April

[pompeyfaith]

That it maybe but as it is government legislation they must pass it on

[jadzia.dax1]

 

Calling the firm directly, I asked them when they planned to put the NEW VAT rate into the system, only to be told that it was already there. I suggested that this couldn't have happened as the rates were the same last week and this. I was told that as their rates fluctuate, the cost of parking had actually gone up - whilst the VAT rate had gone down!

 

 

A council near me has announced in the paper that it is not making the reduction in VAT with regard to car park charges...but it is increasing the parking charges in January as it has already been arranged, they have said they will look into a 'give back scheme' with regard to the VAT reduction.

 

They'll probably give it right back to themselves and it will not benefit us at all

[robin9342]

Surely thats misfeasance?

[patdavies]

That it maybe but as it is government legislation they must pass it on

 

I don't think that this is quite the case.

 

There is no requirement for any company to charge the consumer VAT. The requirement is for the company concerned to pay VAT to HMRC regardless of whether it was charged to the consumer.

[gyzmo]

JD WILLIAMS and associated companies are being a bit cheeky by putting a banner on their websites saying:

 

"New VAT savings available now! To claim quote HLKK5 at the checkout".

 

Err - JDW - its not a special offer you know!

[gyzmo]

Just following on from JD Williams and their ilk, my spy tells me that they are doing the following:

 

They are only giving the discount if a discount code is given (which apparently the website doesn't accept). BUT... if you have another discount code, then they will not give the VAT reduction because they can only discount an item once!

 

Methinks a word to the OFT and ASA is required...

[Sunnie2812]

Well Telecom Plus/Utilities Warehouse (Mobiles) certainly didn't!!