To solve a problem?

[OctoberCupcake]

Not sure if AIBU is the right place for this but I couldn't think where else to put it.

We're going away for a few days on Wednesday and ordered a new camera for the trip. Typically, I dithered about it so much that I only ordered it yesterday afternoon, and as we live offshore it's touch & go whether it will reach us in time.

Before ordering online we went to look locally with the intention of buying locally but the particular camera is £60 more here than online. £20 I wouldn't mind to save having to wait, but £60 is about 1/3 of the total cost again!! Given that we're supposedly VAT free here that is taking the p a bit! We asked the local shop if they could look at price matching or discounting but they wouldn't budge an inch.

SO... If the camera doesn't arrive on Tuesday, would it be totally unreasonable and ridiculous to cheat the system - buy the camera locally, take it with us, and then when we get back & the online order for the exact same thing has arrived take the new, untouched, boxed version back to the local shop for a refund?

Would it even work? Do shops keep a record of batch numbers etc that they have in stock?

Obviously I should have just ordered it earlier & am now kicking myself for not doing so

[FunkyPeacock]

No - I wouldn't do that personally

[FunkyPeacock]

Imagine the embarrassment when the shop point out it is not the same camera

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

I'm not sure if the shop would check, but they will certainly have records of which camera batches they have. If you buying and returning to the same place, you'd like have no problem - few places keep track of the serial number of the actual device that they are sending, and it's usually online places that do - but as it's a different place, you'd risk them finding out and refusing the return.

You'd need to buy from the local place, accept the extra cost and return the online one back to the online retailer to be safe.

Even if they didn't notice and you got away with it, you could be in trouble if you needed them to repair/replace, as they or the manufacturer would likely notice that the camera hadn't been sold from that retailer during that process.

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

You are paying extra for the convenience of buying locally, when you need it.

To do what you are thinking is lying, dishonest and fraud. If you're happy about lying, crack on.

[Londonista123]

I wouldn't do that. I also wonder whether you could buy the camera where you are going / at the airport given that your local shop is taking the p. Or, would a phone camera do for this trip, given that you'll have your new camera for all future holidays?

[DoJo]

The shop wouldn't be obliged to give you a refund if there was no fault with the camera, so you might not even be able to do this. I have to say, whilst I can see your line of thinking, I don't think I would do it. The £60 is the price you pay for being indecisive and wanting the convenience of a physical shop to overcome that.

[Andrewofgg]

It is dishonest and I think you know it.

[OctoberCupcake]

That's what I thought. I think I am honestly just absolutely fed up with being ripped off left right and centre - whilst at the same time being repeatedly told to 'buy local, buy local'.

The place we live is VAT free, but has a local tax of 5%. In theory, everything should be 15% less than it is in the UK. Yet the one major electrical shop (which of course can charge what it likes as there's no competition) is the absolute worst for it, and charges VAT, then local tax and then usually a bit more on top for good luck.

London; we're flying direct from here & our tiny airport doesn't have an electrical department; if we were going through Gatwick that would have been the plan.

Thank you all for clearing my head.

[Andrewofgg]

"Buy local" is bollocks. If you spend more on Item A than you need to "preserving local employment" you have less to spend on Item B which also creates jobs.

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Being charged less tax doesn't necessarily mean everything is cheaper. If you're off shore, transport costs will be higher for starters, and property may cost more, salaries different etc.

You're not being ripped off by your local shop, you're paying for convenience, advice and support when things go wrong.

Shops anywhere have much higher costs than internet traders. Have you ever tried contacting an internet sales site when you've had a problem with something you've bought?

[Penfold007]

Erm whilst I understand your frustration just thought I'd point out that what your suggesting is fraud.

[OctoberCupcake]

MrsLeigh; I appreciate there are transport costs but from previous experience 'advice' and 'support' are not something that our local electrical retailer deal in.

The place we've ordered it from is an actual shop that takes online orders, not an online-only retailer.

[FunkyPeacock]

If the place you have ordered from is an actual shop then I would phone up and ask for them to post is asap first class (at additional cost if necessary) to ensure it arrives before your trip next Wed?

[Thelushinthepub]

I think that's quite a clever idea but I would be worried they would know somehow it wasn't their stock (scanning the barcode perhaps?) and it would be embarrassing, especially on a small island where people gossip

[OctoberCupcake]

Bless my DDDH. He has located another local stockist with a more sensible pricing policy (£20 more than online, but £40 less than local rip off merchants) and has gone out and bought it. When the online one arrives we will either a) return it, or b) advertise it on local gumtree/classified pages at the price we paid.

I know I'm not quite right in my head this month, and was making a mountain from a mole hill as I so want out trip away to be perfect.

[dodobookends]

My DH works for a local retailer (similar products to OP's purchase) and the cost price demanded by their suppliers is quite often higher than the selling price charged by online retailers.

They simply cannot compete on price with the huge concerns, who are able to negotiate massive discounts because they buy in the tens-of-thousands of products from the manufacturers.

What they can provide (and you won't get online) is first-rate technical expertise, personal customer service and extended after-sales care.

[OctoberCupcake]

Understand all that dodo, but the big monopolising electrical retailer here offers none of that service. It's staffed seemingly entirely by monosyllabic robots with the collective IQ of a brick. If they did offer a better/any service then I wouldn't be so aggrieved to pay so much more. Anyway, problem solved now.

[Bolograph]

the cost price demanded by their suppliers is quite often higher than the selling price charged by online retailers.

So why don't they just buy it from the online retailers instead?

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

They probably aren't allowed to Bolo . and even if they did, they'd have to add a similar mark up for costs like salaries, business tax, land/property tax/ insurance, staff training, profit etc etc.

[dodobookends]

So why don't they just buy it from the online retailers instead?

Yes, they do - and then they have to sell it at a higher price themselves in order to make a profit. If they do an 'internet price-match' then they end up making a net loss on the deal because they have overheads, wages, utilities to pay etc.

My DH is sick to the back teeth of people coming in the shop, looking at all the products and having all the advice etc, when he knows full well that the customer is then going to buy it from John Lewis (or Amazon or wherever). All the more aggravating when the customer buys elsewhere, then has trouble installing it or making the thing work and expects him to give free advice over the phone to help them.

What would you suggest small independent retailers do?