to think that free postage on orders over £50 should mean just that?

[ElizaMB]

I recently spent £58.15 with a firm which had a banner headline 'Free shipping on orders over £50'
Went all through the order process expecting the postage to be taken off at each stage - all the way through to paypal, and postage still charged.
So I wrote a polite letter, praising their goods and asking why I had been charged postage.
Their response was that I had only spent £48.46.

All their website prices include VAT - until the last blinking second as you go through checkout the total is broken down to show the VAT charged- the free postage is calculated on pre VAT prices.

I emailed back saying that I thought this pretty annoying as nowhere did their website say the free postage was calculated on pre VAT prices- and got the following email back .

"Your complaint has been passed on to me.
Looking at your order I cannot see where we are going wrong. You purchased items up to a value of under £50.
Our first emails were based upon your information that something was wrong, which we assumed there was, because of the confusing information.
I am sorry that you are not happy, if only you would have added a £1.99 toy to your first order with toypost, our shopping system would have reduced the shipping to zero.
We have many customers (private, schools and companies) buying toys from us and they all seem to understand our shopping system. "

AIBU to be spitting feathers at this fine example of customer service? Or am I as stupid as the firm seems to think I am.

I think I would be cancelling my order as they appear to be a bunch of patronising toss pots!

I think YABU. When I look at my shopping cart...I see what I've bought and add that up. I'd never think to include the VAT. I'd spend for eg. 2 x £25.99 in order to meet the free postage.

I would take a screen grab of the advertised price, reply to them and tell them it's misleading and illegal (someone clever can come and tell you the wording)

What a bunch of wank-faced-buggery-bollocks

For the sake of a couple of pounds difference they could have let you have the postage back and politely explained and apologised for the confusion.

The system they are using is stupid, but the response is awful and I'd be shaming them on social media.

YANBU

Is it a company that mainly sells to other businesses? For example, in Costco they normally state prices ex VAT, as they assume you're going to claim it back. Still very annoying though!

name them! Sounds like company I want to avoid

I think YANBU
If all the prices are listed inclusive of VAT it certainly wouldn't cross my mind that they mean 50 quid before VAT
I think they ABU! And rude to boot

I think YANBU. If they'd listed the prices minus VAT that's one thing. But they didn't. And their response is rude!

Name and shame and cancel your order.

www.toypost.co.uk/
They are stupid as I was really pleased with the toys, and the delivery was prompt and well packed. But that email!!

As PPs have said it would never have crossed my mind that "orders over £50" meant anything other than the total of the prices listed - i.e. including VAT. I think their response was also incredibly rude! Name and shame them on here, OP?

That banner has no T&Cs attached, it says nothing about VAT not being included. They are 100% in the wrong.

YANBU. I would never expect to subtract the VAT before getting the order above £50.

It does look like they are in the wrong, the items don't say whether the cost is including VAT or not!

Wankers. Nothing in their delivery information. YANBU.

5th February Twitter post "Do you guys have any suggestions in how to improve our customer satisfaction. We would love to hear from you guys :)"

How about not robbing people when they spend over £49.99 including VAT? I don't tweet or I'd tell them myself!

twitter.com/Toypost_UK/status/563355532246147072

Well they did ask :D

Different price under Free shipping in FAQs.. seems to be the price you need to reach WITH Vat? www.toypost.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/

However if you look at your cart with the items in it does say excl tax and incl tax. Although I wouldn't have paid any attention to that, I'd have just seen my cart subtotal was over £50.

Yes that's interesting Pandora. None of the headline banners mention the VAT.

Why do companies do this?! They could easily lose 1000s of pounds from bad online reviews like this one, and all for the sake of a couple of quid postage and Nigel in customer services feeling a brief moment of fleeting delight in his otherwise sad and lonely existence.

I once ordered food from a company who sent me completely the wrong order, then told me I was bring ridiculous and petty for expecting them to send packets of pasta rather than rice, and oregano instead of chili powder. My only satisfaction was in contemplating how quickly they were likely to go out of business as a result of such sterling commitment to customer satisfaction.

Whart a suspicious marketing 'technique'!

I think the company is in the wrong too. It's very unclear.

Absolutely in the wrong. No mention made at all of VAT - absolute bait and switch. And as for "everyone else understands" - what nonsense, not everyone will have been caught out, and those who are may well not bother to complain. They should apologise and amend their systems, not offer a passive aggressive, petulant response. A real shame.

Also very foolish - this display of poor customer service will now be the top hit when someone googles them, because Mumsnet is such a high traffic site. A rather expensive mistake for a small business to make.