Esta application for USA rip off!

phatbear wrote: »

Esta is'nt free even through the official site





So do you buy your milk from tescos or direct from the dairy? These sites are just agents and its a matter of choice if you use their service

You're either working for one of those sites, or your just trying to be an arrogant a$$!!!. You are right that estas are not free on the official site, but they are $14 as opposed to $74. The member you quoted was also talking about an EHIC (european health insurance card) application and not an esta.

The difference between buying your milk from Tesco and using one of these "service sites" is that Tesco are providing a service where you can buy your milk and other goods all in the one place and you don't have to travel across the country to get one product. These sites are not even offering a real service. You fill in the form online, as you would on the official site and they charge you $50 only because they cleverly designed the site to dupe people into paying for a non service. If you want a real comparison, here's one;

You walk into Tesco to buy a carton of milk for €1. You bring your milk to the self service pay point and when you arrive, there is a girl who calls you over to one of the pay points. As normal, you scan your item and put your credit card into terminal and click to pay your €1. You get your receipt and it says €51 on the receipt. You ask another customer what is going on and you are told that the girl who called you over to the pay point you used charged you €50 because she managed to beckon you over to the pay point she was standing over. The customer said it happened to him before because he was guided to one of the pay points that have the third party service charge software installed that offers no benefit to the customer at all. I think that's a much more accurate comparison, don't you?

Goz83 wrote: »

The member you quoted was also talking about an EHIC (european health insurance card) application and not an esta.

ooops silly me.

ok then how about this.

I work at an airport and their kit kat chunkys are almost 90p yet I could drive to tesco's and get a 3 pack for £1.

Is this a rip off? of course its not i was aware of how expensive the item was prior to taking it to the till and if I didnt like it I could go elsewhere.

Of course these sites prey on those people who assume they have to use their service or haven't bothered checking how much they should be prior to clicking the accept button.

Is it any different to travel agents they charge to do the work you could easily do yourself and save a few quid.

Goz83 wrote: »

You're either working for one of those sites, or your just trying to be an arrogant a$$!!!.

Stupid statement, but accusing the poster of working for a company involved, is pretty common when someone doesn't share the same opinion.

Nobody is ripping anyone off. People that buy from online sites, without doing any basic research for themselves, are ripping themselves off.
A quick google would show that there is only one official site to buy Estas and EHICs from!

Sooki wrote: »

yes I know! I was on about EHIC

However, as this is a money saving forum I thought I'd share to warn others.

I don't need to buy milk from the government, do you?

my point was that tescos, like the people supplying their services for the ESTA application, are an agent and oddly agents require paying and that payment is part of the overall cost that you see prior to pressing "submit", if you don't like it then don't accept it.

and as far as this being a moneysaving site and warning people this subject has been covered multiple times

jpsartre wrote: »

I don't, that was a terrible analogy.

Here's a better one: Shop 1 sells a carton of milk for £1. Shop 2 sells the same carton of milk for £2. Customer A compares the prices and buys from shop 1 because it's cheaper. Customer B doesn't bother comparing prices and just buys from the first shop he walks into which happens to be shop 2.

If there's a scam here I don't see. If shop 2 can get away with charging double the price to gullible or lazy customers all the more power to them.

This should probably be posted under each new scam thread.