MSE News: Unfair price promotions to come under OFT microscope

BFG_2

Freddie_Snowbits wrote: »

I cannot understand inthe local supermarket, in one aisle the have the super all things life changing new ultra slim super fast HD ready oggle box.

Shame the toothless fairies from the Office of Farting and Raiding do nothing about the fact that this tele can be viewed if you turn in the aisle, but cannot be viewed from a distance!

One ponders the treason why!

Sorry F

this is too subtle for me.

What are you saying??

yorksrabbit

Well, I wish I had a nice high-paying job with the OFT's investigation team (assuming, there is one): money for old rope, because just a few minutes on the 'Net exposes one scam after another.

Here's Flexicover, for instance, UK leader in travel insurance, or so it claims. The online quote I've just this minute received for for a week's travel insurance for Mr & Mrs Rabbit was upfront and fully inclusive of all taxes.

But when I click "buy", there's now some very, very small print added to the left of the panel containing the premium's price:

'This quote includes taxes. Admin fee of £1 50p per person to be added.'

This sort of tactic, after the quote but before the purchase, is a nonsense: Flexicover is running a business, and the consumer has a right to expect that business overheads have been factored into any so-called "quiote" before it is issued.

What next from Flexicover (and similar practitioners of this cheap con?) Well, how about:

'This quote includes taxes. Office window cleaning fee of £0.75p per person to be added.'

'This quote includes taxes. Linguistics fee of £1. 00p per person to be added for providing this quote in English.'

'This quote includes taxes. Staff Christmas Party fee of £1 00p per person to be added.'

The website proclaims that Flexicover provides insurance for "the traveller." More like "the gullible."

I'm off to buy insurance from a provider which may charge a little more, but doesn't treat the intelligence of its prospective customers which such evident contempt.

There ya go, OFT. Now: where's my finder's fee????

Elmer_Dudd

They have to look at airline ticket pricing....especially BMIbaby and similar budget airlines...... you start off with say a £80 flight that then goes up over £200 by the time you pay for luggage/booking in/taxes and credit card charges..........this is over double the original price.:mad::mad::mad:

And they are like hawks now when it comes to baggage weights on the budget flights...........all in all flying has become a real chore:eek:

Elmer:cool:

yorksrabbit

Do please stop moaning, Elmer: at the moment, you're getting so much included in the price that it's pretty darn selfish to come on here complaining.

We've just seen a first draft of next year's pricing structure, and it confirms what a bargain you're getting now:

Customer Extras

New for 2010, a range of optional extras specially developed to help YOU tailor-make YOUR flight the way YOU want it! Make your choice as follows:

* I require a pilot for my flight......................................... YES / NO

* I would like to use the toilet..........................................YES / NO

* I would prefer to sit inside............................................YES / NO

* I would like some oxygen in an emergency.......................YES / NO

* I would like to add the air fare to my mortgage.................YES / NO

* I will incur the extra weight cost of reading a newspaper.....YES / NO

Special offer: take ALL options and a special inclusive discount price of only £342.84p will be added!

I don't see what the OFT or anyone else has to complain about.

MothballsWallet

yorksrabbit: you forgot one:

* I would like to be able to live whilst on my flight ..... YES / NO

yorksrabbit

. . . but me not Pound though. . .

:sad::sad::sad::sad:

MothballsWallet

yorks - consider the post corrected

yorksrabbit

MothballsWallet wrote: »

yorks - consider the post corrected

Speaking of which, I see that your posts and mine on:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1379605

the Bite Size Deals thread have also been, in a way, er, corrected.

And in respect of post #40 on that same thread, to which you and I gave heartfelt thanks, as did another poster on October 7th, that same poster has now come back with MSE's illuminating response: post #50.

Sorry to go O/T here, but as the other thread is now locked (this being MSE's idea of communicating useful information to its users) I can only mention it here. . .

I'm off now. Done enough one-way communicating on / with MSE for the time being.


:mad:

DCFC79

Why cant a price including all the costs be advertised or inslude a breakdown of what the price consists of