Wickes adding more than 2.5% "VAT"

wells

Has anybody else experienced any issues with Wickes? On 17th Jan, I bought a 10 litre tub of emulsion priced at £17.99 on the shelf. When I got to the checkout, I was charged £18.87 - when I queried the price I was told it was the new VAT addition and retailers have extra time to change all the labels on the shelves (fair enough).

However... Calculating and taking off the original 17.5% VAT from £17.99, leaves a base price of £15.31. Adding the new VAT of 20% to this gives a new price of £18.37.

So, either the Wickes recalculation is wide of the mark, or they have taken the opportunity to hike the price by 50p behind the scenes. This is illegal, isn't it? I would have happily paid the new price of £18.37 even though it was price was marked differently, but adding a little extra is a different matter.

dmg24

It is sharp practice, but not illegal. Retailers are allowed to vary their prices as they wish, and have taken the opportunity to mask price increases in the hope that customers won't catch on.

Taiko

dmg24 is correct, unfortunately.

I recently took it up when I was getting a coffee for a train. I noticed that instead of the expected 2.5% rise, they had raised the cost 20%. When I queried it, I was just told "It's just VAT going up". When I pointed out what a sole VAT increase in the price should have made the new price, I was asked to leave. Hadn't raised my voice, just suggested they didn't try to hide it.

wells

Can they do that when the "sticker" price is £17.99 though? That's the real rub and to me, that's not right.

mightyroyals

Im not sure about it being illegal but i do know retailers do get time to adjust there shelf edge labels when there is a change from the goverment which effects all prices and i do know that most items have inceased in price due to suppliers raising there prices aswell.
However if the price is shown at £17.99 you are in your rights to pay the £17.99 price.

dmg24

wells wrote: »

Can they do that when the "sticker" price is £17.99 though? That's the real rub and to me, that's not right.

If it is a short term error/ a few days waiting for the labels to be changed, yes. It *could* be deemed to be misadvertising, and Trading Standards could take action against them, but very rarely do.

dmg24

mightyroyals wrote: »

However if the price is shown at £17.99 you are in your rights to pay the £17.99 price.

That is wrong - Google invitation to treat.

Esqui

There is a grace period - as long as retailers are displaying a notice to the effect of "due to VAT rise, some prices displayed may not have the correct VAT rating: this will be added on at the till", they have (I think) 4 weeks to complete reticketing.

But that doesn't affect putting prices up by more than VAT.

mightyroyals

well when i worked for wickes we were always told if the price is shown incorrect on the shelf and a customer queries it we are to charge the customer the lower price

dmg24

mightyroyals wrote: »

well when i worked for wickes we were always told if the price is shown incorrect on the shelf and a customer queries it we are to charge the customer the lower price

That would be a discretionary policy, which differs from the law.

HugoSP

In a Focus store the other day I saw a notice on the till to say that shelf prices may differ to that charged on the till due to the VAT rise.

However, if the increase from the shelf price couldn't be justified by the VAT rise alone then I would have thought that it would either be a mistake or they would be breaking the law.

Correct me if I'm wrong please.