Stop telling me the price excl VAT

[Infidelus]

For tradesmen specific sites, having the ex-VAT amount is fine, but if you're a business dealing with the general public on a day to day basis, you should most definitely be quoting the VAT inclusive price.

People don't like hidden charges, and that's what it amounts to if you quote an ex-VAT figure. The customer then gets to the checkout and sees a totally different figure and goes "hang on a minute!".

Take a look at holiday companies that have been in the news recently with their lack of up front accurate info.

Tell me what it's going to cost on the product page. Adding extra on at the checkout is likely to get me to cancel the order and go somewhere else.

 

[ikillbears]

yeah. It annoys me. Especially in America

 

[Lunatic Dreyfus]

OcUK used to list the ex VAT price in bold and the inc VAT underneath in tiny grey text. Then people complained, and it was changed.

I've only just noticed that. Though it has been a while since I last bought anything from here.

 

[arknor]

yeah. It annoys me. Especially in America

different in every state to

 

[jaybee]

Totally agree. Very annoying. If I ask for a price, I want the price it will cost me straight up.

 

[Soundood]

I haven't slept in 12 years because of it. I'm on large doses of Metronidazole for the many peptic ulcers that this causes me. It's the reason my wife left me and my kids don't speak to me anymore.

im the same, when i heard they where going to slap it on my baked goods from Greggs, it smashed my pastie.

that was halted, now i go and get some whey protien and find out its £4 more expensive, im gonna slash my ankles.

 

[Haggisman]

Can just imagine the outrage if Tesco or Asda suddenly started displaying all their prices exc. VAT.

How about if you go to get petrol and they display the price/litre before the appropriate taxes are added?

Price displayed should be the price you have to pay, otherwise it's just a pain!

 

[D.P.]

Annoys me. Unless it's a trade price the pre-VAT price is irrelevant to 99% of people.

Living in the US where all advertised prices are without sales tax I actually quite like it. It shows you directly how how the company is charging and how much the government/state is adding on top, out of their hands.

Better yet is living in a state with 0% sales tax!

 

[D.P.]

Exactly, or if you're looking to compare prices and you get this:

£21.38 inc. vat
£20.94 inc. vat
£17.46 ex. vat

Which is cheaper?

If they were all inc. vat i'd know in less than 1 second.

By the same logic if they were all exclusding VAT you would also no in less than 1 second.

 

[Haggisman]

By the same logic if they were all exclusding VAT you would also no in less than 1 second.

And then have to spend a minute or 2 working out how much they were actually going to cost you.

 

[anything I don't mind]

I thought the increase to 20% was temporary? temporary like income tax was... that is the last time i trust HMRC.

 

[Dj_Jestar]

@groen: Oh shut up. You have never trusted anyone ever. This is not a thread to be politically spun.

As for inc/exc I don't care which it is as I can see both sides of the coin. As someone who has filed tax returns before, having the VAT listed separately was a huge help when doing the numbers.

Likewise, when the amount of VAT I am paying doesn't matter because I won't be offsetting it, it's a marginal annoyance to have to tally it up.

Simple answer is for the supplier to provide both. But a lot of them are incapable of this.

Plus as Fox said, many businesses know that customers won't always spot it and will think it is cheaper.

 

[D.P.]

And then have to spend a minute or 2 working out how much they were actually going to cost you.

Luckily in the 21st century shops use electronic tills that do all the math for you and clearly display the total you have to pay.

Admittedly there is the odd time when I am buying a small item and want to pay by cash but wont be able to get the exact change ready without some mental exercise. Such occasions are rare.

 

[Haggisman]

Luckily in the 21st century shops use electronic tills that do all the math for you and clearly display the total you have to pay.

That's a really good point, I don't know why I didn't think of that.

Oh wait, it's probably because that involves either having to have already decided which one you're buying regardless of cost, or having to get the sales assistant to put each one through the till, tell you how much they're going to cost, and then stand at the checkout like a div, making your mind up while holding up the rest of the queue.

 

[anything I don't mind]

Sorry was just joking. Ill shut up.

 

[teaboy5]

Drives me mad as well. There is nothing shopping shop owners just telling you the god dam total!!

 

[Muffin`]

I got some tyres fitted a few years back that they failed to quote VAT, I argued the toss and didn't pay it

Drives me mad as well. There is nothing shopping shop owners just telling you the god dam total!!

I know you've had a lot of work done by garages, I'll bet it's taken a few years off your life.

 

[ncncore]

It is a bit annoying as sometimes if you haven't realised you get your hopes up and then bam, VAT takes away the pleasure haha.

 

[Destination]

Is it so hard to add 20% in your head?

Well they changed the law to make it illegal for quotes to non-business consumers to be made without VAT. So if high street shops can't do it, then trades shouldn't be doing it either.
Different if people recover VAT, then they want to know what it actually costs them after the recovery.

 

[Efour]

Yeah its annoying for the vast majority of customers that will be paying 20%