On the 21st of August I went on the Amazon.co.uk website to find a player for my records. I selected the Jensen JTA-220 listed at £97.76 plus £48.09 delivery. Total £145.85.
I noted that the product would be shipped from the USA.
When FedEx delivered the item I signed for it but said I would have to check it out. After careful unpacking I discovered that the box and manual had the power supply required to be 120V 60Hz. This is not available in the UK so I could not use it. I contacted the US shippers, Eurofont, who said that I needed a voltage converter. One of the accessories dupplied with the unit was a converter from US 2 pin to UK 3 pin. I chose not to use this as it would not convert the voltage. I was very supprised that this part had been provided as a non-technical person could have used it, plugged in to the wrong power supply and damaged the unit.
I contacted the US shipper several times requesting a refund if the unit was returned but they refused to pay for the return cost. There was no indication in the Amazon Advert that the unit required a 120V supply.
Since that time I have been asked by FedEx to pay £36.. 67 VAT and handling. I had to make this payment so that I can claim a refund of VAT from HMRC UK.
Total expense £182.52 for something I cannot use. I have also discovered the following facts.
The product is on sale in the USA for around $42.00. The sales invoice which accompanied the shipment stated a price of $38.28 plus a ‘converter’ for $2.00. This converter was not a voltage changer.
The product appears in the Sears online catalog but is NOT available for international shipping. They do quote a UK price at £58.59 but other GBP prices start at £31.58.
So why does Amazon have a list price of £97.96 when this does not include VAT and import costs. Why does this price differ so dramatically from the invoice price of 41 USD (which converts to 25.04 GBP)?
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