Displaying Ticket prices without VAT. Misleading Much?
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Vik
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The new posters and banners do seem misleading as the first price you see is the pre VAT price in huge text with the price including VAT in much smaller text underneath. If it was the other way round it would be fine.
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Rita 2005
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IMO this campaign by Merlin is a total waste of time and resources on their behalf. In the current economic situation the chances of the government removing VAT from leisure activities are nil.
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Islander
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[quote=""?V?""]Alton Towers is slowly pricing itself out of a market...[/quote]
Given that gate figures would suggest that to be entirely untrue, it unfortunately seems a tad unlikely that they'll be reducing prices any time soon.
Given that gate figures would suggest that to be entirely untrue, it unfortunately seems a tad unlikely that they'll be reducing prices any time soon.
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Crofty
Material on Park displaying these prices, they can only be described as totally misleading.
Posters around the park are advertising Passes and bounce back tickets with the new prices in really big bright lettering without VAT and then the price with VAT is in a considerably small size and plain black colour.
Even I was duped into thinking I could get a bounce back for £8ish only to realise later that it wasn't including VAT.
On some of the material such as the banners hanging from the towers you can't even make out the inclusive of VAT price.
While I understand the reason's behind it, I don't think it will help Merlins cause at all as the reasoning for the pricing wasn't made clear at all. It will just frustrate and anger people and I expect will cause some issues when it comes to the purchasing of the tickets.
I'm sure that some of the material would fall fowl of advertisement laws? Vik took some pictures which I expect he will upload at some point over the coming days.
Posters around the park are advertising Passes and bounce back tickets with the new prices in really big bright lettering without VAT and then the price with VAT is in a considerably small size and plain black colour.
Even I was duped into thinking I could get a bounce back for £8ish only to realise later that it wasn't including VAT.
On some of the material such as the banners hanging from the towers you can't even make out the inclusive of VAT price.
While I understand the reason's behind it, I don't think it will help Merlins cause at all as the reasoning for the pricing wasn't made clear at all. It will just frustrate and anger people and I expect will cause some issues when it comes to the purchasing of the tickets.
I'm sure that some of the material would fall fowl of advertisement laws? Vik took some pictures which I expect he will upload at some point over the coming days.
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thefatone
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[quote=""Crofty""]Material on Park displaying these prices, they can only be described as totally misleading.
[/quote]
Tis weird considering the website changed its pricing to not show this excluding VAT stuff.
I was also mislead, £10.20 for a next day ticket, no thanks - especially as i spent a few hours thinking it was £8! Don't think it'll work in their favour, especially for this one - it goes over a psychological barrier, £10...
[/quote]
Tis weird considering the website changed its pricing to not show this excluding VAT stuff.
I was also mislead, £10.20 for a next day ticket, no thanks - especially as i spent a few hours thinking it was £8! Don't think it'll work in their favour, especially for this one - it goes over a psychological barrier, £10...
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Moley
It's a start. Still missing the addresses and numbers of key government buildings for people to berate with complaints though.
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Crofty
[quote=""thefatone""]
I was also mislead, £10.20 for a next day ticket, no thanks - especially as i spent a few hours thinking it was £8! Don't think it'll work in their favour, especially for this one - it goes over a psychological barrier, £10...[/quote]
Thats exactly how they had me. I was tempted by the £8 but as soon as I realised it was really £10 I felt like telling them to shove it, even though it was only £2 more, it made it feel like a con.
I was also mislead, £10.20 for a next day ticket, no thanks - especially as i spent a few hours thinking it was £8! Don't think it'll work in their favour, especially for this one - it goes over a psychological barrier, £10...[/quote]
Thats exactly how they had me. I was tempted by the £8 but as soon as I realised it was really £10 I felt like telling them to shove it, even though it was only £2 more, it made it feel like a con.
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Vik
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OK, couple of photos of the banners advertising the before VAT rate first.
I took a couple of the banners hanging, quite high up, along the walkway from the archway towards Hex, but seem to be missing from my camera. They showed how you could hardly see the small text showing the full price, only the large text of the before VAT price.
I took a couple of the banners hanging, quite high up, along the walkway from the archway towards Hex, but seem to be missing from my camera. They showed how you could hardly see the small text showing the full price, only the large text of the before VAT price.
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Colossus
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Did anyone notice the Burger King in Mutiny Bay?
An XL bacon double cheeseburger meal was advertised as £6.99. When I paid for it it had gone up... why, because VAT was added... [-X
I will be checking next week to see what it says on the pricing board. I didnt realise at the time as I also bought some onion rings...
An XL bacon double cheeseburger meal was advertised as £6.99. When I paid for it it had gone up... why, because VAT was added... [-X
I will be checking next week to see what it says on the pricing board. I didnt realise at the time as I also bought some onion rings...
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Vik
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I was charged more as well, but after me, someone else was charged £6.99. The first, and no doubt last time I will use BK at Towers.
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djtruefitt
I imagine this will confuse alot of people and will give people on the ticket desk and information desks alot of headaches and complaints from people thinking they can get it at one price, only to be told its deaer because of the VAT.
I just see no reason to it, There has always been VAT to be paid but they have never split the prices up, so why start it this year? Its much better to just have one simple price including VAT like everywhere else does.
Just imagine if in the supermarket or shops all the posters had prices for things without VAT, then in little text it had VAT added, it would be so misleading for the customers and also very confussing.
I just see no reason to it, There has always been VAT to be paid but they have never split the prices up, so why start it this year? Its much better to just have one simple price including VAT like everywhere else does.
Just imagine if in the supermarket or shops all the posters had prices for things without VAT, then in little text it had VAT added, it would be so misleading for the customers and also very confussing.
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Crofty
The website is now using words like "Net price" and "Gross price"
Come on, it's reading more like a Wage slip! PLEASE stop this nonsense!
Come on, it's reading more like a Wage slip! PLEASE stop this nonsense!
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djtruefitt
I have to say its all very confussing on the website, on the prices page for the park you have the different types of tickets (adult, child, family of 3, etc), then Online Price Ex. VAT, Plus VAT, You Pay, Online Savings and Book Online.
So for a standard adult ticket online it reads like this:
One Day Tickets
Adult
Online Price Ex. VAT - From £26.40
Plus VAT - £5.28
You Pay - From £31.68
Online Savings - £7.92
Seems very confussing really, I really dont see the point in splitting the VAT from it. Also whats with the "From" price, arnt all the tickets the same price?
So for a standard adult ticket online it reads like this:
One Day Tickets
Adult
Online Price Ex. VAT - From £26.40
Plus VAT - £5.28
You Pay - From £31.68
Online Savings - £7.92
Seems very confussing really, I really dont see the point in splitting the VAT from it. Also whats with the "From" price, arnt all the tickets the same price?
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seanyboyuk
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Not showing the vat until final purchase is a crafty way for companies to make extra cash on as in essence they can charge vat plus vat with the extra vat being profit really and with merlin being greedy im not suprised theyre going to do this.
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Doopy Dan
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You should have challenged them, goods have to be sold at the advertised price. Or for them to refuse to sell you the goods if the price is incorrect and they don't want to sell it at that incorrect price. But I assume this was just new staff not having a clue how to use the tills.I was charged more as well, but after me, someone else was charged £6.99. The first, and no doubt last time I will use BK at Towers.
I don't think this new pricing structure is bad at all, and its good they actually give you the VAT price as well, when I was last in the USA, goods or services that I brought or wanted to buy had the price excluding tax, and you would not have the price with tax unless you worked it out yourself, or was literally about to hand your cash over. This was quite annoying.
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Crofty
But thats how most purchases work in the USA. It's only done here on goods that you are likely to be able to claim back the VAT, an easier way for companies to do the books.
The reasoning behind Merlins decision is fair enough. They want to highlight the VAT, I just don't think that it will help the cause. I certainly wont be contacting my local MP to get the VAT rate challanged, I'm more likely to contact the advertising standards agency for being mislead.
The reasoning behind Merlins decision is fair enough. They want to highlight the VAT, I just don't think that it will help the cause. I certainly wont be contacting my local MP to get the VAT rate challanged, I'm more likely to contact the advertising standards agency for being mislead.
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Thom
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If Merlin want to make a point to customers that not all the money goes to them then they can do what Apple did on their online store towards the end of last year (they seem to have now dropped this practise though) of underneath the products price, list the amount of it that went towards tax/shipping/handling.
So for example Merlin would do:
Come Back Tomorrow for £10.20
Includes £1.70 VAT
I feel that if Merlin's stance were solely to point out the extent of VAT to visitors then the above method would clearly suffice. Except, Merlin have now realised that they can advertise products to guests at more enticing prices and have an argued justification for it. I think there is clear grounds to argue that the signage around the park is misleading, as whilst perfectly accurate and valid, it is not something the public would expect. Airlines have been told that the prices they advertise must include all non-avoidable charges (they've gotten round this by sticking high card transaction fees on all but some obscure cards) and VAT, to consumers, is a non-avoidable charge.
Not to mention that [url=http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/[/url] is one of the most confusing things I've ever seen. Four different columns of prices of which two simply give a very vague 'from' price? How is anyone meant to quickly work out how much tickets cost?
Thom...
So for example Merlin would do:
Come Back Tomorrow for £10.20
Includes £1.70 VAT
I feel that if Merlin's stance were solely to point out the extent of VAT to visitors then the above method would clearly suffice. Except, Merlin have now realised that they can advertise products to guests at more enticing prices and have an argued justification for it. I think there is clear grounds to argue that the signage around the park is misleading, as whilst perfectly accurate and valid, it is not something the public would expect. Airlines have been told that the prices they advertise must include all non-avoidable charges (they've gotten round this by sticking high card transaction fees on all but some obscure cards) and VAT, to consumers, is a non-avoidable charge.
Not to mention that [url=http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.altontowers.com/tickets/[/url] is one of the most confusing things I've ever seen. Four different columns of prices of which two simply give a very vague 'from' price? How is anyone meant to quickly work out how much tickets cost?
Thom...