Two weeks ago on this site, we brought it to your attention that Hayes & Finch were basically abusing the conversion of euro and sterling to charge up to 50% difference on clerical shirts.That particular article drew this as an atypical response to the posting and it does indeed make for interesting reading...
I read your post with great interest as I have also purchased some goods from UK outfitters and was curious to see what in fact they had charged me in € as compared to their UK sterling price.
Fortunately, the price I paid was the equivalent of the current exchange rate at that time.
Since I was purchasing the goods in £, my credit card was charged in that currency and I was debited the equivalent in € based on the stated rate (as printed on my statement).
After looking at the advertised prices on some liturgical suppliers' website, I could only find two who show both currencies (fadumont.co.uk and shinglers.net).
Both are using todays rate of £1.00=€1.14. Hayes and Finch are using a rate of £1.00=€1.42.
In the end, they are charging a whopping 24.5% more to their Irish customers as compared to UK customers!
I don't think all UK companies use operating practices as what Hayes and Finch has done.
Their lack of explanation (H&F) to this matter only confirms your concerns.
And the last line of comment in that contribution says it all...the lack of explanation does indeed say it all...and more besides!!!
However, we got word today of further difficulties with H&F in an attempt to order these shirts when it was discovered that H&F had failed to send the shirts as requested 2 weeks ago and even though they were being sent to Northern Ireland (which uses £), H&F were very insistent that the shirts would not be sent unless payment was in €...any way of getting a profit seems to be the motto of this 'company'.
When further inquiries were attempted, Ms Colette Manning, alleged manager of the Birmingham/Liverpool branches...
* accused the customer of lying (yes she called him a liar) about his order,
* then claimed the person that the customer was attempting to speak with was off sick, which she then changed her story when further challenged that Ms Smith was not taking calls,
* stated that the General Manager of H&F was out of the office before changing (again) to stating he was in an open-ended meeting in the branch all day, before
* denying she had said any of the above at all!!
She then finally attempted to state that the customer would have to pay the € price even though the goods were being ordered and delivered to the £ domain of Northern Ireland.
So, not only are H&F attempting to screw customers over with the €/£ differences as highlighted above, but they will also try everything to dissuade you from doing business with them.
They obviously do not need the money!!
Again, we extend the invitation to H&F to respond to our original questions and also perhaps an explanation for the arrogance, contempt and disdain so blatantly displayed by Ms Manning!!
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Sotto Voce
(Source: FF/PVT)