Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

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clackers
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby clackers » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:50 am

jasonc wrote:
so, why even call it an AUS online shop then?!
Ownership and staffing?

That's one more than Holden! :smile:

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby J Quinton » Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:35 pm

AUbicycles wrote:A foreign transaction fee? Can you elaborate?

Is this a surcharge during purchase or an import fee? I am assured that Cycling Express remains 100% Australian Owned and with Aussie prices it is unusual to see this.
Yes it is a foreign transaction fee for exchange rates etc. Below you will see a partial copy of my bank statement. You will notice that I made a purchase from Cell Bikes at a similar time and no transaction fee. Secondly, the actual amount deducted was different from the purchase price ($861). This must have been an exchange differential or the actual fee.

12/08/2013 CELL BIKES STANMORE AUS $160.68
12/08/2013 LEGEND LOGISTIC CO HONG KONG HKG $887.22
12/08/2013 FEES INCLUDED IN TRAN AUD861.80 FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE A$25.42

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Carrots
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby Carrots » Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:26 am

So the next question is (and excuse if I've missed it), what will happen now if your order is over $1000? You'll be stung with import duties?

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby jasonc » Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:36 am

clackers wrote:
jasonc wrote:
so, why even call it an AUS online shop then?!
Ownership and staffing?

That's one more than Holden! :smile:
when you buy from Holden you don't get charged an OS currency fee

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby Dave R32 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:33 am

The import duty question is very valid and since you are paying an overseas company and the product is shipped from OS is GST included in the price ?

To me this sums up CE, nothing is transparent, they don't bother communicating unless it is to spam your inbox and this forum (no doubt others as well).

Cheers
Dave.

PS: I am another who unsubscribed some time ago and started getting spammed again when the new site went live. Maybe we report the domain as a spam source.
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby thomashouseman » Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:17 am

Why aren't you hitting CE up for a refund on this? If they're "fully Australian" then they shouldn't be charging you in foreign currency unless they told you about this beforehand/at checkout. Was an Australian ABN on the invoice? Are Aust. companies even allowed to charge in foreign currencies? Wouldn't that make doing their tax mind-bendingly difficult?

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby Summernight » Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:59 am

thomashouseman wrote:Are Aust. companies even allowed to charge in foreign currencies? Wouldn't that make doing their tax mind-bendingly difficult?
I believe the answer is yes to Australian companies charging in foreign currencies. One of the old companies I used to work for (100% Australian) charged overseas clients in US dollars to take advantage of the exchange rate (at that time a few years back when it was well below parity). No idea on the tax question. I just assumed they converted it to AUD and then paid tax on the AUD amount.

You can charge in whatever currency you want, but IMO would need transparency beforehand so the consumer would know what they have to pay and in what currency if they want to purchase the goods. If they then slug you with hidden fees (ie. if at the time of purchase it said you were paying in AUD when they really charged you in HKD and you got charged this transaction fee by your bank) then that's not on, IMO.

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clackers
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby clackers » Fri Aug 23, 2013 11:31 am

jasonc wrote:
when you buy from Holden you don't get charged an OS currency fee
Of course you do, Jase.

It's just bundled into the final price.

Part of the sclerotic nature of the Detroit car makers was that a certain proportion of the customer price was charged to fund the too rapidly growing employee retirement funds, for example.

It was part of their cost of doing business, it just didn't appear as a line item on the bill when you were in the dealership.
Last edited by clackers on Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby AUbicycles » Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:06 pm

J Quinton wrote:12/08/2013 LEGEND LOGISTIC CO HONG KONG HKG $887.22
12/08/2013 FEES INCLUDED IN TRAN AUD861.80 FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE A$25.42

$887.22 is Hong Kong dollars.
I understand that you have been charged AUD 861.80 and it says that AUD $25.42 is included.

In this case we could say EVERYBODY CALM DOWN, and the information explains the breakdown and you are paying the original price listed in AUD.
Please do confirm as I think it is fair to have a close look and make sure we have our details right.

I am suggesting that CE may be invoicing in this manner but that buyers still pay the price listed. Unless the retailer can influence it, I am curious as to whether foreign exchange transaction fees can be included so the buyer always pays the listed purchase price (i.e. CE looks after any variation).

--

I called and spoke with Cycling Express last week and asked for confirmation they were 100% Australian owned and was told yes... however I am not certain as Legend Logistics Co is the owner and the wording on the website as changed (CE about us page) "We are company, started by a group of Australians" but no longer with the 100% Australian Owned assertation. I asked whether it was only the logistics that was now handled overseas and was told 'yes' - there is certainly an Australian component (History and Melbourne offices) though don't know how it fits together.

In the grand scheme, the Australian ownership has value - Aussies like to support local business. By no means does this suggest that local or overseas business are better than one another. Currently there is an assumption that the purchase is with Australian conditions and while the logistics are somewhat irrelevant (regardless of the retailer, the 98% of the gear comes from overseas at some stage) it does raise some interesting questions such as GST which would be no longer applicable and import & duty / GST for purchases over the $1000 threshhold.
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby J Quinton » Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:20 pm

AUbicycles wrote:
In this case we could say EVERYBODY CALM DOWN, and the information explains the breakdown and you are paying the original price listed in AUD.
Please do confirm as I think it is fair to have a close look and make sure we have our details right.
The above price is the overall price including the foreign transaction fee and the price of the goods. It is in Australian Dollars. That is, the first line is the combined totals of the two mentioned in the second line: $887.22 = 861.80 + A$25.42.

I'm calm. Although it is clear to me I have been charged a foreign transaction fee, whereas no fee was charged for Cell.

I'd say if CE were still Australian, there would be no foreign transaction fee. However, my intuition is that you'd be paying more for the goods if it were still an Australian company.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby apsilon » Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:36 pm

AUbicycles wrote:$887.22 is Hong Kong dollars.
No, that can't be it. HKD$880 is only about AUD$120

Be interesting to see what the invoice says. I'd be disputing the charge with the card issuer already.

At the bootom of the page it states "We ship world wide And offer local delivery & payment options". How can an exhcange fee be charged for a local payment?

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby santacruzscott » Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:44 pm

This from their website.
No Hidden costs....
Checkout price is all you need to pay.....
Cycling Express wrote:Sometimes buying online can be a tricky business.

Do you ever ask yourself things like which country’s taxes do I need to pay, and when my goods arrive, how do I know if my goods are subject to duty? Or will I have to pick that delivery up from some depot in the middle of nowhere?
And, honestly, who even knows how to find a customs broker?!

"At Cycling Express, we don’t think online shopping should have that kind of anxiety associated with it. That’s why we’re offering to take care of all that for you.

That’s right: no matter what you buy, how much you spend or where you ship it, we’ll pay all those extra (sometimes hidden) costs for you. And we’ll make sure your order is delivered to you, not somewhere else. Not only that, but we’ll do all the paperwork that goes with it.

This really is a no hassle, delivery to your door service.

So, get going. Jump into the webstore, and shop with confidence, knowing that the checkout price really is all you need to pay.

Keep on rolling!

The Cycling Express Team"

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby J Quinton » Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:55 pm

CE will probably say the bank charged the fee, which they did.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby santacruzscott » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:01 pm

The checkout price is really all you need to pay...........

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby J Quinton » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:03 pm

santacruzscott wrote:The checkout price is really all you need to pay...........
Does that apply for Wiggle and the like?

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby Summernight » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:07 pm

J Quinton wrote:
santacruzscott wrote:The checkout price is really all you need to pay...........
Does that apply for Wiggle and the like?
If the checkout page for whatever site you are buying from says you are purchasing in AUD, then I say yes - the bank should not charge you any foreign currency transaction fee and if they do it should be followed up with the seller.

As an example, Paypal gives you two options - to convert whatever currency the product you are purchasing is in into AUD using their conversion rate (and so you don't get charged your bank's foreign currency transaction fee) OR to purchase the item in the currency it is and pay your bank's transaction fee.

Of course, if at checkout the payment page says you are purchasing in a currency other than AUD then you know at the time that you'll get charged your bank's foreign transaction fee and you can choose to cancel the purchase prior to plugging in your card details. From my understanding this was not the case with the current OP (correct me if I'm wrong): Payment was stated to be in AUD by CE, therefore expectation by the purchaser was it should appear on the bank statement in AUD as the exact payment amount agreed to.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby J Quinton » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:22 pm

Just emailed CE about the fee. They are refunding the difference. Quick reply too.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby queequeg » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:32 pm

Card Issuers have two types of fees:

1) Currency Conversion Fee
2) Overseas Transaction Fee

I think that 2) was a sneaky fee to catch people who had the overseas store bill them in local currency.

It looks like in this case, the fee was an Overseas Transaction fee as the merchant was in Hong Kong. It looks like the fee rate is about 3% of the transaction value, which is just a rort because I doubt it costs the card issuer anywhere near that.
Fir this reason, I got a 28 degrees MasterCard. It has no annual fee, no currency conversion fees and no overseas transaction fees. If you shop online and don't want to get stung with outrageous fees like this, get one if these (or similar) cards.

The other question for CE is whether they make it clear you are conducting an overseas transaction. Why are they billing from Hong Kong if they are an Australian Company? On the surface it would appear they are in fact now a Hong Kong based company marketing/selling to the world, but do not in fact have anything to do with Australia anymore.
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby AUbicycles » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:53 pm

J Quinton, thanks for that - wasn't intending to imply that you yourself were not calm however read the transaction statement and came to the wrong conclusion. Sorry.

I agree that the list price should be the price that is paid however good point on Wiggle and I can't remember. I guess if a company was overseas I would assume a surcharge - so with CE are probably just pre-conditioned as billing was previously local.

The Cycling Express information is positive - and the quick response also a good sign. I expect that to avoid nasty shocks for customers (as this will be an ongoing issue) they will probably need a solution where the customer is billed locally with a holding account or represent this otherwise.
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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby Toyopet » Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:53 pm

Can't comment on their online shop, as I haven't purchased from them for a long time.
I'm very happy with their bricks and mortar shop after they did some emergency maintenance/repairs for me with no notice and very quick turnaround.
Great value and great service, especially considering it was on a Saturday.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby thomashouseman » Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:46 am

After not being so positive about them in the past, credit where credit is due...

I ordered from them 9:30pm 5th Sept.
Delivered yesterday 3:30pm. (9th Sept.)

Dispatched from Taiwan via TNT. Shipping was free. (>$100 order)

Seems the Taiwan branch does a faster shipping job than the Melb. store ever did. (For me anyway)

T.

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Re: Cycling Express - New AUS online shop to compete with UK

Postby CoffsGal » Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:33 pm

Ordered 3 times from CE in the last few weeks.
No emails sent to advise of dispatch of any of the 3 orders, despite advising them off this issue after the first order.
$10 discount off first purchase for signing up to the newsletter not applied. They did however offer a $15 discount off next purchase, which off course necessitated another purchase, so not ideal.
Goods did arrive as advertised and within the time frame stated on their website.
Items all dispatched from Taiwan via TNT
Some good prices such as...
Dura Ace 9000 chain for $36.99 (I bought two at that price!)
Dura Ace 9000 C24 tubeless wheel set $873
Conti GP4000s 25MM tyres $39.95
SRAM Super Suede bar tape $10

Their website and ordering process probably requires some tweaking, but otherwise am reasonably happy with the service.
It appears to be just another overseas site now though, so no 'karma' points for shopping locally.

Emma

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby ytd » Wed Dec 25, 2013 11:41 pm

I also got hit with an unexplained extra amount on my last CE order. I emailed them and they said it was my bank and the bank should refund it. But the bank said it wasn't their increase and anyway any foreign exchange charge by them would be a separate line on the visa statement not an increase in the billed amount. Everything on the website is A$ so why should there be a foreign exchange fee. The increase was only about 5% but it makes it hard to compare prices if you are billed a bigger amount than on the website. Maybe the ACCC should look at them for false advertising. So how do you get a refund? CE have sent me 2 replies both telling to complain to my bank.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby qvack » Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:58 am

Keep asking - I had issues with the newsletter discount being applied, and it took a few goes before they agreed to refund the amount rather than just offering a coupon for a slightly higher discount on my next order.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby petal665 » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:16 am

Is there still a BNA discount code for these guys? I can't see the banner ad any more.

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