Boycott Vista in the UK!

[Gordon]

According to this BBC page http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/
users in the Uk are going to be ripped off yet again by being charged DOUBLE
the prices charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this rip-off
culture stops.

PS - if anyone has an email address for the Sales Director of MS UK I would
like to know so that I can ask him to comment on this.

 

[Gordon]

According to this BBC page http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/
users in the Uk are going to be ripped off yet again by being charged
DOUBLE the prices charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this
rip-off culture stops.

PS - if anyone has an email address for the Sales Director of MS UK I
would like to know so that I can ask him to comment on this.

Sorry, wrong link! (don't know how that one got in there!)
Link is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6309651.stm

 

[Shenan Stanley]

According to this BBC page
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/ users in the UK are
going to be ripped off yet again by being charged DOUBLE the prices
charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this rip-off
culture stops.
PS - if anyone has an email address for the Sales Director of MS UK
I would like to know so that I can ask him to comment on this.

Sorry, wrong link! (don't know how that one got in there!)

Link is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6309651.stm

Yes - that does seem to be quite the price jump from US to UK pricing.

You could try getting a message through/setting up something via the
standard means:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/contactus/phone/default.mspx

Looking at the pricing, it's almost like there was no conversion done...

Examples:
(Example 1)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-W...KCIA2I/ref=pd_sbs_sw_h__2/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Home Basic Upgrade - £99.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win...s_sr_6/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Home Basic Upgrade - $98.99)

(Example 2)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000KCIA5A/ref=amb_link_38562865_4/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - £369.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win..._bbs_3/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - $378.99)

Admittedly - I am not up on my currency exchange rates - but it seems off to
me.
Perhaps someone who knows the currency exchange rates better can enlighten?

 

[Gordon]

Yes - that does seem to be quite the price jump from US to UK pricing.

You could try getting a message through/setting up something via the
standard means:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/contactus/phone/default.mspx

Looking at the pricing, it's almost like there was no conversion done...

Examples:
(Example 1)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-W...KCIA2I/ref=pd_sbs_sw_h__2/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Home Basic Upgrade - £99.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win...s_sr_6/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Home Basic Upgrade - $98.99)

(Example 2)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000KCIA5A/ref=amb_link_38562865_4/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - £369.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win..._bbs_3/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - $378.99)

Admittedly - I am not up on my currency exchange rates - but it seems off
to me.
Perhaps someone who knows the currency exchange rates better can
enlighten?

Unfortunately this is what tends to happen for anything manufactured in USA
and sold in UK - the UK price in £ is the same as $.....OK when the exchange
rate is very low, but as it's nearly US$2 to the £ at the moment, is a HUGE
difference! It's called ripoff UK.....

 

[Don Schmidt]

A google search responded with:

1 British pounds = 1.9625 U.S. dollars

Conversion date wasn't given.

 

[John John]

Yes - that does seem to be quite the price jump from US to UK pricing.

You could try getting a message through/setting up something via the
standard means:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/contactus/phone/default.mspx

Looking at the pricing, it's almost like there was no conversion done...

Examples:
(Example 1)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-W...KCIA2I/ref=pd_sbs_sw_h__2/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Home Basic Upgrade - £99.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win...s_sr_6/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Home Basic Upgrade - $98.99)

(Example 2)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000KCIA5A/ref=amb_link_38562865_4/202-6850283-9421405
(UK Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - £369.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Win..._bbs_3/103-0680732-4249465?ie=UTF8&s=software
(US Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate - $378.99)

Admittedly - I am not up on my currency exchange rates - but it seems off to
me.
Perhaps someone who knows the currency exchange rates better can enlighten?

Date: 1 in U.K. pounds equals: Exchange rate:
29 Jan 2007 1.96 US dollars (noon) 1.9590 (0.5105)

Date: 369.99 in U.K. pounds equals: Exchange rate:
29 Jan 2007 724.82 US dollars (noon) 1.9590 (0.5105)

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/exchform.html

Good thing you guys in the UK are rich...

John

 

[Bruce Chambers]

According to this BBC page http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/
users in the Uk are going to be ripped off yet again by being charged DOUBLE
the prices charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this rip-off
culture stops.

PS - if anyone has an email address for the Sales Director of MS UK I would
like to know so that I can ask him to comment on this.

The prices listed, I'll agree, are outrageous. How much of that is V.A.T?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Alias]

The prices listed, I'll agree, are outrageous. How much of that is
V.A.T?

17.5%

Alias

 

[Bruce Chambers]

17.5%

Alias

Ouch! But that still doesn't account for the entire difference, does
it? I wonder if Microsoft is charging more in member countries of the
EU, since EU courts are imposing such costly, and sometime absurd,
conditions on Microsoft, at the behest of European companies that can't
compete?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Alias]

Ouch! But that still doesn't account for the entire difference,
does it? I wonder if Microsoft is charging more in member countries of
the EU, since EU courts are imposing such costly, and sometime absurd,
conditions on Microsoft, at the behest of European companies that can't
compete?

In Spain, Retail Business goes for over 600 USD. Generic OEMs, however,
are about the same as the USA. Weird. We only have 16% VAT.

Alias

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Alias

A technical correction.

The rate for an inclusive price is 14.893617% i.e. 17.5 divided by
117.5. 17.5% is the rate of VAT to be added to the price before VAT.

The Yanks like driving hard bargains. Lend Lease comes to mind! It
could well have been that way since the Boston Tea Party!


--

Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Eric]

According to this BBC page http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/
users in the Uk are going to be ripped off yet again by being charged
DOUBLE the prices charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this
rip-off culture stops.

PS - if anyone has an email address for the Sales Director of MS UK I
would like to know so that I can ask him to comment on this.

I hear the price of a German car is higher in the US than in Germany.
What's up with that?
I hear those crazy people want us to pay shipping and import expenses too.

I hear we pay $70 in the US for a jacket they can get for $5 in S Korea.
What's up with that?

If you don't like the price they charge in your country, come to our country
and buy it and take it back with you.
If they charge $99 here and 99 pounds there, be sure to file another
complaint if the value of a dollar exceeds the value of the pound.
Make sure you factor in the cost to get the product from here to there, as
well as the additional regulations costs to Microsoft to operate in Europe.

 

[Gordon]

I hear the price of a German car is higher in the US than in Germany.
What's up with that?

So don't buy a German car. there's plenty of other choices. Microsoft's
actions over the last 15 years have ensured there IS no other choice for the
vast majority of people - it's called "monopoly".....

 

[C A Upsdell]

Perhaps MS is keeping the excess in reserve to pay future EU fines.
Coping with bureaucratic idiocies is part of doing business in Europe.

 

[NoStop]

Perhaps MS is keeping the excess in reserve to pay future EU fines.
Coping with bureaucratic idiocies is part of doing business in Europe.

Yeh, what a pain in the ass when a government tries to protect the consumer.
The same goes for protecting the environment. The damn governments should
keep their noses out of that and leave it to the benevolent corporations to
look after things.

Cheers.

 

[CWatters]

According to this BBC page http://www.microsoft.com/uk/press/executives/
users in the Uk are going to be ripped off yet again by being charged DOUBLE
the prices charged in USA. Let's boycott Vista in the UK until this rip-off
culture stops.

That will teach the EEC to slap a fine on MS

 

[Bob I]

So don't buy a German car. there's plenty of other choices. Microsoft's
actions over the last 15 years have ensured there IS no other choice for the
vast majority of people - it's called "monopoly".....

Interesting concept. A free operating system, against a operating system
you have to pay for, equals no choice.

 

[Gordon]

Interesting concept. A free operating system, against a operating system
you have to pay for, equals no choice.

Certainly up until recently, yes. Microsoft's actions ensured that OEMs,
which is where the vast majority of machines are sold, would suffer drastic
financial penalties if they sold machines with either no OS or a competing
one.....

 

[Bob I]

Certainly up until recently, yes. Microsoft's actions ensured that OEMs,
which is where the vast majority of machines are sold, would suffer drastic
financial penalties if they sold machines with either no OS or a competing
one.....

Actually, the OEM's were eligible for greater discounts based on the
various conditions contained in their agreements. "Penalties" is
implying that they had to pay additional sums.

 

[Don Smith]

I hear the price of a German car is higher in the US than in Germany.
What's up with that?
I hear those crazy people want us to pay shipping and import expenses too.

I hear we pay $70 in the US for a jacket they can get for $5 in S Korea.
What's up with that?

If you don't like the price they charge in your country, come to our country
and buy it and take it back with you.
If they charge $99 here and 99 pounds there, be sure to file another
complaint if the value of a dollar exceeds the value of the pound.
Make sure you factor in the cost to get the product from here to there, as
well as the additional regulations costs to Microsoft to operate in Europe.

Either all the above or learn about duties and shipping costs. You might
also think about what happens to a company if they don't make a profit and
pay employees! I.e. THINK!