CD wow settlement

expensive workaround

It's a disgrace. :mad

I'm only save that I fly to germany quite frequently (long distance relationship) thanks to reasonable airfairs with Aerlingus. (Ryanair is not providing me with a suitable service but that's another topic.)
So I'll be having my cds shipped to Germany and collect them on one of my visits or my boyfriend's return visit.

One way of stock piling cheap cds. Of course it will mean a longer wait time. But if I wanted a cd without the wait I'd go to the high street. As if!

Slightly confused.....

If CD-WOW are sourcing some of their cd's in Europe (as I understand from Mollser, must check my own) why is the surcharge applying across the board on all CDs to Ireland rather than just on those that are produced outside Europe?

Re: expensive workaround

This has all the feel of something with no basis in law at all. It sounds like CDWow just wasn't up for the fight.

The agreement is that CDWow will stop sourcing their CD's outside Europe. But CDWow is a Hong Kong Based company, why should they source CD's in Europe at all?

And why are CDWow doing deals with the UK and Ireland anyway, Surely the deal should be Europe wide or else it is not a real legal deal but just an agreement. Are they still going to be able to ship Asian sourced goods to Germany for example?

Did you ever get the feeling that even the journalists writing about the story don't understand what's going on?

-Rd

Re: Slightly confused.....

Just on Garretrods point I've got loads of people sending in their disgust directly to IRMA just to piss them off as well so don't be afraid to tell them you're not gonna buy any CDs anymore because of this.
e-mail is info@irma.ie

Re: Slightly confused.....

Yup Alan, those 2 were definitely from Europe, although they are the first 2 i've noticed which haven't been from Asia (but thats beside the point ) (oh -and not that its the first thing I check!)

But this gets fishier then. Say, for example The Thrills. I'd imagine there is a limited enough market in Asia for this CD, so they probably take some of the European stock. It is obviously produced cheaply enough in Europe to be sold at at a profit in Asia, at a lower price, and in turn sold on by CD wow also at a profit. Which would indicate that there is little difference in the cost of production per CD between Europe and Asia. So they're just blatantly ripping off Europeans.

It looks like the HK site has put up their pre release CD's by $2 as well - thats 2 Hong Kong $'s, ie €0.20! I wonder was this a clever trick by them? As long as they don't market the HK site here, they may just get away with it - for a little while at least? I won't get my hopes up just yet...

cdwow

guy from cdwow was on rte1 this morning.
in brief:..he said they didnt want to be associated with a case like this in the courts and felt that it was rather a case for consumer agencies. (I see his point)
He declined to comment on whether there was a settlement figure involved apart from the 3 euro on the price of a cd.
He also wouldnt say how much the irish market was worth other then that there was 300000 plus customers and the irish market was worth several million.
300000 seems an awful lot, maybe there was that many transactions but that amount of customers?

Re: cdwow

From the irma website

CD WOW! has agreed that it will not sell CDs that have been first placed on the market outside Europe to UK and Irish customers. It will only sell CDs that have first been placed on the European market to UK and Irish customers.

Click to expand...

So, they can actually be manufactured anywhere. Recently, I've started checking the country of manufacture, and as often as not, they come from N.America or Europe. It's a marketing/copyright argument, not a manufacturing one.

So, if a CD is manufactured in, say, the UK and wholesaled at €5 in Asia and €8 in Ireland, CDWOW are not allowed to resell the Asian ones, only the (exactly identical) Irish ones.

These CDs are priced on the basis of what the market will bear locally. Personally, they've exceeded my limit.

cd-wow

I havent bought cds in years. CDWOW got me going again. Back to KAzaa or Tesco or illegal copying. My point - I was prepared to buy legit when affordable.

However I've thought of a solution. Order in normal way but change delivery address to a country ouside Irl & UK and get a mate to send them on minus the jewel case a couple of days later using their office post.

If you buy a lot you could send over SAEs !

..

Just bought off the Hong Kong site...DVDs. They do not have a surcharge but there is pop-ups all over the site saying if delivery is to Ireland/Uk there is a surcharge of 28.99 honk kong dollars. (3 euro)

Incidentally, can the post office technically step in and demand payment of exise duty/vat etc??? I.E. You get a nice letter from them saying if you give them about a million euro you can get your DVD off them in some inaccessible sorting office??

Re: ..

I thought the surcharge only effected CD's and not DVD'S?
CdWow in HK have "Finding Nemo" Region 2 for 20 Euro (190 HK Dollars) assuming an exchange rate of about 9.5 to the EURO on the credit card. Wholesale rate is 9.73 at the moment so I'm assuming they won't charge any more then 2.5% mark up?
Anybody know if the DVD is any cheaper then that anywhere else?

..

I hope not...i just bought the Finding Nemo DVD off the CD wow HK site.
Actually quick question.....they list a region 2 version, and then a region 2+4 version. Is there a difference in the content??? OR do you know?

Re: ..

Finding NEMO DVD on HK site is now HKD 225.00!
It's 14 GBP on www.splashdvd.com plus 1 stg postage but if it's your first time using them, you get a 2 GBP off-voucher.
(about 19 EURO against 23.68 on CD WOW.)

cd wow

Legend99
the post office dont charge anything for delivery of cd's etc. IF Customs and Excise put a charge on a parcel they have a duty to collect it or return the parcel to Customs to have the duty reversed and the parcel returned to sender. there is a handling charge added to the customs charge as they have to collect the cash and remit it to Customs. As the customs mostly ignore the ordinary punter this seldom happens. If you order ciggies over the net though the Customs will definitely put a charge on the parcel.
Dont confuse An Post with that firm in Blanchardstown who get all the American Parcels to deliver but dont usually bother.General Logistics or something similar.

CDWOW & VAT

There is a limit under which they do not apply VAT probably because of the hassle. Cannot remember but think it is something like 35 euro.
There is a usually a label on the package that indicates the value of the goods being shipped.
As CDWOW send items individually you are unlikely to ever get caught for VAT.

CD WOW update

just got this email from CD Wow this morning.....

Dear Member,

WOW! We've been able to remove the additional charges for deliveries to the Ireland and UK on CDs.

We've been working our little cotton socks off to source our Chart Albums within the EU at the lowest possible price and cutting our margins even more.

In simple terms, from today the additional charges are no longer applicable. Chart CDs remain at EUR 13.95* including deliveries to the Ireland - yippeee!

There have been a few cutbacks in the office, I'm working out of the YMCA and using an etch-a-sketch as my PC was sold.

But fear not - you get our great CD price - and I'm loving the YMCA tomato soup!

Thank you for your overwhelming support!