Expansys - SONY Xperia

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weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#233539 20-Apr-2018 15:41

Hi there,

I am eyeing one of the new Xperia models recently released which is available on the Expansys website; and I'd like to know if that website is legit? Also, do you think the Sony products they offer are genuine? Thanks in advance.

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262 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1999895 20-Apr-2018 15:52

I've bought through expansys previously (albeit some time ago now) and had no issues with service/delivery

sbiddle

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#1999905 20-Apr-2018 16:10

Expansys is a legit (and very large) retailer that operates in multiple countries and has been used by a lot of people on here.

1eStar

1604 posts

Uber Geek

#2000412 21-Apr-2018 19:45

I have bought Sony product from expansys 4 years ago and they honoured warranty when I had screen defect within several months of purchase.

weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#2001908 24-Apr-2018 20:39

OMG!! I did not know I am supposed to pay a huge import tax!!! Sh!t!!!!!! Expansys presents themself as the NZ branch of the parent company with their .co.nz domain name on the website. But I have been hit with more than $100 as some kind of import tax. None of this was mentioned anywhere when I made the purchase. I am trying to talk to them and reverse the transaction. Never again buy from these guys jeeeze!

Tzoi

424 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2001964 24-Apr-2018 22:28

"Prices shown on this website are in New Zealand dollars and do NOT include GST. GST will be billed to you by the NZ Import authorities at point of delivery. Please note that additional credit card or bank fees may apply."

weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#2001999 25-Apr-2018 00:21

As usual, in tiny font, the seller has terms and conditions written in a completely different place on the site so that they are off the hook. It is not ideal, is it? It should be standard practise to indicate next to the displayed price of a product that an undetermined amount would be added after the purchase has been made. As a first time customer, no where does it say I'd have to make two different payments. Also, the product was bought for $418, but tax imposed is $127 which is outrageous. How are customers are supposed to calculate the cost if these things are not made visible and transparent.

sbiddle

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#2002037 25-Apr-2018 07:34

weera2500:

As usual, in tiny font, the seller has terms and conditions written in a completely different place on the site so that they are off the hook. It is not ideal, is it? It should be standard practise to indicate next to the displayed price of a product that an undetermined amount would be added after the purchase has been made. As a first time customer, no where does it say I'd have to make two different payments. Also, the product was bought for $418, but tax imposed is $127 which is outrageous. How are customers are supposed to calculate the cost if these things are not made visible and transparent.

The seller makes it VERY clear GST and/or duty may apply to products. I'm not sure how much clearer it can be than multiple messages on their site including a large message on their cart page.

If people are unaware that all imports into NZ are liable for GST and/or customs duties then IMHO they shouldn't be buying things online. If you were genuinely not aware that importing goods into NZ means you need to pay GST and/or duty on them then you just need to put this down to a life experience and simply accept it's happened.

As for the GST and duty amounts, once again these are are made very clear on the customs site, and a dediced whatsmyduty.co.nz page even exists to help people before they buy things.

I'm sorry but there really is no issue here, and you certainly can't blame expansys for your lack of knowledge.

Expansys (like the vast majority of foreign retailers) are not registered for GST and customs collection in NZ therefore can't collect taxes on your behalf.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

sbiddle

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#2002038 25-Apr-2018 07:38

weera2500:

OMG!! I did not know I am supposed to pay a huge import tax!!! Sh!t!!!!!! Expansys presents themself as the NZ branch of the parent company with their .co.nz domain name on the website. But I have been hit with more than $100 as some kind of import tax. None of this was mentioned anywhere when I made the purchase. I am trying to talk to them and reverse the transaction. Never again buy from these guys jeeeze!

A .co.nz does NOT present a company as being based in NZ, just like a .com does not mean a company is based in the US. Even if you reverse the transaction and return the phone you'll still have to deal with customs to get your money back, they cannot do this on your behalf as you're the person eligible for these charges, not expansys.

As for not purchasing from them again they're a great company with great support. It's your loss if you decide not to buy things from them again because there are plenty of genuinely dodgy sellers out there both in NZ and overseas selling phones into the NZ market. Expansys do make it clear GST and/or duty applies, unlike some retailers on Trademe and many other online retailers who do not.

Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2002046 25-Apr-2018 08:05

I saw this thread a few days ago and was going to comment/warn that this company is a drop shipper. Thought someone would of mentioned that or you would pick up on it.

weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#2002074 25-Apr-2018 09:30

I have bought books and other items from foreign sites such as Amazon as well as from Book depository a few years ago and I never faced anything like this before. Do you really check Customs website before buying anything online? Seriously?

A clear warning would have been something obvious and visible such as a little notice in red bold font or similar just before payment is made which pops up or alerts the user 'hey there is an extra payment to be paid after you pay us and we have no idea how much extra that is going to be" or something to that effect. A generic notice in tiny font in an obscure corner on the website is hardly 'clear notice'. Sure it might get them off the hook but that is hardly ethical good business practice.

I checked the Customs website that there might be a 15% import tax after this mishap. But 15% on $418 (which is the total purchase price) still does not equate to $127 which has been added as tax. There is no information on how would the total total price would be! Who would buy things from foreing websites if you did not know how much total payment the purchaser really would have to pay? Where is the transparency!?

freitasm

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#2002076 25-Apr-2018 09:35

weera2500:

I have bought books and other items from foreign sites such as Amazon as well as from Book depository a few years ago and I never faced anything like this before. Do you really check Customs website before buying anything online? Seriously?

A clear warning would have been something obvious and visible such as a little notice in red bold font or similar just before payment is made which pops up or alerts the user 'hey there is an extra payment to be paid after you pay us and we have no idea how much extra that is going to be" or something to that effect. A generic notice in tiny font in an obscure corner on the website is hardly 'clear notice'. Sure it might get them off the hook but that is hardly ethical good business practice.

Everything brought into New Zealand has to be assessed for GST and Duty fees. Customs will not charge you if GST (on product plus shipping) is less than $60 (which means anything beyond $400 incl shipping will need to pay GST). This is how it works.

The screenshot above clearly mentions the GST to be added.

If you need to get an approximate idea of how much GST/Duty is owed to Customs use this calculator.

sbiddle

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#2002077 25-Apr-2018 09:40

weera2500:

I have bought books and other items from foreign sites such as Amazon as well as from Book depository a few years ago and I never faced anything like this before. Do you really check Customs website before buying anything online? Seriously?

A clear warning would have been something obvious and visible such as a little notice in red bold font or similar just before payment is made which pops up or alerts the user 'hey there is an extra payment to be paid after you pay us and we have no idea how much extra that is going to be" or something to that effect. A generic notice in tiny font in an obscure corner on the website is hardly 'clear notice'. Sure it might get them off the hook but that is hardly ethical good business practice.

I checked the Customs website that there might be a 15% import tax. But 15% on $418 (which is the total purchase price) still does not equate to $127 which has been added as tax. Who would buy things from foreing websites if you did not know how much total payment should the purchaser really would have to pay? Where is the transparency!?

Items you purchased from Amazon and Book Depository were presumably below the de minimis value and therefore didn't incur GST and/or duty collection.

I guess we'll always beg to differ on the message but I personally consider that to be a pretty clear warning on the checkout page. Lots of overseas retailers do not make any mention of this at all, and as I mentioned above lots of dodgy sellers on Trademe and also sellers on sites such as eBay also make no mention of this either.

The reason the cost is more than the GST is because you also need to pay IETF and processing fees on top of the GST. This is all explained on the customs site, and Customs have also put a lot of effort into the whatsmyduty page so that people like you who are obviously unaware of the rules can be better informed.

weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#2002078 25-Apr-2018 09:44

freitasm:

The screenshot above clearly mentions the GST to be added.

Well the screenshot might say that but that notice is really not in a place on the website that captures user attention! It's like saying, when you install a software, in its terms and conditions in tiny font, it might say this software will damage your hard disk. Now how many people will see this? Adequate warning/notice needs to capture user attention not just have it there in a remote place so they can be off the hook.

Throw stones at me only if you read the entire terms and conditions document from a-z everytime you install a new software.

scuwp

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#2002103 25-Apr-2018 10:16

Sorry I am also of the view it’s up to the buyer to do their due diligence. Buying from overseas comes often with extra costs and risks. If you are not prepared for that, , then you are better off buying from a NZ retailer.

I would chalk it up to life experience at this point. Trying to reverse everything could make the situation even worse.

I don’t see anything wrong with their warning. Seems clear enough to me from the screen shot. Remembering they are not just selling into NZ and will need to accomodate import and tax laws in many countries. Not sure your expectations and entirely reasonable. Big flashing lights, dancing girls, a guest appearance from a CGI Steve Jobs perhaps (joke) ...

Sorry your purchase wasn’t what you expected, but think your frustration is aimed at the wrong place.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

weera2500

79 posts

Master Geek

#2002198 25-Apr-2018 12:22

scuwp: Sorry I am also of the view it’s up to the buyer to do their due diligence. Buying from overseas comes often with extra costs and risks. If you are not prepared for that, , then you are better off buying from a NZ retailer.

I would chalk it up to life experience at this point. Trying to reverse everything could make the situation even worse.

I don’t see anything wrong with their warning. Seems clear enough to me from the screen shot. Remembering they are not just selling into NZ and will need to accomodate import and tax laws in many countries. Not sure your expectations and entirely reasonable. Big flashing lights, dancing girls, a guest appearance from a CGI Steve Jobs perhaps (joke) ...

Sorry your purchase wasn’t what you expected, but think your frustration is aimed at the wrong place.

I have let Expansys know about the frustration. Hopefully other people who are not aware of this might see this thread and find it useful. Apparently I am not the only one...there seems to be quite a few users caught out by their hidden costs.

There's nothing wrong with their warning but that warning is not visible enough to capture user attention! Otherwise why are there so many other users who have been caught out? Many users seem to have given low ratings for this company's website.

If a company is running a NZ website site with a .co.nz domain name targetting NZ consumers, I'd expect some form of warning at the point of making the purchase. At least that's the ethical thing to do.

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