IKEA Credit Card 70p surcharge

"D.A.L." wrote

Haven't you got anything better to do?

They wouldn't set it up to be refunded automatically - so even if they do agree, you'll have to 'phone them up after each time you visit IKEA to get each 70p each time....

Does your X credit card give a cashback? (getting the highest CB does appear to be a sport on this ng)

Where do you think this money comes from?

tim

Surcharging for using a credit card is not uncommon, especially with companies such as travel agents. I've never heard of anyone getting a refund in such situations, and I doubt they would want to set a precedent in the case of IKEA.

Chris

Customers should vote with their feet. The only thing Ikea, like any retailer, cares about is the number of customers buying. If all customers boycotted Ikea stores for a week, i.e. just walked around the showrooms muttering but not buying, Ikea would drop the crassly outrageous 70p levy like a hot potato. They are doing it because they can and because they believe their customers have no alternative, since there are no other comparable furniture stores. To me it's taking selfish advantage of a captive cohort of shoppers who cannot use choice as there is nothing similar elsewhere to choose from. Trust capitalists to show their true colours whenever they have your head in their mouths!

MM

[]

Do they have the same charge for a debit card payment? If not, then customers should just use that. I don't see the problem here, and credit card surcharges are not unusual.

David

There is another point. With the money laundering (prevention of) legislation, paying for large items in cash may become less acceptable in the near future as retailers demand proof of the cash's bona fides.

Also, if goods are refunded, will Ikea refund the 70p levy, or indeed charge another 70p to process the refund?

MM

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

"doing it because they can"?? - They *can* put prices up by 10%, if they wanted. Would you prefer that instead?!

If they're short of appropriate profit margins, that would be a much fairer way by far. Why should they penalise the CC consumer, but expect cash buyers to walk around with large wodges of cash waiting to be relieved of it by gentlemen of the road? Ikea will have already ticked off thousands of shoppers, and what dent will that make in customer loyalty? As a marketing relations fiasco, this one is on a par with that jeweller who 'fessed up that all his products were crap.

MM

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

Conversely - to be fair, why should the cash/debit card consumer subsidise the extra costs to the retailer of accepting credit cards?!

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

Why do you keep going on and on about carrying large quantities of cash?

There is no need to use cash, and you can still buy at IKEA without paying the 70p levy. Simply use a cheque or a debit card. Now where's the problem?

Indeed! Take 70p off the cash purchaser, too! After all, the cashier has to *count* the money, then *take* it to the bank. Must be worth at least 70p of anyone's money.

Because it's old-fashioned, risky, and once lost or stolen, you're not ever going to see it again.

I think both you and I know what the problem is!

MM

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

I think the point is something like it costs the retailer (say) 70p to accept cash, but 1.40 to accept a credit card.

70p of these figures is effectively already allowed for in the prices of the goods, hence no extra charge required for cash purchasers, but credit card purchasers are charged the extra 70p to make it up to the required 1.40.

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

So pay some other way then!

"Mike Mitchell" wrote

If you have trouble writing a cheque, then I'm sure the nice lady at the till will have a printer for it for you - or at the very least a stamp! Or you could get yourself a debit card (btw, why don't you like those?)