Asked to pay handling fee related to CA tax?
Written: Jan 13, 2009
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In summary, I called to order an Acer X3200 PC listed for an attractive (though not 100% rock bottom) price and after some help clarifying whether or not it has a blu ray drive (web site did not specify details) I decided to order (the website promised free 3 business day FedEx shipping). Steve was helpful and agreeable on the phone and validated the PC was in stock. He then proceeded to get my address, and when he saw it was California, said unfortunately they would have to charge a $51 handling fee to cover the tax (though he said that legally they could not charge sales tax?) as their distribution center is in California. He gave me an alternative for a $25 fee which would take about a week of shipping and send it via another warehouse...
Not sure what to make of this, but it doesn't sound 100% on the up and up... In any event, be prepared for the promise of free shipping and no sales tax to disappear if you live in California. I put my order on hold when I learned this, since I don't like being surprised at the back end... In fairness they did not pressure me to complete the transaction.
Note: I did review their terms and conditions after writing the above and note that they do state that "Occasionally PCNation may not be able to ship an order to CA or MA without an additional handling fee related to state sales tax." Seems wierd to be "occasional", did I just have bad luck and get chosen to help pay for their CA taxes? I will revise my rating if I learn that this policy is 100% on the up and up (ie they are really paying sales tax to CA for CA orders and I am not just paying more than the advertised price), though I think that in that case this policy should be stated clearly upfront and consistently enforced.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Acer Aspire X3200
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