Priced quoted ex VAT to the public, is it legal?

[98elise]

I needed a couple of tyres replaced so I got quote from black circles and their price was £65 per tyre.

The place I normally get them fitted at is about a mile from me so I thought I'd drop in and get a price. They told be £65 per tyre, so I said go ahead. When I got the bill it was about £150 as they had added VAT.

I thought prices quoted to the public are supposed to be inclusive of VAT?

[Magic919]

How would they know you are not a business?

[TooMany2cvs]

98elise said:

I thought prices quoted to the public are supposed to be inclusive of VAT?

Or clearly stated as exclusive of VAT.

Was the quote over the phone or in writing...?

[Sheepshanks]

98elise said:

I thought prices quoted to the public are supposed to be inclusive of VAT?

Nope. In adverts aimed at the general public it must clear, but that's an ASA thing, not 'law'.

[marshalla]

Sheepshanks said:

Nope. In adverts aimed at the general public it must clear, but that's an ASA thing, not 'law'.

Trading Standards Institute think otherwise : http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/bu...

[Sheepshanks]

marshalla said:

Trading Standards Institute think otherwise : http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/bu...

Doesn't that specifically relate to goods on show?

Anyway, good luck trying to get Trading Standards to investigate anything. You can't even contact them in most areas.

[anonymous-user]

If you normally have them fitted at your local place, aren't you aware of how they quote their prices by now? Have you been surprised by them like this on other previous occasions?

Do you know if the Black Circle price was inc or ex of VAT?

It's a £26 lesson in teaching you to pay attention and/or ask the relevant question.

[twister]

Phil303 said:

If you normally have them fitted at your local place, aren't you aware of how they quote their prices by now?

Bear in mind that Blackcircles allow you to pay for fitting up front, so it's quite possible that someone could be a regular at a particular tyre fitting centre without ever having made a payment to them directly.

[Mojooo]

Phil303 said:

If you normally have them fitted at your local place, aren't you aware of how they quote their prices by now? Have you been surprised by them like this on other previous occasions?

Do you know if the Black Circle price was inc or ex of VAT?

It's a £26 lesson in teaching you to pay attention and/or ask the relevant question.

Its a lesson you dont need to learn as the law says prices should be quoted inc VAT when goods or services are provided to consumers.

If the business wnats to sell ex VAT they should not deal with consumers.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regul...

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/sched...

and the law makes it an offence

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1277/regul...

whether your local Trading Standards has enough staff left to deal with such matters is another matter

[Sheepshanks]

It's a bit of a co-incidence that Black Circles and the local place (who are a Black Circles fitting centre) quoted the same price.

Did the Black Circles price including fitting (if so, they're pretty cheap tyres)? I wonder if the local place quoted supply only.

[98elise]

twister said:

Phil303 said:

If you normally have them fitted at your local place, aren't you aware of how they quote their prices by now?

Bear in mind that Blackcircles allow you to pay for fitting up front, so it's quite possible that someone could be a regular at a particular tyre fitting centre without ever having made a payment to them directly.

Thats exactly what I normally do.

[98elise]

Sheepshanks said:

It's a bit of a co-incidence that Black Circles and the local place (who are a Black Circles fitting centre) quoted the same price.

Did the Black Circles price including fitting (if so, they're pretty cheap tyres)? I wonder if the local place quoted supply only.

The black circles price was fitted. The local place charged me the price they quoted then added VAT.

[98elise]

TooMany2cvs said:

98elise said:

I thought prices quoted to the public are supposed to be inclusive of VAT?

Or clearly stated as exclusive of VAT.

Was the quote over the phone or in writing...?

The quote was to me in person.

[98elise]

Magic919 said:

How would they know you are not a business?

Because not many businesses use 12 year old hatchbacks as a works vehicle.

[AngryPartsBloke]

98elise said:

TooMany2cvs said:

98elise said:

I thought prices quoted to the public are supposed to be inclusive of VAT?

Or clearly stated as exclusive of VAT.

Was the quote over the phone or in writing...?

The quote was to me in person.

So you have nothing in wrighting?

[JustinP1]

98elise said:

The black circles price was fitted. The local place charged me the price they quoted then added VAT.

They shouldn't have done that.

Unless they know that they are dealing with a business, their quote must by default be VAT inclusive. Effectively, they've induced you into a contract by doing this, as presumably you'd have gone to Black Circles to get the tyres and fitting at 20% cheaper.

Have you already paid?

You really should have put your foot down before payment as that was your leverage.

[Sheepshanks]

98elise said:

Magic919 said:

How would they know you are not a business?

Because not many businesses use 12 year old hatchbacks as a works vehicle.

Mitsubishi dealer did that to us on daughter's Colt service - they rang to tout for the business about a month before. Quoted £125. Rang back to book it, spoke to a different person who also said £125. I asked if that included VAT and they said no. So it's £150 then? "A lot of our customers are businesses so we quote ex-VAT".

On the day, they cheerfully presented a bill for £199. The irritating thing is, my daughter would have paid it. I didn't, and the car went elsewhere for service after that.

[Durzel]

Don't know if it's relevant but my local tyre place seems to hate having to accept blackcircles et al customers. I got the impression from talking to the guy when I was enquiring about tyres that they begrudgingly accepted their orders, as they felt they had to in order to compete.

Wouldn't surprise me if less reputable companies try and make back their usual margin on such orders by doing things like imposing VAT on top of the quoted price..

[Sheepshanks]

Durzel said:

Don't know if it's relevant but my local tyre place seems to hate having to accept blackcircles et al customers. I got the impression from talking to the guy when I was enquiring about tyres that they begrudgingly accepted their orders, as they felt they had to in order to compete.

I must admit it's not something I'd be comfortable with. I have bought tyres online, but only to be fitted during wheel refurb, and even then the refurber wanted the chance to try and supply they tyres but his wholesaler didn't recognise the All Season tyres I wanted.

[Devil2575]

Durzel said:

Don't know if it's relevant but my local tyre place seems to hate having to accept blackcircles et al customers. I got the impression from talking to the guy when I was enquiring about tyres that they begrudgingly accepted their orders, as they felt they had to in order to compete.

Wouldn't surprise me if less reputable companies try and make back their usual margin on such orders by doing things like imposing VAT on top of the quoted price..

My local trusted tyre supplier/fitter does black circles work but is cheaper if you go to them directly.