Extra Laser charge for purchases below €10

boardsdotie

Shocked and stunned

The Topaz shop in Raheen between the Highway and the Regional (Previously the ambassador).

Stopped off to buy a jar of pasta sauce the price was an already inflated €2.80 but I would expect that from a convenience store.

The lady at the cash register then proceeded to tell me because my purchase was below €10 I would have to pay an extra 20c, I asked why to which she reiterated the value of my purchase was below €10.

I thanked and told her I would take my custom elsewhere.

We are in a recession, is there any need for this blatant greediness.

Berty

* Q: Is there a minimum Laser transaction amount for Laser transactions?

A:

No, there is no minimum transaction value.

Source = http://www.lasercard.ie/faq.asp?id=83#q50

There never was and never will be. Never darken the door of that retailer again. :mad:

I understand why retailers do not wish to offer transactions for below €10 because there is a lot of paperwork that goes with it.

Retailers like to argue that they pay a % of the transaction to the banks but the payment they make is negligeble against the cost of Securicor to remove the cash from the building.

boardsdotie

Berty wrote: »

* Q: Is there a minimum Laser transaction amount for Laser transactions?

A:

No, there is no minimum transaction value.

Source = http://www.lasercard.ie/faq.asp?id=83#q50

There never was and never will be. Never darken the door of that retailer again. :mad:

I understand why retailers do not wish to offer transactions for below €10 because there is a lot of paperwork that goes with it.

Retailers like to argue that they pay a % of the transaction to the banks but the payment they make is negligeble against the cost of Securicor to remove the cash from the building.

I never will darken that door again, also to add the shop was in quite a state, not very well stocked dark and with a curious odour.

bernardo mac

boardsdotie wrote: »

Shocked and stunned

The Topaz shop in Raheen between the Highway and the Regional (Previously the ambassador).

Stopped off to buy a jar of pasta sauce the price was an already inflated €2.80 but I would expect that from a convenience store.

The lady at the cash register then proceeded to tell me because my purchase was below €10 I would have to pay an extra 20c, I asked why to which she reiterated the value of my purchase was below €10.

I thanked and told her I would take my custom elsewhere.

We are in a recession, is there any need for this blatant greediness.

Such shops a real rip off.Stopped there circa early April.Petrol 1.18euro.Natch just got paper.1.13 in Corbally cross city.Had filled up 2 days before in Arklow for 1.02 per litre.Normally nice,hard working staff but I keep purchases to a minimum.Bet staff wages are at a bare minimum, though

Berty

On Fuel prices. Prices are set by the Topaz Regional Manager on the basis of what the competition are doing.

The Dock Rd only compete with each other and the Raheen Dooradoyle area the same.

If Corbally is €0.20c cheaper then it will not affect other parts of the city only Corbally. Although Corbally does compete with Thomondgate even though they are both Topaz.

Wonders of business eh? Missus used to run the Shell sites in Limerick years ago before Shell sold its retail business.

On the store in Dooradoyle. I never personally like the site. The shop is in dire need of a revamp and the forecourt needs a massive increase in size to cope with the influx of traffic it gets. There is a large area for parking out back. They really need to level the place and rebuild a new site with more parking out front and a nicer shop and hopefully get rid of the retailer. I never did like him.

puntosporting

Even the Fine wines at that location is overpriced compared too parnell st mallow st and thomondgate!
Chinese is decent do!
Petrol is 119.9 there and 116.9 2 secs up the road!

boardsdotie

puntosporting wrote: »

Even the Fine wines at that location is overpriced compared too parnell st mallow st and thomondgate!
Chinese is decent do!
Petrol is 119.9 there and 116.9 2 secs up the road!

I hear you and agree even Spar, Centra are cheaper for beer these days.

btw
Text police: its though not do, to not too

mcowhey

its 2.80 dude surely you could have found that lyin around in the car, also spare a thought for the person behind you who is about to pay for stuff and bein held up by someone using a card to pay for 2.80 worth of stuff.

Christ above €2.80 with a card.

i'll pm you my number and next time your short give me a ring, hell you could even have asked a homeless guy outside to spot you the 2.80


anyway thats my rant about people paying with cards for ridiculously low prices

4tothefloor

boardsdotie wrote: »

Shocked and stunned

The Topaz shop in Raheen between the Highway and the Regional (Previously the ambassador).

Stopped off to buy a jar of pasta sauce the price was an already inflated €2.80 but I would expect that from a convenience store.

The lady at the cash register then proceeded to tell me because my purchase was below €10 I would have to pay an extra 20c, I asked why to which she reiterated the value of my purchase was below €10.

I thanked and told her I would take my custom elsewhere.

We are in a recession, is there any need for this blatant greediness.

Well first of all, Laser have recently increased their charges which now makes low value transcations a waste of time for retailers. They have also increased their charges considerably for cash back with purchases. A few retailers around Limerick have already dispensed with cash back and no longer offer it, I think the bookshop in the Crescent is definitely one as they had signs on display about it. Most nightclubs and pubs will accept Laser and offer cash back only once the transaction is a certain value (I think it's €25 in Trinity for example). I work in retail and our stores also no longer offer cash back. We do not accept Laser, Credit Card or Cheques for anything under €10 either. Unfortunately a convenience store cannot do this as a lot of their items are under €10.

Secondly, I'm sorry but paying for something costing €2.80 with a Laser card is a bit of a joke to start with. These card services aren't free you know, so if you're going to be using the card for low value items like this you shouldn't be that surprised if you're levied with a charge. And 20c is nothing when you consider the blatant rip off companies like Ryanair and Ticketmaster have been running for years with their €2.50/€5 charge per ticket/flight. At least 20c is an honest charge. If anyone is being greedy here it's Laser, not the retailer. Bare in mind Laser earns a bank money on every single transaction on every card, and it's not like they've done anything to justify an increase in charges....

Kess73

There is an easy answer for anyone unhappy with the charge.


They should not give the shop any business again and point out why to friends and family.


Then they can get in touch with their bank and inform them that their purchase with the Lazer card was refused as there is no such thing as a minimum payment amount when using a lazer or credit card. What the bank can then do to the shop is cancel their credit card facilities, meaning the store can no longer receive any payments by lazer/credit card.




I have worked in retail management for large portions of my life, and yes low value purchases can be a pain in the neck from a charge pov, but it is more than covered by the mark up on larger sales by card.


If the store wants to charge extra in these times, don't give them business, then if enough people follow suit, it will cause a decrease in sales in that store.



http://www.lasercard.ie/faq.asp?id=83#q50



.






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RonMexico

Thats just taking the piss - using your card for something that is €2.80

Most of these stores have an atm anyway. Just get out some cash and stop dicking about with cards for stuff below €10.

jmccoy

RonMexico wrote: »

Thats just taking the piss - using your card for something that is €2.80

Most of these stores have an atm anyway. Just get out some cash and stop dicking about with cards for stuff below €10.

Why not ? Cards are the future.

Berty

I also hate the anti laser brigade also. Its simply plastic cash.

Easy to carry and safer than cash. Cash does not come with a pin number.

MarkR

Some people will complain about anything. They'll probably complain about taking small denomination coins too.

It's a valid method of payment, and is certainly faster then some people who spend ages rooting for change.

Saying that I think the smallest lazer transaction I've done is €7-8. And I think I apologised. But feck it, it's all money.

Amalgam

Retailers routinely have signs giving a 'minimum purchase' limit before a card can be used. Are these signs legal? ..and would they relate to the OP's problem?

Kess73

Amalgam wrote: »

Retailers routinely have signs giving a 'minimum purchase' limit before a card can be used. Are these signs legal? ..and would they relate to the OP's problem?

It is legal for a retailer to have a sign like that up, but they cannot enforce a minimum purchase limit as Lazer do not allow it. So if a retailer does try to enforce it or add a charge, all the customer has to do is report the retailer to the bank that issued their card, and the retail outlet could lose their ability to accept credit cards and debit cards.


Mastercard in particular are very quick to take action against retailers that try to add a charge or use a minimum purchase.

puntosporting

boardsdotie wrote: »

I hear you and agree even Spar, Centra are cheaper for beer these days.

btw
Text police: its though not do, to not too

Thanks for the free english lesson much appreciated...


:rolleyes:

4tothefloor

Kess73 wrote: »

all the customer has to do is report the retailer to the bank that issued their card, and the retail outlet could lose their ability to accept credit cards and debit cards.


Mastercard in particular are very quick to take action against retailers that try to add a charge or use a minimum purchase.

You're saying a bank will suspend credit card facilities to a retailer over one transaction? Haha wishful thinking! They will no such thing. That bank would not only have have a long standing and fruitful relationship with the retailer, but also numerous accounts, payment facilities and loans. And if you have anything about you as a business person, you'll know your bank manager personally. Not a chance in a million years what you are saying would happen. Lazer charges are negotiable by the way, so if anything were to happen it would be that.

Lazer/credit cards are not designed for transcations of €2/€3 and anyone using them for that deserves all that's coming to them!

Kess73

4tothefloor wrote: »

You're saying a bank will suspend credit card facilities to a retailer over one transaction? Haha wishful thinking! They will no such thing. That bank would not only have have a long standing and fruitful relationship with the retailer, but also numerous accounts, payment facilities and loans. And if you have anything about you as a business person, you'll know your bank manager personally. Not a chance in a million years what you are saying would happen. Lazer charges are negotiable by the way, so if anything were to happen it would be that.

Lazer/credit cards are not designed for transcations of €2/€3 and anyone using them for that deserves all that's coming to them!

What happens is the bank will check out whether the shop is indeed trying to pull a fast one by trying the minimum purchase scam. One transaction will not bring about withdrawal of credit card services, but it will get a fine issued, and repeat offences will see the credit card facilities withdrawn or a five figure fine imposed.

The local bank or bank manager is not who looks into it. Wishful thinking has nothing to do with it, it has being enforced in the US for years now and as of 1st May 2009 it can be enforced in any EU country.

Personally speaking I see the minimum purchase scam as a tactic used by the more underhanded retail outlets, and it shows up those who will pull any stroke to make a buck.

yoyo

I was told last week the laser machine was "broken" in the shop when I was trying to buy 6 bavarias (€7.99) and was told to get cash out of the atm for them instead, Funnily enough the customer ahead of me managed to use her laser card without any issiues :rolleyes:

Nick

boardsdotie

4tothefloor wrote: »

You're saying a bank will suspend credit card facilities to a retailer over one transaction? Haha wishful thinking! They will no such thing. That bank would not only have have a long standing and fruitful relationship with the retailer, but also numerous accounts, payment facilities and loans. And if you have anything about you as a business person, you'll know your bank manager personally. Not a chance in a million years what you are saying would happen. Lazer charges are negotiable by the way, so if anything were to happen it would be that.

Lazer/credit cards are not designed for transcations of €2/€3 and anyone using them for that deserves all that's coming to them!

Debit/Credit cards are designed for any transaction.

"Q: Is there a minimum Laser transaction amount for Laser transactions?
A: No, there is no minimum transaction value."

Source...

http://www.lasercard.ie/faq.asp?id=83#q50


I neither deserved or received anything coming to me, in fact the Topaz shop received and deserved everything they got within my limited power.

I took my custom to a nearby Spar and ended up spending over €20

I have relayed this avariciousness story to all family and friends who will never darken their door

I have posted it here and so far 359 people have read it.




btw it's laser

baza1976

boardsdotie wrote: »

I hear you and agree even Spar, Centra are cheaper for beer these days.

btw
Text police: its though not do, to not too

Text police: its by the way not btw!!! lol

Xennon

Its a small retail shop, ie a 'convenience', that's what they sell, 'convenience'. So it costs a little to process a Laser transaction, surely its worth it to keep the custom of a local?
Have we really come so far from the times when local shops ran a book for credit to its regulars?

ninty9er

baza1976 wrote: »

Text police: its by the way not btw!!! lol

BTW is acceptable in internet terms. ttyl, kk, omg etc are not.

boardsdotie wrote: »

I have relayed this avariciousness story to all family and friends who will never darken their door

I have posted it here and so far 359 people have read it.

Ah c'mon. And 359 views doesn't mean 359 people have read this. In addition, I'd wager most people who have take a dim view of using a Laser card to buy a loaf of bread or whatever.

Xennon

why would they take a dim view, isn't that what the card is for??...I mean if you don't have the cash on you why shouldn't you use the card??..

mickoneill30

Xennon wrote: »

why would they take a dim view, isn't that what the card is for??...I mean if you don't have the cash on you why shouldn't you use the card??..

If they're dim. The whole point of a laser is to avoid the ATM. Use the laser and then get money out at the till if you want. Isn't that the point of a laser card? The whole extra 20 seconds that it takes for somebody to use the pin reader isn't going to kill anyone. And if that's a problem for you then be happy that your problems are so small.

To the OP. You were right to walk out. People need to cop on and avoid places that give crap service. We've been too happy with crappy service over the last few years. These days you get the impression that you're inconveniencing a cashier if you ask to pay for something.

Stab*City

what about a situation where you have lets say €9.99 left in your account and thats all you have in the world. You cant draw this out from the atm and are we not meant to use our laser card just because we dont spend a tenner? F**K that.. If the bank aint open (which most of the time they are not, but thats a whole new thread), and their stupid atm's dont give out less that a tenner then im using my motherf**kin laser card so i can access MY money and i dont care if the total amount is €1. I pay charges for my cards so i refuse to let some greedy shopowner tell me i cant use my card if laser say i can then i can.. if the shop says no id report them to the bank and take my business elsewhere!

BobTheBeat

I dont see the problem with laser cards tbh. Its all people use in the states (their equivalent). Its how people want to spend their money,so surely retailers should try to accomodate without too much oppposition??

cooperguy

Kess73 wrote: »

It is legal for a retailer to have a sign like that up, but they cannot enforce a minimum purchase limit as Lazer do not allow it. So if a retailer does try to enforce it or add a charge, all the customer has to do is report the retailer to the bank that issued their card, and the retail outlet could lose their ability to accept credit cards and debit cards.


Mastercard in particular are very quick to take action against retailers that try to add a charge or use a minimum purchase.

Do you know why Ryanair get away with charging me €10 when I use my Mastercard online?

mcowhey

cooperguy wrote: »

Do you know why Ryanair get away with charging me €10 when I use my Mastercard online?

i couldn't be certain but i'd say its cos ryanair are cheap bastards

4tothefloor

cooperguy wrote: »

Do you know why Ryanair get away with charging me €10 when I use my Mastercard online?

That's the case in point that proves banks and card companies will do sweet fa to any retailer/business who levies a charge - and god knows enough people have complained about this blatant rip-off.

Levies for low value purchases are going to continue to be a subject of debate until Laser start implementing more realistic charges for low value transactions. Retail is all about margins, and if a retailer can't make a minimum margin because of what Laser are charging to process a sale, well you're going to see more and more of this happening. In addition, and somebody can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm pretty sure that Laser double/triple charge retailers as well. Not only do they charge for the actual transaction, but they also charge for cashing in the receipts/processing the sales and also for the terminal rental. It all adds up, making low value transactions a waste of time which can only be rectified by Laser themselves i.e. the money hungry bank cartel who have debts to pay and are more likely to actually up the charges even more now :rolleyes:

grenache

puntosporting wrote: »

Even the Fine wines at that location is overpriced compared too parnell st mallow st and thomondgate!

Thats becos the clientele are of a socially more upmarket status, thus the prices are higher. Also, there's a Fine Wines in Mallow St? News to me.

Getting back to the OP, debit cards really shouldn't be used for small purchases under €5. I know, according to their website, there's no minimum charge as such, there is still nothing more annoying than seeing someone pull out a card for such a small purchase. But the 20c fee is going a little bit far, most shops just have a minimum €7 spend for laser transactions.

finbarrk

God, would you not be embarrased using a card to pay for mickey mouse purchases?
It drives me mad in shops anyway to be in a que and some people using cards paying for small priced items, as it takes twice the time to process the payment.
There should be a minimum of €25 or even €50 on their usage.

mickoneill30

finbarrk wrote: »

It drives me mad in shops anyway to be in a que and some people using cards paying for small priced items, as it takes twice the time to process the payment.

I know. 60 seconds max instead of 30 seconds. It's enough to drive anybody mad
Much better to be behind somebody who has to count out every little bit of change they have rather than pop in a card and hit 4 numbers.

metamorphosis

I don't understand this anti - laser brigade either. When i was in the states for a couple months i paid for everything with Credit card. Its the done thing over there. Pay for your taxi with the card, pay for a drink in a shop with the card - no matter how big or small - the card was used. It was because it was safer than carrying around hugh sums of cash with me. Id just go to banking online later on and transfer the cash from my account into the credit card account - safe, quick and effecient. no hasssle. Back home i had to change quickly as many places dont accept it if your purchase is below a given price.

2.80 is a bit much to be ranting about though IMO.

grenache

ULstudent wrote: »

2.80 is a bit much to be ranting about though IMO.

I disagree. In the shop i work in, we dont have broadband access, still use dial-up for the credit card machines, as do a good deal of other outlets. So every credit/debit card transaction takes around 1 minute. At busy periods, and even when its quiet, this leads to queues. Can you imagine if everyone paid for their €1.50 purchase with a card? You'd have queues going out the door and people would just leave the shop in frustration. Cards are very convenient, and we welcome them where i work but certainly not for mickey mouse purchases of €2! Thats not what they were designed for.

puntosporting

grenache wrote: »

Thats becos the clientele are of a socially more upmarket status, thus the prices are higher. Also, there's a Fine Wines in Mallow St? News to me.

.

Are you for real with that statement?
A large amount of known scumbags currently living in the area!
Mallow st should have said roches st could be wrong there to do

zuroph

grenache wrote: »

I disagree. In the shop i work in, we dont have broadband access, still use dial-up for the credit card machines, as do a good deal of other outlets. So every credit/debit card transaction takes around 1 minute. At busy periods, and even when its quiet, this leads to queues. Can you imagine if everyone paid for their ?1.50 purchase with a card? You'd have queues going out the door and people would just leave the shop in frustration. Cards are very convenient, and we welcome them where i work but certainly not for mickey mouse purchases of ?2! Thats not what they were designed for.

how about the shop sorted out its communications? EVERYWHERE has boradband access of some sort these days. The laser machines work lightning fast in places like tk maxx and penneys, places where they would be counting every last cent, if they can do it, and inflated grocery store could do it. bascially, the queues arent the customers fault, its the shops. I know theres a larger customer turnover in these places, but the costs arent so high as to be restrictive for any shop to improve its technology.

Berty

This thread is about retailers charging for a service they claim to offer as a service to customers, nothing more. :cool:

There is NO minimum transaction amount therefore there is NO charge for making a charge of €2.80.

Do not offer a service if you cannot uphold your contract with the Laser company.

4tothefloor

zuroph wrote: »

how about the shop sorted out its communications? EVERYWHERE has boradband access of some sort these days. The laser machines work lightning fast in places like tk maxx and penneys, places where they would be counting every last cent, if they can do it, and inflated grocery store could do it. bascially, the queues arent the customers fault, its the shops. I know theres a larger customer turnover in these places, but the costs arent so high as to be restrictive for any shop to improve its technology.

The business I work in recently upgraded their communications, including broadband. However they were told by AIB that the credit card machines can only use dial-up or ISDN lines, they cannot use broadband or any other medium. These are the AIB Ingenico machines, it may be different with other machines/banks. There is a high speed card service available, I think it's run by a UK third party company, but it is a premium service that costs much more than the regular bank services and is usually only used by big multi-national retailers because of the costs. It is more than likely this service that is used by the likes of TK Maxx etc

Berty wrote: »

Do not offer a service if you cannot uphold your contract with the Laser company.

Not really true. A retailer is under no obligation to accept Laser for any payment regardless of whether they offer the Laser service or not. This covers everything including security reasons, suspicion the card may be stolen, suspicious purchases or the retailers own judgement. Ditto for credit cards. Aside from cash, a retailer is under no obligation to accept cheques, debit or credit cards. As I said in an earlier post, you're going to see a lot more of this as Laser keep increasing their charges and there is nothing stopping the retailer determining the terms of payment.

grenache

puntosporting wrote: »

Are you for real with that statement?
A large amount of known scumbags currently living in the area!

Yes i'm totally for real. Why do you think they charge higher prices in their Dooradoyle shop than in Thomondgate or Parnell St? There are scumbags living in every area of the city. But there are a high concentration of them buying their drink in the latter two shops. The D'doyle shop has far more consumers from middle-class areas, hence they charge higher prices for products like Carling, Linden Village, Carlsberg, Heineken. Its simple demographics and it happens all over the place.

puntosporting wrote: »

Mallow st should have said roches st could be wrong there to do

Yes its Roches St.

zuroph wrote: »

how about the shop sorted out its communications? EVERYWHERE has boradband access of some sort these days. The laser machines work lightning fast in places like tk maxx and penneys, places where they would be counting every last cent, if they can do it, and inflated grocery store could do it. bascially, the queues arent the customers fault, its the shops. I know theres a larger customer turnover in these places, but the costs arent so high as to be restrictive for any shop to improve its technology.

You've obviously not familiar with every shop outlet in Limerick if you think they ALL have broadband. You can't compare places like TK Maxx and Penneys with smaller shops. The former two operate several stores in many countries and their profits and client numbers demand that they have up-to-date broadband access. Smallers stores with less profit often don't have that luxury, or in my employers case are unwilling to finance the installation of broadband. The company I work for are stuck in the late 20th century and are very rigid when it comes to upgrading anything. Sad but true.

zuroph

i have broadband, it costs about €40 a month. that includes the line rental.

nevertheless, apparently its not the boradband it comes in on, so, pointless.

4tothefloor

zuroph wrote: »

i have broadband, it costs about €40 a month. that includes the line rental.

nevertheless, apparently its not the boradband it comes in on, so, pointless.

You can't get broadband for a business at home broadband prices. Business broadband is way more expensive and it is usually bundled with a call plan as well. On top of all this you have your dedicated lines for fax and credit card machines, which if you are getting BB from one of the main providors, you will have to sign over all of these lines as well and pay line rental on them. Just to give you an idea, business broadband plus phone, fax and ISDN credit card lines for the company I work for is €300 to €500 per month for two stores depending on usage with BT Ireland (who have the worst customer service I have ever experienced). It is not cheap! :eek:

steveon

If shops want to charge more for laser cards transactions then let them ...just refuse the purchase if there isnt clear notice of the extra charges before approaching the till.

I dont mind the delay in people paying by credit card, what I have a problem with is that they fumble around in there bag looking for the damn thing despite queing for a cpl of mins in which time they could have it ready. I pity the staff....

I also think this applys to phone credit...if they charge more than its face value walk away...as I no longer buy in shops nemore....and as a result they have lost on any further purchases like a bottle of coke and a bar of choclate at the same time..

The way of the future will be of a cashless transactions...and should be encouraged then there will be less handbag snatches and people beggin on the streets and at traffic lights as a result...but thats my opinion on the matter...

Stab*City

4tothefloor wrote: »

You can't get broadband for a business at home broadband prices. Business broadband is way more expensive and it is usually bundled with a call plan as well. On top of all this you have your dedicated lines for fax and credit card machines, which if you are getting BB from one of the main providors, you will have to sign over all of these lines as well and pay line rental on them. Just to give you an idea, business broadband plus phone, fax and ISDN credit card lines for the company I work for is €300 to €500 per month for two stores depending on usage with BT Ireland (who have the worst customer service I have ever experienced). It is not cheap! :eek:

That is cheap i pay €40 for my broadband and im a home user! Do the math!

limerick_man

steveon wrote: »

I also think this applys to phone credit...if they charge more than its face value walk away...as I no longer buy in shops nemore....and as a result they have lost on any further purchases like a bottle of coke and a bar of choclate at the same time..

I work in a shop and most shops are part of large chains and have deals with the main networks. However, other shops (independants and those belonging to chains without such an agreement with the phone networks) are charged for the credit. Some shops can give it for face value because they buy it for less than that, others cannot because they pay more than the face value for them. You cant expect a shop to buy it at 20.15 (or so) and sell it for 20euros.

Same with the laser, the margin on the 2.80 item could be 15c, if they were charged 20c to sell it to you they would make a loss of 5c just so you can get what you want and pay by card. I know its all nice to think that shops should be giving stuff away for free, but peoples livelihoods (sp) depend on the success of these shops.

grenache

limerick_man wrote: »

I
Same with the laser, the margin on the 2.80 item could be 15c, if they were charged 20c to sell it to you they would make a loss of 5c just so you can get what you want and pay by card. I know its all nice to think that shops should be giving stuff away for free, but peoples livelihoods (sp) depend on the success of these shops.

Well said, this is very much the whole point of most shops having a minimum spend policy with regards to use of laser cards.

steveon

limerick_man wrote: »

I work in a shop and most shops are part of large chains and have deals with the main networks. However, other shops (independants and those belonging to chains without such an agreement with the phone networks) are charged for the credit. Some shops can give it for face value because they buy it for less than that, others cannot because they pay more than the face value for them. You cant expect a shop to buy it at 20.15 (or so) and sell it for 20euros.

From speaking to a number of shop owners around town that dont charge more for Phone credit they all freely admitted they made 50cents for every ten euro of credit sold, previously 1euro until the big players stood together, if a small family run shop close to marys park can sell phone credit at face value so can every other shop that are much larger and have a higher presence around the town, 2 many shops are now focusing on higher prices and less customer service satisfaction and try and be a mini supermarket but dont seem to pass on the prices, all centrea and spar stores are owned or supplied by Musgraves cash and carry and therefore have MASSIVE buying power but any I have every visited charge wall over the face value for Phone credit and as a result I now top up my phone with a tap of a button and it is payed for by my credit card for no extra fee. This has resulted in me less frequently visiting shops and therefore the shops have alleivitated themselves from many other purchases that I might have spontaneously purchased or seen that I might not have gone into the store for...

For any shop owener trying to lie about their reasoning about putting up these costs for phone credit and anything else dont as Im not the only head strong and consious consumer out there....if you charge more for a service advertise the fact which is the LAW under the Consumer act all prices must be clearly shown and I hope people do waste your time and walk away if the prices are not clearly shown .....as at least then they are giving the right to decide before heading to the till and not feel obligated to continue the transaction out of embarrasment....once again I reiterate the fact I feel sorry for the staff that are only doing their jobs and this isnt an attack of them but there greedy company boses...or owners..

Berty

Sorry Steveon:

Spar is nothing to do with Musrgaves. Spar is a brand owned by BWG Foods.

Centra & Supervalu are a brand of Musgrave.

BWG & Musgrave DO NOT own any stores in this country. They lease the brand to a shop owner and in return Musgrave/BWG receive an LTA(Lease term agreement) which is basically rent to have the name over the door.

The name over the door gives them the branding, media coverage and backup the store may need like buying power, training and opens the doors to more supplier than just their local area.

Musgrave on Park Road in Rhebogue is nothing to do with Centra and Supervalu either for example. This is called Musgrave Cash & Carry and Musgraves in Cork actually supplies these Centra & Supervalu stores directly.

Musgrave Cash & Carry is open to anybody with a VAT account and is considered a separate company.

In Limericks case, Londis & Daybreak are also members of Musrave.

BWG then is also Value Centre Cash & Carry as their anybody and everybody store for VAT customers.

They also have the brands, Spar, Eurospar, XL Stop & Shop, Mace & Spar Express.