UK Upgrades ... horrific pricing

[andyt]

I have spent last night and this morning trying to place a pre-order for GS3.


1. Last night: Thomas at Tascam says they will NOT be doing international upgrades from the states, and couldn't/wouldn't take my pre-order. (didn't discuss situation with pre-orders already taken.) Advised I call tascam UK.

2. This morning: Tascam UK expect GS3 in a few weeks, but didn't know anything about upgrade pricing and told me to talk to local distributors - "the upgrade experts".

3. Tascam Germany were splendidly helpful, and very open. And seems quite up-to-date.
- he knows all CDs / manuals have been finished.
- they expect to recieve GS3 end of August / beginning of September.
- all upgrades in Europe will be through the dealer network, (although this has not been finalised).
- Tascam have had a long and heated internal debate for the last 6 months about the upgrade process, and have only recently decided that upgrades direct from Europe is only feasible model. At MusicMesse they finally started to understand the difficulties of doing the upgrades in Europe.
- BUT, the upgrade process hasn't been finalised. Dealers will sell boxes, but no final decision on where authorisation process will happen from .. still some debate whether it will happen in Europe as well as US. (He was adamant and a little embarressed that the upgrade process hadn't been finalised yet).
- He said pricing in mainland Europe would be "nearly the same" as the US, plus local taxes / shipping costs. :)


... but then I called the UK distributor ....


4. Called UK distributor for upgrade pricing ..... ohhh, S**t
The following hasn't been set in stone ... but they really do NOT expect it to change now (it is not ontheir web site).

Tascam UK are very reluctant to be part of upgrade process and so have handed it off to the dealers.
I only enquired about my upgrade costs, which will be GS32 to Orchestral.
Tascam site says costs will be $399.

UK distributor will charging £429 (only £20 less than full price) .... that is about $785 versus $399 from Tascam US.

Upgrading from GS160 to Orchestral ... even if I buy GS160 at this late stage it will be £269 to go from 32 to 160, and a further £249 to go from 160 to orchestral. They don't seem to be doing the $50 upgrade offer in the UK, and now Tascam US won't allow upgrades from the US.


I hope this is just a big misunderstanding ... but when I said to the distributor I thought this was outrageous pricing .... he said "sorry, but thats what it is".



Words escape me to express how I feel ....

[Daryl]

I hope this is just a big misunderstanding ... but when I said to the distributor I thought this was outrageous pricing .... he said "sorry, but thats what it is".

Words escape me to express how I feel ....

Yes, I think in future I will probably buy from the US rather than UK. Yes I know that it means that I have to contact technical help over there when I have problems, but it would certainly be cheaper in the long run if this really is Tascam's policy on pricing.

Daryl

[alpi]

1. Last night: Thomas at Tascam says they will NOT be doing international upgrades from the states, and couldn't/wouldn't take my pre-order. (didn't discuss situation with pre-orders already taken.) Advised I call tascam UK.

...........

Words escape me to express how I feel ....

I've just been through this nonsense on pricing differences with Cakewalk

see


European Pricing Rip-off (http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/tm.asp?m=178533&mpage=1&key=&anchor#178533)

In the end Cakewalk did acknowledge the issue and express their wish to do something about it - but then, Cakewalk do have a reputation for listening.......

I really hope Tascam sort this out , because otherwise I won't be upgrading at the prices quoted, on principle.....

[Marcussen]

If I canr upgrade for the promised 50$ I will be so unbeleivably pissed, that the last few months of "tascam cant be trusted/it will ship this september" bitching will seem like an endorsement!

[andyt]

I've had follow-up calls with both Tascam Germany and the UK Distributor this afternoon.

Tascam Germany pointed me in the direction of other European distributors ... Best Service and Thomann. (Thomann's prices seem really attractive even for the full price product). He emphasised again European Upgrade pricing had not been absolutely 100% finalised, just yet.

Okay, I should know this being an EU resident .... but if I buy a product from Germany say, do I still pay import duty when it comes into the UK ? I'm sure we don't ... has anyone else in the UK bought from Best Service or Thomann before ??? (Project SAM has EU and non-EU pricing for sure.)

Following my first call, the UK GS distributor had gone to the Tascam site himself, and he acknowledged there was a big disparity between what the US prices were and what had been set his company. He also agreed if his own prices stay the same, its gonna drive UK residents to the grey import market. He is going to raise it with a colleague who deals predominantly with Tascam and set the prices (but that won't be in the office until next week now).

[Marcussen]

No.. duties... you can order all you want from other euro countries, and not worry about duties! :)

[Daryl]

[QUOTE=andyt]
Okay, I should know this being an EU resident .... but if I buy a product from Germany say, do I still pay import duty when it comes into the UK ? I'm sure we don't ... has anyone else in the UK bought from Best Service or Thomann before ??? (Project SAM has EU and non-EU pricing for sure.)
QUOTE]

I think that unless you are a VAT registered business you will have to pay local VAT to where you buy the product from.

Daryl

[Marcussen]

In my experince and to my knowledge, If you live in a EU country and buy something from another EU country you do not pay additional duties.

From Best Service I have bought 3 Project SAM , 8 VSL products, Rare Instruments, Stylus, Atmosphere, Trilogy, DFH Superior and more the past year.. and I have never had any extra duties.

[rkmusic]

In my experince and to my knowledge, If you live in a EU country and buy something from another EU country you do not pay additional duties.

From Best Service I have bought 3 Project SAM , 8 VSL products, Rare Instruments, Stylus, Atmosphere, Trilogy, DFH Superior and more the past year.. and I have never had any extra duties.
Correct. Its the same for me living in Spain. No VAT at all. But the resulting payement for taxes is the same. You don´t pay VAT when you buy something from other contry but your trimestral payement is raised or better said not diminished by any previous VAT payment. But your money stay in your pocket, sure!

[andyt]

Thank you everyone for your answers about duty in Europe. It is as I thought. So I think I will purchase from Thomann (http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/iw_smb_suche.html?SUBJECT=KOMFORTSUCHE&iwid=2&SUCHBEGRIFF=gigastudio&x=11&y=10)in Germany. Fantastic prices.


Thomann Full Product: GS3 Orchestra is 285 pounds + 15 pounds shipping (including UK taxes) This is the price for the full software, not the the upgrade pricing.



Compare these to UK prices
Etcetera: Orchestra Full: 449 pounds
TurnKey: Orchestra Full: 449 pounds

[Marcussen]

Right... But what about the $50 upgrade price from GS180 to GS3.0?

[alpi]

Well, these prices on the Tascam web site -

Special Upgrade Pricing (for copies purchased after Jan. 1, 2004)

GS2.5 160 > GS3 Orchestra $50 GS2.5 96 > GS3 Orchestra $225 GS2.5 96 > GS3 Ensemble $50 GS2.5 32 > GS3 Orchestra $375 GS2.5 32 > GS3 Ensemble $200 GS2.5 32 > GS3 Solo $60

Don't say only available to North America. I bought GS2.5 based on this upgrade pricing. Tascam need to honour these prices worlwide (obviously with the addition of local taxes / import duty/ shipping) - If they don't , then that says it all about their attitude to customers..... and in that case , they don't deserve the business....

[tabbu]

There haven't been any official information or responce regarding international upgrades right? I feel really let down by this :(

Tabbu

[andyt]

It seems to me that:

- the international upgrade policy has only recently been agreed ... (which may explain the delays in the upgrade ordering page going live.)
- the international process is still being final finalised
- the pricing is still being finalised
- and hence the the European dealers are not ready for it, and are in various states of awareness of what they will be doing and how much they will be charging.


- the UK seem to know that they will be doing upgrades, but their upgrade prices do not reflect the prices that have appeared on the US site for the last 6 months. (In fact all their prices are exhorbitant.)

- Thomann in Germany have great prices on the main products (better than US RRP including taxes !!!!!!), but having just spoken with them (2 minutes ago) seem to think that Tascam will be managing all the upgrades.:confused:


The straw I am clinging to is:
- Tascam Germany have it clear in their mind that dealers in Europe will be doing upgrades (this is consistent with what Thomas in US said), but admit that final decisions on pricing and process haven't been finalised yet.


In these circumstances it is no surprise that sales staff at dealers do not have a clear picture. But it doesn't fill me with confidence. There are only 2 working days for this mess to be sorted out.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I will put in a call on your collective behalf to Tascam, and see if I can get some answers headed your way. I am sure there are no actual problems, simply the last minute prep for distribution.

[alpi]

I will put in a call on your collective behalf to Tascam, and see if I can get some answers headed your way. I am sure there are no actual problems, simply the last minute prep for distribution.
Thank you Bruce, appreciate that.

Hopefully the message on pricing just hasn't made it to the distributors yet...

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I can't get Pete right now, but I sent him an email and copied it to Jim Van Buskirk, letting them know about some of the anomalies you guys are reporting about the distribution.

I am sure it's just some last-minute communication.

[andyt]

Thanks Bruce.

[DutchFlowers]

I live near Turnkey in London, and they do a "price beating" deal for anything you can find a cheaper price for *in europe*.... which I take them up on quite a lot, as its quicker and saves postage costs... and invariably german sites have cheaper prices than the UK.

Their small print on that offer is that it needs to be a genuine quote (an internet site featuring price will do) and that they need to have it in stock. However I recently ordered a Tascam product through them that wasn't available yet and had to be pre-ordered, but they were still happy to price-beat a german website.

[alpi]

Has anyone heard any more info on the upgrade prices in Europe at all ?



Al.

[andyt]

No definitive pricing yet, but the UK distributor now thinks that they have made a mistake with their pricing.

They admitted to me that when they compared their prices with the US prices .... something had gone very wrong. So they will revisit them.

However, spoke with Tascam Germany on Friday on nothing regarding either pricing or process had been finalised at that point .... but he said they were close.

[alpi]

cheers , sounds a bit more promising.....

[Ed]

Okay, I should know this being an EU resident .... but if I buy a product from Germany say, do I still pay import duty when it comes into the UK ? I'm sure we don't ... has anyone else in the UK bought from Best Service or Thomann before ??? (Project SAM has EU and non-EU pricing for sure.)
).

I too am in the same boat as you. I have giga96 and will need to upgrade when the time comes. I cant believe how crap the UK Tascam seems to be. But thats the way it is with UK stuff it seems in regards to samples and so on, Time and Space are the only company that remotely understand what the hell you are on about.

I havent bought from Best Service becuase they dont ship to the UK for some bizzare reason. I was all ready to but then couldnt find UK in the shipping countries menu.

If you find a solution please keep us posted.

Ed

[andyt]

If you find a solution please keep us posted.

Ed
See my earlier posts about Thomann. They have phenomenal pricing on the main product and Tascam Germany said they will do upgrades .... but having said that Turnkey have since bettered Thomann's pricing.

Even if we can't get upgrades from UK dealers at sensible prices, I think we can get them from mainland Europe .... and as Turnkey have demonstrated, they will price match or else they loose the business.

[DutchFlowers]

Having recommended Turnkey's price beating I should point out that I have noticed that TEAC UK distribution often seems to be a month or more behind what's happening in the US and Germany. I have heard murmurs of dissatisfaction about this from UK retailers because they often see early sales disappear to overseas companies, simply because their delivery date has been put back by TEAC. It might be advisable to wait and see whether Thomann's have copies of GS3 available before the UK retailers, otherwise you may be stuck with a pre-order that isn't delivered until after others have received their GS3. Which would suck!

[Allmoge]

Best Service has now the following statement dated Aug 25 on their site:

"The salesversions will be available within the next days. Your can place your order on our website. The upgrade versions will be shipping in about three weeks. Also the prices should be definite by then."

Cheers,

Chris

[andyt]

[QUOTE=DutchFlowers]Having recommended Turnkey's price beating ..QUOTE]

Yeah, thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten that they guarantee this.

[andyt]

Best Service has now the following statement dated Aug 25 on their site:

"The salesversions will be available within the next days. Your can place your order on our website. The upgrade versions will be shipping in about three weeks. Also the prices should be definite by then."I'm not sure I believe the first part of their statement becuase ..... oh, you know what ??? I really can't be arsed trying to figure it out any more.

My 8 week vacation is just about to end, and the new school term starts next week. Evenings will now be spent planning lessons and marking. I might just wait now till the Christmas vacation .... competion might have brought the prices down even further by then.

Hope the rest of you get it soon.

See ya.

[Pingu]

8 Weeks?!!!!!! We only get 6 over here. Now I'm not sure whether I'm more upset about UK upgrade policies or UK vacation lengths. At least as a music teacher there isn't a great deal of marking in the evenings.

[GTBannah]

Sorry, man. We get nine down here. Shorter Christmas though ....

[Daryl]

8 Weeks?!!!!!! We only get 6 over here. Now I'm not sure whether I'm more upset about UK upgrade policies or UK vacation lengths. At least as a music teacher there isn't a great deal of marking in the evenings.

No, 8 weeks is not normal in the UK for a vacation :>(

Daryl