E G Logan
Full Member
This is probably not the right place for this, but hey!
I have complained to the seller but don't expect much. If anyone knows how I can complain to Amazon, please say.
I know that in general people here are not hugely in favour of Amazon, but the type of books I often buy are difficult to source otherwise from Italy, where I am based: in English and frequently oldish and/or out of print. They can be quite expensive.
This problem may not be something UK buyers will experience, but they might.
Potential buyers should be aware of the existence of what I shall call 'shop-front' companies, which appear to be subsidiary companies based in a different country. Several large booksellers whose names you will find familiar* have these 'shop-fronts', which allow buyers in Italy – but also presumably, in France, Spain, etc – to order in the language of their country of residence.
BUT here's the rub: THE STOCK IS LOCATED IN THE PARENT COMPANY. The 'shop-front' is only a computerised transaction-maker.
So what, you ask?
It means if I order books from Dodo Italia (pseudonym), my book will arrive from Dodo CH, in Switzerland, from where I am liable to completely unexpected Customs duty and extra postal charges. It may also take longer than estimated.
In today's case, the second example involving this same Dodo CH, on a book costing almost Eur40, I paid Eur8.18 Customs and Eur5.00 extra postage. (I also had to sit down on the stairs and scrabble through my small change to try to give the poor post lady the exact amount.)
In past experience, Amazon itself as a supplier will keep the buyer fully informed and offer choices, including a refund, if the specified delivery date or the price changes. In the case of these 'shop-fronts', this doesn't happen. There is no warning of extra charges, or option not to proceed. The transaction goes through under the name of Dodo Italia (or, presumably, Dodo France...) but the delivery note, in minute print, reads Dodo CH. As does all the post lady's paperwork.
I have noticed the same thing with booksellers based in the US. At the point where I placed the Amazon order, the supply date suddenly jumped from days to weeks. Checking the supplier, I noticed it was not the Italian 'subsidiary' I had
chosen from the suppliers' list, but the parent in California! I decided to proceed, however, as the books were unobtainable in Europe, or crazily expensive.
[*I am prepared to name names if anyone really wants to know, but it's the practice I am complaining about rather than the specific example.]
Thank you. I feel better now.
I have complained to the seller but don't expect much. If anyone knows how I can complain to Amazon, please say.
I know that in general people here are not hugely in favour of Amazon, but the type of books I often buy are difficult to source otherwise from Italy, where I am based: in English and frequently oldish and/or out of print. They can be quite expensive.
This problem may not be something UK buyers will experience, but they might.
Potential buyers should be aware of the existence of what I shall call 'shop-front' companies, which appear to be subsidiary companies based in a different country. Several large booksellers whose names you will find familiar* have these 'shop-fronts', which allow buyers in Italy – but also presumably, in France, Spain, etc – to order in the language of their country of residence.
BUT here's the rub: THE STOCK IS LOCATED IN THE PARENT COMPANY. The 'shop-front' is only a computerised transaction-maker.
So what, you ask?
It means if I order books from Dodo Italia (pseudonym), my book will arrive from Dodo CH, in Switzerland, from where I am liable to completely unexpected Customs duty and extra postal charges. It may also take longer than estimated.
In today's case, the second example involving this same Dodo CH, on a book costing almost Eur40, I paid Eur8.18 Customs and Eur5.00 extra postage. (I also had to sit down on the stairs and scrabble through my small change to try to give the poor post lady the exact amount.)
In past experience, Amazon itself as a supplier will keep the buyer fully informed and offer choices, including a refund, if the specified delivery date or the price changes. In the case of these 'shop-fronts', this doesn't happen. There is no warning of extra charges, or option not to proceed. The transaction goes through under the name of Dodo Italia (or, presumably, Dodo France...) but the delivery note, in minute print, reads Dodo CH. As does all the post lady's paperwork.
I have noticed the same thing with booksellers based in the US. At the point where I placed the Amazon order, the supply date suddenly jumped from days to weeks. Checking the supplier, I noticed it was not the Italian 'subsidiary' I had
chosen from the suppliers' list, but the parent in California! I decided to proceed, however, as the books were unobtainable in Europe, or crazily expensive.
[*I am prepared to name names if anyone really wants to know, but it's the practice I am complaining about rather than the specific example.]
Thank you. I feel better now.
Have you tried 
