Can anyone offer a credible explanation for the following: Suse 8.0 Personal - Euro 43.02 in Germany, Euro 53.77 in UK Suse 8.0 Pro - Euro 68.87 in Germany, Euro 81.34 in UK These are the net ex VAT prices from the SuSE UK & German websites. After VAT the situation is even worse. Based on 1 Pound = 1 .62 Euro (it's been within +/-2% of this for many weeks, I track it almost daily) Now I think SuSE 8.0 is probably good value even at the UK price but why should I pay more for an identical (it is, isn't it?) product? In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or are Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality? Charles
Yes, I can offer a credible explanation. The boxes of software have to be re-shipped, re-warehoused and re-distributed. The UK is a separate economy from Germany with different conditions in many different respects (for instance the profit margins which distributors and resellers insist on). And (strangely enough) the copies are priced in such a way that (hopefully) we might just be able to make a little money so that we can go on providing you with the best ever distribution of Linux. On Thu, 25 Apr 2002, Charles wrote:
Can anyone offer a credible explanation for the following:
Suse 8.0 Personal - Euro 43.02 in Germany, Euro 53.77 in UK Suse 8.0 Pro - Euro 68.87 in Germany, Euro 81.34 in UK
These are the net ex VAT prices from the SuSE UK & German websites. After VAT the situation is even worse. Based on 1 Pound = 1 .62 Euro (it's been within +/-2% of this for many weeks, I track it almost daily)
Now I think SuSE 8.0 is probably good value even at the UK price but why should I pay more for an identical (it is, isn't it?) product?
In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or are Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality?
Charles
-- ------------------- Roger Whittaker SuSE Linux Ltd The Kinetic Centre Theobald Street Borehamwood Herts WD6 4PJ ------------------ 020 8387 1482 ------------------ roger@suse.co.uk ------------------
Hi Charles, Have you checked the prices of Suse 8 at Pcworld. http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Master hth. Clive Charles wrote:
Can anyone offer a credible explanation for the following:
Suse 8.0 Personal - Euro 43.02 in Germany, Euro 53.77 in UK Suse 8.0 Pro - Euro 68.87 in Germany, Euro 81.34 in UK
These are the net ex VAT prices from the SuSE UK & German websites. After VAT the situation is even worse. Based on 1 Pound = 1 .62 Euro (it's been within +/-2% of this for many weeks, I track it almost daily)
Now I think SuSE 8.0 is probably good value even at the UK price but why should I pay more for an identical (it is, isn't it?) product?
In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or are Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality?
Charles
-- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com
Clive wrote:
In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or are Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality?
So should we change our quoted prices daily to reflect the current real exchange rate, or wouldn't we simply add a buffer and keep the UK pound price constant? Without the buffer it's 50/50 that we would actually loose money, or who can predict which way a currency goes? YOU guys chose to stay out of the Euro ;-) Michael
Clive wrote:
Charles actually
In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or
are
Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality?
So should we change our quoted prices daily to reflect the current real exchange rate, or wouldn't we simply add a buffer and keep the UK pound price constant?
in this day and age a 20% "buffer" as you call it is a dangerous business strategy, it sounds like some 1970's recipe for business failure In my job (manufacturing, in the UK, which is tough, 85% turnover is exports) we buy foreign currency forward and can offer 12 months fixed rates, in the case of the Euro it's GBP 1.00 = Euro 1.611 maybe you can't do that but the Euro is not that volatile to need a 20% safety margin
Without the buffer it's 50/50 that we would actually loose money, or who can predict which way a currency goes?
YOU guys chose to stay out of the Euro ;-)
Yes, but look at the Euro - it's practically banana state currency, hardly the 21st century Dollar substitute It's a free market, you charge what you like, good luck
Michael
Charles
On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 16:19:45 -0700, Michael Hasenstein <mha@suse.com> wrote:
YOU guys chose to stay out of the Euro ;-)
imagine that!! a country with a enough feeling of SELF Nationality to refuse to be humbugged into some damned World union. Very proud of any nation which will stand up to the UN. chas ...
On Thursday 25 April 2002 23:20, Charles wrote:
Can anyone offer a credible explanation for the following:
Suse 8.0 Personal - Euro 43.02 in Germany, Euro 53.77 in UK Suse 8.0 Pro - Euro 68.87 in Germany, Euro 81.34 in UK
talking about these... the price of SuSE 8.0 Pro in Singapore is 50% more than Euro or USA, Although most software company gives a hefty bonuses to distributor. The price make me decide not to buy SuSE 8.0 in Singapore and skip to 8.1 from other place (not singapore).
Charles wrote:
Can anyone offer a credible explanation for the following:
Suse 8.0 Personal - Euro 43.02 in Germany, Euro 53.77 in UK Suse 8.0 Pro - Euro 68.87 in Germany, Euro 81.34 in UK
These are the net ex VAT prices from the SuSE UK & German websites. After VAT the situation is even worse. Based on 1 Pound = 1 .62 Euro (it's been within +/-2% of this for many weeks, I track it almost daily)
Now I think SuSE 8.0 is probably good value even at the UK price but why should I pay more for an identical (it is, isn't it?) product?
In the Euro zone or not, there's no excuse for such a blatant con, or are Linux people (anoraks, nerds etc.) supposed to be totally detached from reality?
Charles
Somebody else wrote:
Yes, but look at the Euro - it's practically banana state currency, hardly > the 21st century Dollar substitute
Banana currency - agreed. I do not know if the UK price for v. 8.0 is justified or not. But: When the GBP increased in value by about 40% against other European currencies (now ) shops, especially supermarket did not lower the price accordingly but even continued to increase them for imported goods. So now one can buy the same goods abroad at about up to 1/3rd of the UK price. Brussels and the EC were blamed for what was 'Made in England'. Transport costs were the usual excuse (Ignorance or just contempt for customers?). They are insignificant when taking into account the relation between retail price e.g. GBP 4000/ton and the actual transport for one ton from France to London. The does not change the prices, it only makes it more transparent. It avoids having to multiply or divide by 1,60 or so. But on the other hand English people are used to odd factors or divisors such as 16, 12, 8, etc. After all -- they call it common sense -- multiplying by 10 is much more difficult than multiplying by 16! HWM
On Monday 29 April 2002 17:22, hwm@onetel.net.uk wrote:
The does not change the prices, it only makes it more transparent. It avoids having to multiply or divide by 1,60 or so. But on the other hand English people are used to odd factors or divisors such as 16, 12, 8, etc. After all -- they call it common sense -- multiplying by 10 is much more difficult than multiplying by 16!
I thought that had changed. I know the pound was decimalized in the late 60s/early 70s, and from watching english TV I hear more and more people using the metric system. I don't know if the road signs are still in miles. Are they? I thought the US was the last bastion of the imperial units. Anders
Alas we still use both metric and imperial, the latter is still used for distance and some would want to retain it for weight. Our problem is we do not make a decision then make the change but rather make the change at sometime in the future. And so use both side by side then some say why change? The answer as to why anything is more expensive here than in any other part of Europe is because we are mug enough to pay the extra, witness the price of cars because some have bought their vehicles from mainland Europe the our prices have fallen but now they are creeping up again because the cost of our cars has dropped out of the spotlight. Keith Jacobs -----Original Message----- From: Anders Johansson [mailto:andjoh@cicada.linux-site.net] Sent: 29 April 2002 16:31 To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] SuSE 8.0 and the Euro scam On Monday 29 April 2002 17:22, hwm@onetel.net.uk wrote:
The does not change the prices, it only makes it more transparent. It avoids having to multiply or divide by 1,60 or so. But on the other hand English people are used to odd factors or divisors such as 16, 12, 8, etc. After all -- they call it common sense -- multiplying by 10 is much more difficult than multiplying by 16!
I thought that had changed. I know the pound was decimalized in the late 60s/early 70s, and from watching english TV I hear more and more people using the metric system. I don't know if the road signs are still in miles. Are they? I thought the US was the last bastion of the imperial units. Anders -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com
On Monday 29 April 2002 4:30 pm, you wrote:
On Monday 29 April 2002 17:22, hwm@onetel.net.uk wrote:
The does not change the prices, it only makes it more transparent. It avoids having to multiply or divide by 1,60 or so. But on the other hand English people are used to odd factors or divisors such as 16, 12, 8, etc. After all -- they call it common sense -- multiplying by 10 is much more difficult than multiplying by 16!
I thought that had changed.
I know the pound was decimalized in the late 60s/early 70s, and from watching english TV I hear more and more people using the metric system. I don't know if the road signs are still in miles. Are they?
I thought the US was the last bastion of the imperial units.
Change? England? Scotland? Wales? Northern Ireland? United(?) Kingdom?! We do not know the meaning of the word! Our currency is decimalised (The Euro being decimated) but we still measure distances in miles, drink beer (both bitter and that tasteless fizzy yellow stuff) in pints, they are trying to make us buy food in grams but we still prefer pounds and ounces (well some of us) and we are not yet grown up enough to be allowed to elect our head of state. For some reason we like it this way! Peter
participants (10)
-
Anders Johansson -
Charles -
Clive -
hwm＠onetel.net.uk -
Isen Kusima -
mail＠maestrocompserv.co.uk -
Michael Hasenstein -
Peter Lewis -
Roger Whittaker -
schuetzen - RKBA!