ARGOS PRICES:Paul McDonnell came across an enormous price discrepancy between Argos in Britain and Ireland. He is used to price differences of up to 40 per cent between stores in the two jurisdictions but was "astonished to find a 103 per cent difference" in the price of a TV.
The TV, a 32-inch LG model, was £449 (€490) on argos.co.uk. But the same TV was selling for €999 in the Republic. He wrote to Argos and, in his letter, explained that he was used to paying more due to higher VAT, wages and other overheads. Usually, he says, there is a call to be made on whether the difference in price justifies a trip up north with the associated petrol and time costs. “However, in this case it would be possible to take a limo to Belfast, stay in a five-star hotel, eat in a top restaurant and still save money,” he says.
He was less than satisfied with the reply as, he says, it suggested that Argos does not think there is anything wrong with price discrepancies of this nature. “Prices in our Republic of Ireland catalogue are based on a number of factors, of which the exchange rates at the time of going to print is one,” wrote Argos. “All prices are inclusive of taxes. The price of items may change during the six-month life of the catalogue to reflect promotions and offers but will not fluctuate in line with the exchange rates. I apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
We checked if the price gap had narrowed and, while the TV was still at €999 in the Republic, it cost £549 (€608) in the UK.
PRICE OF M&S FRIES
Erika Gunn admits to a fondness for M&S’s Pentland Dell Thin Crispy Fries. When she started buying them this time last year they were €1.99, she writes. Last March the price went up to €2.19, she says. “I could live with that – a 10 per cent rise. You can imagine my shock last Wednesday when I went into M&S in Blackrock, Co Dublin only to be told that the price was €2.69. This is a massive 35 per cent hike in just 12 months. Is this madness?” She demands to know “on what grounds they can up the price like this? Now I know why people are going north.”
A spokeswoman for M&S said that, according to their records, the fries in question had been €2.69 for more than 12 months.
FARES FOR LONDON
A reader from Naas travelled to London recently using an Irish Ferries boat and the Virgin Trains rail service from Holyhead to London. “The cost of the ticket from Dublin to London was €44 in Connolly Station,” he says, adding that the return leg had the same price tag if he had bought his ticket in Ireland. “However, buying a ticket for the return journey in London on www.seat61.com cost me £29 (€32.91) on my credit card statement.” This is the cost for the journey both ways when bought in the UK, he says. He points out that it is a difference of over €11, or 25 per cent, for the same service provided by the same staff and the same time.
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