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| Porn Users Forum » Additional charges! |
| 1-19 of 19 Posts | Page 1 |
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| 05-31-11 02:27pm - 4954 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
Additional charges! Epoch's are a bit lower than CCBill but I invariably find a few dollars added to the quoted price of a site. I wouldn't call it regional pricing but am wondering if my American friends pay that charge as well. As one example, I can now buy US $ 1.03 with my Canadian Dollar, but if I subscribe to a US $ 29.95 site, instead of paying less, I end up paying a couple of dollars more. So, is that standard practice? And no it's not bank charges, it's the final price quoted by Epoch and CCBill. I won't cry over two bucks, but am curious. | |
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| 05-31-11 02:42pm - 4954 days | #2 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User  Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
You usually find that the exchange rates they use are not as good as the posted current exchange rate. That may go some of the way to explaining it. Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 05-31-11 03:31pm - 4954 days | #3 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I'm in the US, and pay the US quoted prices. I don't know how to explain the price difference charged to Canadian customers versus US customers other than to say it's another example of regional pricing. You are correct, currently the Canadian dollar is worth slightly more than the US dollar. But for whatever reason, some sites charge Canadian customers a higher price than they charge US customers. If those sites charged the same amount of Canadian dollars as they charged in US dollars, the sites would be getting a slight premium. But to add insult to injury, they charge Canadian customers more Canadian dollars than they charge US customers in US dollars. Just another example of how businesses can treat their customers (we love to screw anyone we can-as long as they can't screw us). | |
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| 05-31-11 03:58pm - 4954 days | #4 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
The latter is exactly what happened to me just before I wrote this post. The site I was interested in had a special price for TBP users of $ 24.95 but after rejecting Epoch as a secondary biller they were willing to accept me for US $ 26.95!! As I stated above they are not alone in this. Epoch and CCBill (with CCBill charging slightly more) are almost as bad. The average additional fee is usually between US $ 1.50 - 3.00! | |
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| 05-31-11 04:03pm - 4954 days | #5 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
That would make it a relatively big rip off. Today's CA $ is worth US $ 1.034. The site advertised US $ 24.95 and the biller wanted US $ 26.95 !!!!  | |
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| 05-31-11 05:48pm - 4954 days | #6 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
I've experienced the same thing. I'm pretty sure its just the crappy exchange rate demanded by the credit card companies, and maybe the biller too. One of the VOD services I use, Adult Empire I think, seems to use the actual exchange rate since my charged price was lower in Canadian dollars than the listed U.S. price. | |
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| 05-31-11 07:12pm - 4954 days | #7 | |
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pat362 (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,575 Registered: Jan 23, '07 Location: canada |
I think it's the credit card processor fucking with their customers because they can. If a site is US24.95$ then simply process it at that rate and let the credit card company take care of the exchange for that transaction. of course my method does remove some profit from those poor CC processing companies. Long live the Brown Coats. | |
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| 06-01-11 08:02am - 4953 days | #8 | |
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Tree Rodent (0)
Active User  Posts: 708 Registered: Oct 29, '08 Location: UK |
It's the exchange rate. Paypal makes a ton of money out of rip off exchange rates too. Lot of money to be made and has been made from this. | |
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| 06-01-11 02:35pm - 4953 days | #9 | |
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badandy400 (0)
Active User  Posts: 869 Registered: Mar 02, '08 Location: ohio |
They are using the correct exchange rates, or close to, but they are charging you a foreign currency fee. They feel anyone not using their currency should be ripped off. I recently paid Euros for a site and ended up paying an extra fee. Same thing. "For example, badandy400 has taken it upon himself to become the one man Library of Congress for porn with a collection that surely will be in Guinness Book of World Records some day." ~Toadsith~ PU Interview | |
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| 06-01-11 05:51pm - 4953 days | #10 | |
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anyonebutme (0)
Active User  Posts: 294 Registered: Aug 23, '09 |
Uhhh, it's because they incur a charge themselves for exchanging currencies. It costs ccbill & epoch money to provide the service. Getting all pissy about it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Lobby for a new standardized global currency to emerge. It ain't gonna happen. But you can lobby for it. China wants to lead a new global currency. It'll solve your exchange rate problems. Until then, all currency exchanges are a service that have a cost involved with it, and all costs of all businesses are passed on to the consumer. Does that make them thieves? You start a business, you incur an expense, you're passing it on in the cost of your products. Are you willing to pay money out of your own pocket so that someone else can jerk off? No? And we're dealing with microtransactions here. Exchange $100,000 you're going to be given a good exchange rate. Exchange $10 and well...  Edited on Jun 01, 2011, 06:05pm | |
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| 06-01-11 06:22pm - 4953 days | #11 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
Thanks for a very logical explanation. It never occurred to me that it would be an expense to the Billers to exchange currencies. Now the two additional bucks (approx.) per transaction makes more sense. | |
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| 06-02-11 12:31am - 4952 days | #12 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Don't forget that many credit card companies will have their own fees for transactions made in other currencies, though I don't think I've ever encountered this paying for a porn site. Just something to be aware of if you're paying for something that's not in your own currency. This is another one of those pay up-or-fuck-off fees that credit card companies have, or at least they do down here in the U.S., maybe Canada's a little nicer to their consumers? "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 06-02-11 03:34am - 4952 days | #13 | |
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Ed2009 (0)
Suspended Webmaster  Posts: 509 Registered: Sep 12, '09 Location: Wales, UK |
If you pay by credit card in a currency which is not your domestic currency then most banks will charge you a currency conversion fee for that. Check with you card supplier to see their policy. However if the price is quoted (by the billing company not the site) in your currency then that is the price you should pay, anything else would be against the rules (and most probably illegal) unless they very clearly state the extra fee at the time of the purchase. If in doubt contact your card supplier. If anyone is breaking the rules on that they should be able to tell you, and mostly probably sort it out too. Webmaster of StripGameCentral and A Measure of Curiosity. | |
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| 06-02-11 11:42am - 4952 days | #14 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
Any fees our credit companies charge usually show up at the end of the month and not at the time of transaction. So, the amount charged at the time of purchase is the Biller's. | |
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| 06-02-11 11:53am - 4952 days | #15 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
The price is most often quoted in CA Dollars by the Billing Company at the time of purchase, Ed. That's why the original query: why would they charge me more in Canadian Dollars if the Canadian Dollar is worth more than the U.S. Dollar at the moment. It's just a matter of expecting to get a U.S. subscription about 60 cents cheaper, yet they charge me about a dollar-fifty to two dollars more in Canadian funds. However I could live with a currency conversion fee by the Biller if that were the case. | |
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| 06-02-11 12:29pm - 4952 days | #16 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I bought something on ebay a while back from Australia. The seller wanted a credit card payment instead of paypal. So my credit card company charged me around 3% of the transaction value plus giving me a poor exchange rate on the conversion of US to Australian dollars. Not a deal breaker, since I didn't realize beforehand that I was going to be charged the 3% currency conversion fee. But after that experience, I was more careful about buying out-of-country items with a credit card. But then again, paypal might have also charged me a currency conversion fee as well. The bid on ebay was in US dollars, because I was using the US ebay (there are different ebays for different countries). But I was still charged the currency conversion fee, because the seller was in Australia. And I suppose he specified payment in his own currency, even though I don't remember that being explained in the ebay listing. Maybe you are supposed to know those details automatically. However, I have bought many other items on ebay that were out of country (Japan, England, Germany, France), and was not charged any currency conversion fees. The payment was through paypal. So using a credit card to make a payment where the seller is in a foreign country opens you to currency conversion fees (unless the seller specifies payment be made in your native currency, maybe). Edited on Jun 02, 2011, 12:41pm | |
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| 06-02-11 07:30pm - 4952 days | #17 | |
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badandy400 (0)
Active User Posts: 869 Registered: Mar 02, '08 Location: ohio |
Seriously, the fees are just made up. There is no reason for them since the exchange rates are known and it is all electric anyway. They used to do it back in the day because there actually was a person exchanging the cash and they needed paid. There is no one doing that when we buy something online. This is exactly the same as the "luxury" tax we pay on tires. Yes, having rubber tires on your car is considered a luxury. Way back in the day having rubber tires was actually a luxury and thus was taxed, and since governments do not like to give up sources of revenue...we still pay a luxury tax on what most consider a necessity. Bottom line, these charges are not needed, they cost the bank/credit card nothing, and they are a rip off. "For example, badandy400 has taken it upon himself to become the one man Library of Congress for porn with a collection that surely will be in Guinness Book of World Records some day." ~Toadsith~ PU Interview | |
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| 06-02-11 08:28pm - 4952 days | #18 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I've seen movies where someone shoots the tires of a car, and the car keeps driving, even when the rubber comes off the wheel. Then there's sparks and noise when the rubberless tire hits the road. It's exciting to watch, but I would rather pay the luxury tax to have rubber on my tires. I believe it's probably safer and less noisy. Some taxes or fees are difficult to avoid, even if you don't like paying tax. I think the income tax was put into effect as a temporary measure back in the 1800s to support the Civil War. The federal government liked it so much, that after the income tax was eliminated, they brought it back as a temporary measure, and then in the early 1900s made it permanent. Taxes and fees that are temporary have a habit of lasting much longer than the original timeline proposed. | |
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| 06-03-11 09:58am - 4951 days | #19 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
That was my initial thought as well, badandy, that's why the thought of an exchange fee never occurred to me until it was brought up. | |
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