[jaws-uk] Re: S M A's
- From: "keith" <keith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 18:39:48 -0000
Dear George,
Thank you, again, for your reply.
Let me please make something completely clear here, as, after reading your
message, I re-read my own, and mine was rather misleading.
Freedom Scientific write to me, as I'm sure they do, to all who have
requested notification of a new newsletter.
I followed the link to their site, and downloaded the newsletter.
One of the items - number 5 - in this concerned the S M A.
I will copy below what is actually said in that newsletter re the S M A:
Start the New Year with a Renewed S M A
This is a reminder that time is running short for JAWS users to take
advantage of discounted pricing for renewing a JAWS Software Maintenance
Agreement (SMA). An SMA entitles you to receive the next two consecutive
major JAWS upgrades at no additional charge from the time of purchase.
If your SMA expired with the release of JAWS 7.0, contact Freedom Scientific
by December 31st, and renew your SMA for the special price of $120 for JAWS
Standard or $200 for JAWS Professional. At the beginning of the new year,
the SMA renewal price will increase to $180 for JAWS Standard or $260 for
JAWS Professional, so act quickly!
To renew your SMA, please contact Freedom Scientific Sales at 800-444-4443
or 727-803-8000.
It appears that this item is written for the US market, as obviously we
can't ring that telephone number over here.
I do feel that FS would have been better to include something on the lines
of:
"This price only applies to residents of the US".
Presumably residents of the US buy direct from FS, and don't go through an
intermediary?
George, I parted with my £125, not exactly quite happily, but quite willing
to do so, believing that to be the actual cost.
It's only since I read the above that I have become thoroughly dissatisfied
and rather disillusioned.
I will say no more on the subject, but thoroughly understand all that you
have said.
With best wishes,
Keith
-----Original Message-----
From: jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of George Bell
Sent: 23 December 2005 16:07
To: jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [jaws-uk] Re: S M A's
Hi Keith,
If Freedom Scientific sent you an e-mail direct, as a U.K.
JAWS user, then I am more than a bit surprised. I'm sure
wrists will be slapped somewhere.
But that aside, yes. You could potentially get your SMA for
whatever was quoted.
However, was there any small print about shipping costs
abroad being added? Because sure as eggs are eggs, it will.
Was there anything mentioned about the fact that YOU would
have to deal with Customs and Excise in order to reclaim
your VAT, BEFORE you received the goods? Because again,
sure as eggs are eggs, you will have to deal with it.
Not to mention the delays caused by all this.
Keith, please understand that I'm not in any way trying to
defend the price S&S have given you, but I do have 20 years
or more experience of bringing in other products in from
outside the E.C. such as America, New Zealand and Australia.
I have fought with VAT people, and made myself very
unpopular as a result, and not just with the VAT man. It
recently took me over SIX WEEKS to clear an import with
Royal Mail. And, to add insult to injury, I was charged a
standard £25 import clearance charge -- on top of Duty and
VAT!
And I will re-phrase what I said earlier. I am very much on
your side as regards the Dollar-Pound situation. But
looking at the costings involved here, it may appear as
though you are being ripped off, but when you get down to
the ACTUAL costings, nothing could be further from the
truth.
George.
-----Original Message-----
From: jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of keith
Sent: 23 December 2005 15:20
To: jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [jaws-uk] Re: S M A's
Dear George,
Thank you for your explanation, but I'm afraid I believe we
are being ripped off in this country.
I take your point over CD's. We do, however, using the
Internet, have the option to buy these through companies
such as Amazon.
Why, please, was I sent a message from FS, inviting me to
download their newsletter, which should, I would have
thought, apply to ALL Jaws users, inviting me to purchase a
new S M A for $120?
Who please fixes the price of £125 for us to pay over here?
I appreciate there are import costs, but as regards VAT, we
as blind users don't pay this, and I signed a form giving me
exemption. So surely the company can claim this back, if
they have to pay it in the first place.
So, taking into account the costs of importing, and the cost
of reclaiming the VAT, how, please, can a charge of £125 be
justified compared to a dollar price of £120?
Blind people, generally speaking the world over, do not have
the opportunities to earn salaries that our sighted
colleagues can command. And I, for one, am retired, and
living on a pension.
Finally, I was told this morning by S&S that if I went
straight to Freedom Scientific to purchase an S M A, I would
be referred back to S&S.
So it looks as if I would have no option but to pay the
quite iniquitous sum of £125.
I'm still awaiting a call back from S&S.
With very best wishes,
Keith
-----Original Message-----
From: jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of George
Bell
Sent: 23 December 2005 12:02
To: jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [jaws-uk] Re: S M A's
This is not an unusual situation by any means where American
products are concerned, and mostly reflects the state of the
American economy right now.
I have the same situation right now in relation to the
Cakewalk Sonar software which many of you use. In the
States, it is advertised at $299, while here in the U.K. it
costs around $400, or £229.
Just look at the price of CDs here compared to the States,
where they are half the price.
But then companies like ourselves cannot "sneak under the
wire" with importing goods from abroad. We do have to pay
freight, and before it even gets out of the Customs shed, we
have to part with 17.5% VAT, not to mention Customs Duty of
5% or even higher for electronic goods.
As many of you who have known me for some time know, I have
fought the Dollar - Pound war for a very long time. I won't
go into the cost analysis here, but please be assured that
in this case, were you all to start dealing directly with
the States for SMA's, within 12 months, you'd all be begging
for control to return to the U.K.
George.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:jaws-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of keith
> Sent: 23 December 2005 11:22
> To: Jaws Group
> Subject: [jaws-uk] S M A's
>
> Dear All,
>
> Jaws 7, with XP Home.
>
> I wonder if anyone, like me, has read the latest FS
newsletter?
>
> One of the items in that newsletter concerns taking out a
new
> S M A. If the user is using version 7.0, and buys an S M A
by
> 31 December, they can purchase it at a special price of
$120.
> After 31 December, the price will go up to $180.
>
> I was invited in November by S&S to take out a new S M A,
in
> the princely sum of £125, which had to be renewed by, I
think, 12
> December.
>
> I duly paid this sum on 30 November.
>
> Consider my surprise, therefore, to read in the newsletter
of
> the dollar price. At a mid-rate of $1.7390 to the pound,
this
> equates to roughly £69.
>
> I rang S&S this morning to enquire the position. The
person I
> spoke to knew nothing of this dollar price, but said it
probably
> applied to America. I pointed out that FS
supplied
> products worldwide, and would he please get in touch with
FS,
> and then ring me. I await a phone call.
>
> I'd be interested to read what others think.
>
> With best wishes,
>
> Keith
>
>
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