PrimeABGB sold RAM above MRP

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I wanted to upgrade my laptop RAM and hence was searching through past threads for info. Came across this post and decided to buy GSkill 4GB mobule from PrimeABGB.

Prime is pretty popular here on TE and hence ordered it without second thought. Luckily, there was some offer on their site which got me free shipping (I live in pune). The price of RAM was Rs.1300 and adding Rs. 0 as shipping charges, the total was Rs. 1300.

At the payment page I was notified that their Credit card payment getway was down for some reason. Since the shipping offer was valid only on that day, I went ahead and ordered anyways and paid via NEFT after couple of days. Also mentioned my TE user ID in the comment section in my order.

The service was prompt and I received the package on next evening. But to my surprise, I was charged Rs. 187 as octroi. Normally octroi is around 4-5% of invoice amount - which in this case should not have exceeded Rs. 65-70. But since I was not home my mom took the delivery and paid the amount as the courier guy gave proper challan.

When I reached home, I checked the package and 2 things surprised me -

1. The MRP was Rs. 1255 (Date if import Dec. 2011)

2. The PMC octroi receipt clearly stated amount Rs. 76 as octroi. But the FedEx "Door Delivery Challan" had Invoice value as Rs. 1400 and The Rs. 187 octroi break-up was given as - Octroi amount = 76, Service Charges = 100 and Service tax = 11.

So in short, Prime sold me a product for Rs. 45 above its MRP
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AND

indirectly charged me Rs. 100 as shipping charges when clearly their website stated that shipping was free.

So I mailed all this to them on Wed (18/01/2012) and sent a reminder on Friday (20/01) but haven't heard back from them. This is really unprofessional behavior from their side.

Thank god I ordered only a RAM module and learned my lession. I would definitely not buy anything from them ever again and advise the same to my friends and relatives.
 
The Rs. 100 service charge (plus ST) would have been billed by FedEx. Same happened with me and the delivery guy clarified that the amount was in lieu of their service in clearing the goods through the Octroi point. And this amount, they bill the customer/package reciever. I had requested Prime after that to use other service providers for shipping their orders to Octroi-bound places as this service charge makes smaller purchases unviable. However, did not recieve any response from them regarding that. People who buy from Prime and reside in Octroi-levied areas should clarify the shipping service provider before placing the order.
 
Regarding Octroi, I have seen many irregularties for past few days. I bought a mobile for 12800 but Octroi was charged on 15K. The bill clearly mentions the price still they charged on 15k.

One more incident is when I got Razer DA mouse(RMA'ed), the bill clearly mentions the price as one rupee and total commercial value as 500. The octroi was charged on 1000.

OP,

In your case I believe 100/- service tax charged by Fedex for octroi clearance.
 
@eternoMind

Thanks for the info....didn't know that! Wow, so FedEx is the culprit here.

@vivacious_tg

Yeah, even I have seen irregularities in octroi...but this was way too outrageous so thought Prime was responsible...never knew courier services charge so much for clearing the item through octroi

@cricfan

This is what you get when you leave PC unattended and friends are bored
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1. RAM Prices can fluctuate quite rapidly, so there is no guarantee that MRP is 1255/- when you bought it

2. Even if Prime is offering free shipping it does not mean that they themselves are not pay shipping changes. They do pay shipping charges and it would be more than a mere 45/-.

3. Octoi charges are always borne by the customer. In your case, FedFx cleared got the item cleared from the Octoi check post and charged you an additional 100Rs and taxes over and above the octroi changes for the service rendered.
 
Lord Nemesis said:
1. RAM Prices can fluctuate quite rapidly, so there is no guarantee that MRP is 1255/- when you bought it

Why should I care what current RAM price is when the package states a particular MRP? Logically, they must be setting the MRP taking into consideration these fluctuations in prices so this should not matter

2. Even if Prime is offering free shipping it does not mean that they themselves are not pay shipping changes. They do pay shipping charges and it would be more than a mere 45/-.

Agree. But when Prime states that shipping is free, it does not matter if it costs Rs. 45 or 450. It's their problem. Anyways, eternoMind explained that FedEx must have charged this so it's not an issue with Prime now

3. Octoi charges are always borne by the customer. In your case, FedFx cleared got the item cleared from the Octoi check post and charged you an additional 100Rs and taxes over and above the octroi changes for the service rendered.

Agree.
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I have bought many stuff from outside pune. But this is something new I am hearing that Rs.100 is being charged for clearance. I guess the culprit here is Fed Ex. One advice to everyone, please when the item you are purchasing is bought is used in nature or RMA'ed. Please ask the persons concerned to mention it as "Not for Sale" item and Value to be "NIL". In case the courier person insists on you, quote a lesser price. I have never paid Octroi on my purchases being used/RMA'ed in nature.
 
My experience with them sucked too. They used some no-name courier despite that being my first question before I placed my order. They courier billed me for the shipping charges despite already having paid the amount to PrimeABGB. Upon raising a ticket they told me DTDC did not operate in Hyderabad.
 
>>>> Why should I care what current RAM price is when the package states a particular MRP? Logically, they must be setting the MRP taking into consideration these fluctuations in prices so this should not matter

You may not care, but you cannot do anything about it either. Packaging may have stale price tags or may go stale after a while. In such cases, its the current MRP indications from the importer/manufacturer that count. For instance around the year 2000 there was a time when there were massive fluctuation in RAM prices due to an earthquake in Taiwan. On one day, the prices was like 1200/- mark and a week or two later it was hovering around the 6000/- mark for the same RAM. There was huge shortage. You cannot expect them to sell it for same prices just because the MRP on the box on the day they imported said 1500/-. MRP's changed and the street prices too changed.

>>>Agree. But when Prime states that shipping is free, it does not matter if it costs Rs. 45 or 450. It's their problem. Anyways, eternoMind explained that FedEx must have charged this so it's not an issue with Prime now

True, but the point again is that that there is nothing you can do about it since they are not in the wrong. They may sell you an item for 1300 shipped, but in their books they will show the break up as 1150/- for item + 150/- towards shipping which means their price is still under the printed MRP and they will not be in the wrong.
 
MRP means "Maximum Retail Price". No retailer can charge above what is printed on the MRP sticker. The MRP rate is to help us as a buyer to identify the price of the item which is constant everywhere.

While it is understandable that in the PC hardware market the prices fluctuate a lot, I have never seen a product being sold above MRP. The products that I have bought have over inflated MRP from the importers and I usually get the item at the actual market price which is 30-40% less than the MRP.

We as buyers are not supposed to understand the market dynamics which affect the pricing. If someone is charging above MRP, you have a right to complain.
 
@Lord

I completely agree with you. The hardware prices fluctuate a lot and the the example that you gave was quite extreme. In such cases we can understand (although still not right) an item being sold above MRP.

But as pr0ing pointed out, the MRP is almost always inflated considering all these fluctuations (at least that is what I think). Also the date of import was not that old. I don't think in last month there has been any major fluctuation in RAM price.

And leaving aside all these points, MRP is called Maximum Retail Price for a reason. I am using Computers for last ~15 years and have never in my life seen anyone selling any hardware part above MRP.

And regarding shipping, the funny thing is, invoice states RAM price as 1300. So it is above MRP. I am not fighting about shipping charges coz that is FedEx issue. It's not even about the extra Rs. 45. It's about selling an item above MRP and then failing to respond to my complaint.

There is no logical justification for selling anything above MRP.
 
pr0ing said:
MRP means "Maximum Retail Price". No retailer can charge above what is printed on the MRP sticker. The MRP rate is to help us as a buyer to identify the price of the item which is constant everywhere.
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As you said MRP is Maximum Retail price which is a price indicator put by the Manufacturer/Importer of the product. A retailer cannot charge more than the MRP, but a manufacturer/importer can always change it based on the market conditions even for his existing stock since he is the one deciding the price. The understanding is that the retailer would not be able to charge more than the price set by the importer/manufacturer, not that the manufacturer/importer himself cannot change it.

RVK2488 said:
And regarding shipping, the funny thing is, invoice states RAM price as 1300. So it is above MRP. I am not fighting about shipping charges coz that is FedEx issue. It's not even about the extra Rs. 45. It's about selling an item above MRP and then failing to respond to my complaint.
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Does the invoice also show a break down of the mandatory Sales Tax/VAT and shipping charges separate from the price of 1300/-, if not, then it is assumed that all those things are part of the final price of 1300/- and the actual retail price of the product is much lower which they would show in their own books. Do note that the Octoroi and FedEx Service changes do not count as shipping charges. I don't think there is any legally chargeable irregularity here. The only issue I see is not getting any feedback from them when you mailed which is quite common with them. I have rarely got replies to email as far as Prime is concerned. You can try calling them on phone getting things clarified.
 
I think you are being overcharged. Irrespective of whether the price has changed or not in the street, the shop cannot sell above the MRP. Else, there is no point in having the MRP tag. Also, usually, the items MRP is 2.5K while the item is sold for 275 or less ( in case of memory cards!)

This brings an interesting point to the table. What is the MRP on the HDD's? Has anyone been charged over the MRP with the recent spurt in HDD rates.
 
Regardless current price i guess one should not charge higher than MRP cause the stock will be of the older lot and was obtained at a lower price , the price hike should be for the new stock .
 
@vivek.krishnan, @sukant

Exactly, there is no valid reason for selling anything above MRP.

And when I saw the MRP, I was initially shocked to see such a low MRP. Normally we expect ~2200-2500 MRP for something which you buy @1300. But this was unique situation....

Anyways, this thread helped me realize that -

1. FedEx a$$holes charge ridiculous amount for octroi clearance

2. PrimeABGB does not reply to customer emails once the transaction is complete
 
Rather they do not read mails
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... Call them..FIre them... You will get your answer ....

And just think what if each dealer or seller sells a product strictly by MRP...
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I guess the recent fluctuations in prices must have made them to sell above MRP... Agree its absolutely wrong..

Suggest you to call them and solve the issue...
 
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