Lucky Enough To Get An Email Back

[Paradox]

How does this ordering really works, I got an order number and am sure that I payed for my order last week.

I did not receive any kind of confirmation after I payed. I did not use google checkout but bank transfer.

After mailing I got a reply that they received my payment but that is it.

You've got an order number, and an email that they received your payment. What more confirmation do you need?

I guess you are right... The fact remains that given the uncertain nature of the product, the sellers can do a little more to assure you. I had to ask myself if everything was in order. More than 300 euros is a lot of money !

indeed the whole process seems very shaky and almost as if you could pay and then your order would be lost or something and you'd never get a pandora.

 

[Tokiopop]

My dad thinks it's a big scam Heheheh.

 

[bzar]

My dad thinks it's a big scam Heheheh.

This reminds me, remember to smugly inform the people who claim this is a scam that it was not when the pandoras start to ship. This will gain you free "this guy knows where his towel lies" points

 

[Mofokubik]

edit-issue resolved

 

[WizardStan]

That probably was a courtesy call from your credit card, if they already knew the purchases and you just had to say yes. Certain transactions set off warning bells, such as suddenly buying a high ticket item from a foreign country. When that happens, they call you to make sure it was ok before allowing the transaction to complete, otherwise they could be liable to refund any such invalid transaction. I wouldn't be too worried about fraud alerts. There's ALWAYS a fraud alert
Send an email to OpenPandora and ask if they received it, and if not, ask that they be patient, and give it a day before trying again or anything like that. Don't want to accidentally pay twice.

 

[Paradox]

I got an email back, told them i'd like the pandora+tv out cable+case, and I havn't had a reply with any instructions since then on what to do

 

[Prometheus]

and the gp2x came with a nice soft velvet carrying bag

Do pardon me for asking and for being a bit off-topic, please, but may I just ask where you got your GP2X from? I'm just curious, as neither my First Edition one or its replacement when it bricked itself, came with any sort of carrying bag.

 

[Tokiopop]

Made the payment earlier, all I have left to do now is wait like the rest of you

 

[CCmachined]

£266? That's gone up a tad, it was £200 originally and £230 recently...

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=hp&q=330+USD+in+GBP&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=330+USD+in+GBP&fp=47ea12a4a5b96571

According to google $330 is £200, so huh? If there's 15% VAT on top of the £200, that makes it only £230

 

[Paradox]

£266? That's gone up a tad, it was £200 originally and £230 recently...

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=hp&q=330+USD+in+GBP&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=330+USD+in+GBP&fp=47ea12a4a5b96571

According to google $330 is £200, so huh? If there's 15% VAT on top of the £200, that makes it only £230

if you add up the cost of each accessory it comes to £58, £68 with the 'dev fund' thing, is it possible that £266 is including all those things or something? or is the base unit really that much now?

i'm not getting any replies to my emails :/ you'd think when someone wants to give you money you'd make it easier for them to do so

 

[WizardStan]

if you add up the cost of each accessory it comes to £58, £68 with the 'dev fund' thing, is it possible that £266 is including all those things or something? or is the base unit really that much now?

i'm not getting any replies to my emails :/ you'd think when someone wants to give you money you'd make it easier for them to do so

The reason for the cost difference is that OP paid for everything sometime around April or March, when the USD was a lot weaker against the GBP. They had to trade their GBP to USD at this inflated rate, and that rate is being passed onto you, even though it is now 6 months later.
It was either that, or lose an additional £30 per console.

 

[Dead1nside]

The reason for the cost difference is that OP paid for everything sometime around April or March, when the USD was a lot weaker against the GBP. They had to trade their GBP to USD at this inflated rate, and that rate is being passed onto you, even though it is now 6 months later.
It was either that, or lose an additional £30 per console.

It still doesn't make sense to me, I've posted on this a few times before.

I can't escape the feeling that we're propping up some of the holes in the original pricing of the device. I am paying £266 for the Pandora unit alone and as you say, even including VAT it's only around £230. I wasn't allowed to pay in USD, which would've made it a lot simpler for both sides I think if they're doing all their purchasing in USD now then they wouldn't have been vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations.

EDIT: Here are the list of UK prices I was quoted. (It's still great value even if UK buyers this late in the day have to pay extra)

> UK GBP PRICE
>
> >> Pandora £266.20 (includes VAT)
>
> >> Accessories
> >> TV OUT £13.72
> >> CARRY CASE £13.72
> >> BATTERY £19.88
> >> POWER ADAPTOR £6.30
> >> Stylus £4.38
> >> Dev Fund £10
>
> >> Special Delivery shipping £7.20 (UK)

 

[WizardStan]

It still doesn't make sense to me, I've posted on this a few times before.

I can't escape the feeling that we're propping up some of the holes in the original pricing of the device. I am paying £266 for the Pandora unit alone and as you say, even including VAT it's only around £230. I wasn't allowed to pay in USD, which would've made it a lot simpler for both sides I think if they're doing all their purchasing in USD now then they wouldn't have been vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations.

But they didn't pay directly in USD. They paid in GBP which was converted to USD. If you paid in USD, that would have to be converted back to GBP anyway.
Think of it like this: many months ago, they bought something for 230GBP, knowing that you (or someone else) would want it. Today, they are ready to give it to you for the same price they payed for it, 230GBP. When they first bought it, 230GBP was 330USD, but today it is not. If they accepted the 330USD, they would be losing more money.
It's a bit of misdirection to say "it costs 330USD", but if you had bought in when preorders first opened, that's how much it would have cost you, because that's how much it cost everyone else. The next batch will be purchased in USD (converted from GBP) when the time is right, and they'll once again charge 330USD (actually, I think they're increasing to 340 to cover other loses), and the second batchers will be expected to pay whatever that is in GBP at the time. It may be 200. It may be 230. It may be 100 for all we know. Money markets fluctuate, and some months they can swing wildly, especially the USD recently. We won't know for sure until they go to pay for the new parts, at which point that's when the price will be set. Like with first batch, if you preorder at the same time, you will pay X GBP, which will be 340USD. If you don't order right away, wait a couple of months, the exchange rate could change again, meaning you will still pay X GBP, but it will no longer be 340USD. It may go up, it may go down, but odds are it will be different.

 

[Dead1nside]

But they didn't pay directly in USD. They paid in GBP which was converted to USD. If you paid in USD, that would have to be converted back to GBP anyway.
Think of it like this: many months ago, they bought something for 230GBP, knowing that you (or someone else) would want it. Today, they are ready to give it to you for the same price they payed for it, 230GBP. When they first bought it, 230GBP was 330USD, but today it is not. If they accepted the 330USD, they would be losing more money.
It's a bit of misdirection to say "it costs 330USD", but if you had bought in when preorders first opened, that's how much it would have cost you, because that's how much it cost everyone else. The next batch will be purchased in USD (converted from GBP) when the time is right, and they'll once again charge 330USD (actually, I think they're increasing to 340 to cover other loses), and the second batchers will be expected to pay whatever that is in GBP at the time. It may be 200. It may be 230. It may be 100 for all we know. Money markets fluctuate, and some months they can swing wildly, especially the USD recently. We won't know for sure until they go to pay for the new parts, at which point that's when the price will be set. Like with first batch, if you preorder at the same time, you will pay X GBP, which will be 340USD. If you don't order right away, wait a couple of months, the exchange rate could change again, meaning you will still pay X GBP, but it will no longer be 340USD. It may go up, it may go down, but odds are it will be different.

So all orders were taken in GBP initially? I remember they did switch to USD at some point, a long while back, before Jan 09 if I remember correctly.

I understand that the exchange rate fluctuated but now the GBP is quite strong against the USD again, $330 being around £200 again. So why do I still have to pay more? If a lot of people paid before Christmas then the exchange rate started dropping then it wouldn't have mattered if it had already been converted into USD. It also means that everyone who paid a fix amount then perhaps shouldn't have and the late preorders are left with the consequences. In principle I don't mind paying more, I understand that I'm also at the tail end of the orders and that many people have had their money in for a year now. What I still can't get my head around is why it's almost $100 dollars for me more than it is for anyone else. I've not heard of an artificial increase on the Euro, just on GBP.

Why couldn't I have paid in USD? If most currencies including the USD and GBP were falling, then why wasn't payment kept in GBP which held up a bit better?

I've already gone on about this a lot in another thread and I don't want to seem like I'm moaning because I'm at peace with paying a little more I just still don't think something's right here. I wouldn't even mind being told that I have to pay more because of all the problems with Paypal, allowing preorderers to reorder at the same price, for the fluctuating currency. I'd just like it laid out clearly for me, preferably by someone who definitely knows all the answers.

 

[Paradox]

I don't see why the price is changing just because the rates change. £200 is £200 to the person paying it whether or not the rates are up or down, they don't get paid any more or any less from their job, so why is the cost of the unit increasing

 

[WizardStan]

So all orders were taken in GBP initially? I remember they did switch to USD at some point, a long while back, before Jan 09 if I remember correctly.

OpenPandora is in the UK. Their bank is in the UK. All their funds are in GBP. To buy something, they first needed to convert the GBP that they have into USD. That was many months ago, at one exchange rate. You are repaying them in the GBP that it cost them initially. It doesn't matter what the rate is TODAY, you are being charge the GBP that it cost when they first bought the parts

Why couldn't I have paid in USD? If most currencies including the USD and GBP were falling, then why wasn't payment kept in GBP which held up a bit better?

Why? You convert your 260GBP into 427USD, send it to OpenPandora, who then convert it back to 260GBP. Why do you want to make the process so confusing? I'm assuming that, since you're in the UK, you have a simpler process of obtaining GBP than someone in North America does, so correct me if I'm wrong there. Either way, an exchange into GBP has to take place somewhere, and any business will expect it to be the customers responsibility. Do you walk into a grocery store and expect them to take US currency?

I've already gone on about this a lot in another thread and I don't want to seem like I'm moaning because I'm at peace with paying a little more I just still don't think something's right here. I wouldn't even mind being told that I have to pay more because of all the problems with Paypal, allowing preorderers to reorder at the same price, for the fluctuating currency. I'd just like it laid out clearly for me, preferably by someone who definitely knows all the answers.

You aren't paying more though, not exactly. You are paying right now (in GBP) basically what everyone else paid back at the start of the year (in GBP). The fact that the USD rate has changed is a red herring and you shouldn't expect that to effect the price you are paying. For the record, my final price was 227GBP, but I'm in Canada so didn't have to pay the VAT. Don't think I'm getting away with paying less, though. I'll probably get dinged by customs when it crosses the border.

 

[Enverex]

I think the argument is that if it's a UK company, why is the price on the front of the site still $330 and then when anyone in the UK tries to buy one, they are told it is £260 which is no-where near $330. That is people's (and my) main gripe right now.

 

[Dead1nside]

You aren't paying more though, not exactly. You are paying right now (in GBP) basically what everyone else paid back at the start of the year (in GBP). The fact that the USD rate has changed is a red herring and you shouldn't expect that to effect the price you are paying. For the record, my final price was 227GBP, but I'm in Canada so didn't have to pay the VAT. Don't think I'm getting away with paying less, though. I'll probably get dinged by customs when it crosses the border.

But I am, as you just said: I've paid £266 and you paid £227. This isn't inflation. The problem is that business doesn't work like that, you don't get to set your own exchange rate. If the actual price has increased now due to any reason, just up the price. If it's a UK company why is everything in USD now? I asked if I could perhaps pay in USD if that would be easier for both parties, since that's the currency they've chosen to deal with then it'd solve my issue and their issue. Since it'd never have to change out of USD and I could just pay $330 + 15% VAT for being in the UK.

As I said they switched, to my knowledge, from accepting everything in GBP to USD, which they wouldn't be allowed to do as a UK company according to you. Yet they won't allow me to pay in USD.

You haven't told me anything that didn't already sound confusing enough and I'm really not trying to aggravate anyone - I just still don't understand and I'm beginning to sound like a broken record.

Isn't there also an OpenPandora GmbH or something like that, which I believe is a US company?

Edit: Sorry, I just re-read your post, you said their bank is in the UK.

 

[WizardStan]

But I am, as you just said: I've paid £266 and you paid £227.

Read the rest of what I said: you paid VAT, I did not. 227 * 1.15 = 261. Not exactly what you would pay, but there was some fluctuation not being accounted for at the start. After they ordered everything, they fixed the rate.

As I said they switched, to my knowledge, from accepting everything in GBP to USD, which they wouldn't be allowed to do as a UK company according to you. Yet they won't allow me to pay in USD.

They haven't switched. They've always accepted payment in GBP only. All cheques had to be converted to GBP, all transfers were in GBP. Google checkout receipts have all been in GBP. Always (more or less) the same GBP.

Let's start with basics, because from your responses I don't know how much you actually know or understand.
OpenPandora is a UK company. They have members in the UK, Germany, Canada... somewhere else... but it is based in the UK. They have a UK bank full of GBP monies.
They bought parts and services from various places outside the UK, in currencies different from GBP. For the sake of example, I will assume they are literally making zero profit on this batch. In such a case, the total cost divided by 4000 was 330 USD per console. When converted to local currency (because they didn't pay in USD, they paid in GBP which was then converted to USD), it cost them 231 GBP per console.
Now, many months later, the exchange rates have changed, but it still cost them 231 GBP per console to make. Therefore, they must charge YOU 231 GBP per console. Since you're in the UK, you're also getting dinged with VAT for an additional 35 GBP, total 266 GBP.
When they do a second batch, it will again cost 330 USD, but depending on when they actually pay for the parts will determine exactly how much it will be in GBP.
Why are they paying in USD, you may be asking? Because TI and the assembly factory are in the US. You have to pay OpenPandora in GBP (because they're a UK company) in the same way that OpenPandora has to pay TI (a US company) in USD.
Is this making more sense yet?

 

[samuraicrow]

Isn't there also an OpenPandora GmbH or something like that, which I believe is a US company?

Edit: Sorry, I just re-read your post, you said their bank is in the UK.

GmbH is a German legal term. If it were an American company it would have been OpenPandora LLC. OpenPandora GmbH is EvilDragon's distributorship in Germany.