DISQUS

Ian · 3 years ago

caveat emptor mate - always check the prices somewhere else!

ric · 3 years ago

I have had similar experiences. I travel three or four times a year and noticed the same sort of price hike. On one occasion I had a standard review mag for cameras and was price comparing when the manager came up and told me I was not allowed to do that! For good reason.
On another occasion I bought a lap top. I was reasonably familier with the price of this model and unusually the price in the duty free shop was good. Only when comparing the spec with the manufacturers website that it became obvious that the duty free shop had bought a cut down version of the lap top, i.e. it did not have the same memory, hard drive size etc. I NEVER buy from the duty free electonic shops at major airports any more. It is not confined to the UK. Even famous middle East stop off duty free shops are onto the same scam. Do it over the internet.

Gary · 3 years ago

I wouldn't really call it a scam. Tax is just one component of the cost, and airports will charge a premium rent over the average high street. High street outlets are more geared to the potential of comparative shopping, where there's three or four outlets within a two minute stroll.
Airport shops are like motorway service stations. You buy there because you are there, not because of the price or quality of what you are getting.
The 'we beat prices' is always dubious. You really need to match on manufacturer/model etc. No-one is going to sell a high end Sony stereo for the price of a cheap chinese import. Its better for consumables where there's a liklihood of the stores actually stocking the same product.

Denatra · 3 years ago

The notion of tax-free is somewhat dubious when you buy from places like dixons. What they sell there has supposedly been made free of tax, but dixons kept the tax on so they can pocket it themselves! The way to play the tax-free game is to actually export goods yourself from country A to country B and hand-in the tax-free form at the customs. For example, Bristol Cameras (www.bristolcameras.co.uk) give you an option to get such a form from them with your purchase (admittedly, as we live in rip-off Britain, they charge 7.50 for something that should basically be free). But at least they give this option in the checkout.

At any rate, don't buy anything from stores like Dixons that are supposedly 'tax-free' - you ARE paying the taxes, it's just Dixons taking them instead of the government

Alex · 3 years ago

We are going on holiday in about a week and so decided to buy a new digital camcorder while at the airport in the tax free dixons shop. so i looked up the price on the internet and found one at about £500.

out of interest i looked for the same one on Amazon.

it was £400.

gee, i wonder where i will be buying one?

Paul · 3 years ago

Ah yes, What Dixons generally state is that they are discounted the Recommended retail price ie the listed price less 17.5%.

But of course many other companies will sell well below the RRP. But dont forget to an in any P&P when comparing prices as some companies rely on the P&P to make a profit !!! and are actually selling very close to thier trade price. They make thier profits by negotiating very high volumes often AFTER you have placed your order.

However if you really want to save got to US, Germany or Asia and you will save a LOT more than the odd 10-20%. Or Use Ebay (withcare) and you can get things at silly prices with a bit of savvy

Peter Brown · 3 years ago

I got ripped off by Dixons Tax Free Store in May 2006
I bought a pair of very expensive Phillips noise cancelling head phones in the airport Heathrow, returned them within the 30 day trial period and never received a refund !

sam · 3 years ago

I was thinking about buying a diital camera at gatwick airport from Dixons but lookin at everyones comments I think I should buy this before I get to the airport as it could be cheaper. If anyone has had any experience purchasing DC can you post your comments on there.

Steve · 3 years ago

I recently bought a Macbook laptop at Dixons Tax free. Saved myself £150! compared to High St retailers and Apple Shop.

andyp · 2 years ago

Did you ever get a response to the email? I'm intrigued. The answer is to carry an internet-capable phone or other device and compare the prices on the spot. I don't have one, so I always have to remember to look prices up on the net when I get home...

RichardG · 2 years ago

While I do agree in the main, Dixons amazingly do have some things that are good deals. I was in T1 at Heathrow a couple of weeks back and was stunned to see they had a Nikon D200 for £740... The cheapest online price i'd seen anywhere in UK, internet of course, was £852 and most retailers selling between £880 and £1100 - so pretty good. But their memory cards were a massive rip off at over three times what youd pay online (DABS for example). If you know what you want and how much it should cost, sometimes you can get a good deal.

Mark Rittman · 2 years ago

One useful feature of Dixons tax-free is when you buy Apple hardware, which generally isn't discounted anywhere (Apple regulations).

I recently bought a Macbook Pro at Dixons at Gatwick, got the VAT off (actually is was an airport-only discount, as they can't not charge VAT), but then, as it's for my business, I could claim VAT off this lower amount. Took the price of a £1700 Macbook Pro down to about £1200 (2 x 17.5% discount, effectively)

Michael Dembinski · 2 years ago

I share Richard G's experience. I bought a Nikon D80 + 18-135mm lens kit for £627 - a stunning price - over £200 less than the cheapest online price here in Poland. However, the memory card prices was an outrage - they wanted £58 for a 2GM Sandisk - I bought mine in Warsaw for a little over £20.

Wigg · 2 years ago

Was going to but a Sony camera at Dixon's, Heathrow T1, was £280. Have just looked on ebuyer to find it for £222. I think I'll bypass Dixon's and have a latte instead

Maureen Sheasby · 2 years ago

I brought laptops from Dixons Tax Free for my reps and the price is tax free and because of the law I was also able to claim my V.A.T back as well as I was traveling inside the EU and I have also purchase a number of other products from the store as well. I am nobody's fool and I do my research before entering these shops and I will have to say that the staff at the eastmidlands store are the most helpful and knowledgable shop assistants that I have noticed where people are buying a pack of batteries or 5 laptops. I will contiune to shop at Dixons Tax Free and I can only say to the people that if they did see such items marked up at different prices then they should have asked for the sales staff to check the internet for yo which they do and then they match the price so whats the need for complaining. Brought a sony N2 for £250.00 when the internets cheapest was from amazon.co.uk for £295.00 I saved £45.00 on that purchase alone and had the pleaseure of knowing that if I had a problem with it I could have taken it to my local shops not like the internet I've had your money and no I won't help you know !!!

david Naish · 2 years ago

I have just phoned up and checked the price as I am flying this saturday and they are quoting £5 cheaper than Amazon for an Olympus mju 790 so as long as the assitant wasn't lying I will save a fiver! They will also reserve it if I have my flight details. How helpful is that?

Chris · 2 years ago

I looked at a Sony DSC t100 digital camea at Dixons Gatwick before flying out to the US. The price was 178 pounds. I decided to leave it and buy in the US. The best price I got in the US from a store was $399 plus tax. I would have saved if I bought it at Dixons Gatwick.

And I would have had a UK guarantee! Sometimes they do have good deals. You need to check though.

Jethro · 2 years ago

Dixons is generally a similar price or more for the majority of the products that ive noticed at the duty free store, however i was greatly shocked when noticing that there Apple products are genuinly alot cheaper, for instance a the time i was looking into purchasing a macbook and it is very hard to find them for sale at much less than the retail price whilst at dixons they are near on £150 cheaper as Steve said, i noticed that all there other products were genuinly the high street price minus tax so im set to purchase myself my laptop on my next trip.

Bill · 2 years ago

Dixons are screwing the public and the taxman by trying to pull the woll over people's eyes! They are benchmarking their prices against Curry's high street prices, but although the same item in Currys might be £499 (including VAT), they sell it for the £499 excluding VAT and try to tell you that you are getting a bargain by saving by not paying VAT. All they are doing is increasing their own profit margin! I simply bought some spare batteries there (without VAT) and I noticed at the end of the receipt that they say "Passengers travelling to an airport outside the EU, if you bring these goods back to you on return to the UK you may have to pay tax on them" - mostly in very small print. Nowhere in the store or on their website is their any mention of this.

jay · 2 years ago

Dixons tax free are very expensive & their staff don't know anything, it's as if they get no training. I've asked simple questions to different sales assistants, there is a great deal of inconsistency & sale's quibble. It's much cheaper to ALWAYS buy online, and just look at reviews and have a fair good judgement yourself.

Most of their prices are not justified, when i went shopping their once, they had a nokia charger for £21.27 and in dollars that came to like $45 (for the american customer) and just for a nokia charger !!

ian rush · 2 years ago

When in Gatwick a while back I was looking to purchase a digital camera. Had checked everywhere first and, as usual, the internet was cheapest. However in dixons 'duty free' it was more expensive!! I told them about it and gave them the website I had seen it on, they checked it out there and then. When they saw the camera was indeed cheaper they matched the price. So just make sure you have a web addy and tell them.

Richard Smith · 2 years ago

I needed a Nokia bluetooth model BH-800 and thought great opportunity to buy duty free at Dixons in Manchester Airport. They charged £129.99 with a special duty free discount to £115, I thought that was ok until I was in the carphone warehouse and saw the same thing for £79.99 and then looked online to see it at £39.99. I will never buy another item from so called duty free at Dixons, beware they don't overcharge you. they rob you, infact I would have felt better if the assistant had a mask and a gun when he took my money.

Paul Mallett · 2 years ago

Yes, you have to be careful, but you can still save money. I wanted a new camera, and Dixons had the Canon Ixus 75. I checked on Pricerunner, and Dixons Tax Free was £10 cheaper than anywhere else. OK, that's not the full 17.5%, but it's still cheaper. Beware of accessories though: they wanted nearly £40 for a memory card you could get £20 elsewhere!

Ray Flaherty · 2 years ago

A note to those who are thinking of buying an Apple MacBook at DTF: currently, the models that they have are not the same spec as the ones that Apple have on their website. The savings are good, but you might not be getting the 'absolutely' latest specs/model, only what Dixons have in stock. Just be aware.

pete thompson · 2 years ago

I wrote to Dixons: "I notice that the Dixons web site shows the Nikon D200 (body) at £806.95, but the duty free price is shown as £834.89 (£710.54) so the duty free price is therefore inflated. Could you please advise me as to which is correct."
The reply: "I can advise that the current high street price for the Nikon D200 is £819.87. This is a special
offer price due to the product being end of line in our Currys stores. The Dixons tax free store
price is currently at £710.54. This price is the recommended retail price, minus tax. Special
offers and sale prices in Dixons tax free stores operate separately to Currys high street stores." Ho, Ho.

ptrondina · 2 years ago

Dixons tax free at the airports may seem attractive for Apple products but make sure you're getting what you think you're paying for. I was interested in purchasing a MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.2 ghz which is currently selling at the Apple store for £1299. Dixons tax free at Stansted is selling it for £1105 incl VAT. Sounds great, right? But, upon closer inspection and thorough questioning, I found out the operating system is not the latest v10.5 Leopard but rather the previous Tiger. Purchasing that separately at an Apple store will set you back £85! So be really careful and find out EXACTLY what you get for your money.

Thomas · 2 years ago

ptrondina:

Are you not eligible for the £5.95 shipping charge upgrade to v10.5 leopard you see on the apple web site as your machine was purchased after 1st October 2007 instead of the full price of £85?

Ryan · 1 year ago

Purchased an Ipod nano on way out of London at Dixon in Heathrow in January.Arrived in SA to find it did not work.Still waiting for Apple SA to replace it.E-mailed Dixon's begin January,still had no reply.

Lucy · 1 year ago

I'm flying to Caribbean in one week. Wanted to buy a camcorder on the way there at Gawick. Last weekend I had to make an emergency flight and checked Dixons Tax free and was shocked to find out that the prices started at £195!!! Went online and bought a camcorder from ebuyer for £88.17!!!! ( Dixons high street price £119) So glad I didnt wait till next week!!!

Gareth · 1 year ago

Ryan, if you bought an iPod in England, why would Apple SA fix it? It only has a European warranty. If you had posted it back to the store, they would of replaced it for you, or offered you a refund, AND refunded your postage!!

Lucy, if ANY company tried to sell a camcorder in a tax free store for £88.17 with the margins they get from manufacturers, they would make a loss on each on they sell. What people forget is that every store in an airport has to pay BAA a percentage of its takings directly to them. There has to be a cut off somewhere, and £110 is the realistic cutoff for selling camcorders taxfree.

Bill, you said "Passengers travelling to an airport outside the EU, if you bring these goods back to you on return to the UK you may have to pay tax on them"
To be fair, it is written all over the airport if you look. I should know this, I bloody work at the airport!! You buy anything over £150, and travel outside the EU, you MUST declare it when you get back. It has been like that for nearly 10 years, since the customs rules changed!!
Also, if a high street store of any chain has a special offer on the high street, the airport stores are not legally bound to honour it. Most small prints in newspaper ads actually state the offer is not valid in tax free stores. If the margin on a product gets so low that it would make a loss, they simply remove it from display until the margins are greater, or if they get increased funding from the manufacturer.

At the end of the day, it doesnt hurt to look for bargains. If you want to buy a laptop cheap, get it tax free. The amount of money you would be saving means, you could get a cheap £10 flight to Scotland for example, and STILL make a killing!! Memory cards are expensive. Dem's da breaks!! :D

Pete G · 1 year ago

As I regularly fly from Manchester on business I have plenty of opportunity to do my reaseach on prices before buying from these stores.

In the last 12 months I've bought a top-end fujifilm camera (saving £20 vs the internet). a Roberts radio (half price in DTF saving £35) and a Sandisk media recorder / writer (£70 on internet, £25 in DTF). Total spend £300, total saved = £100.

As with everything you buy, you need to know just how much it should cost, before you choose a particular shop.

Hannah · 1 year ago

I'm trying to find the best price for a Canon 40D (with lens) and was stunned to find Dixon's "tax free" price to be about £100 more than their online price minus VAT. As this is a business purchase I can reclaim VAT but am intrigued by Maureen's post of 17.07.07 saying she can claim VAT back in addition to buying tax free; how does this work exactly?

Chris · 1 year ago

I've noticed the the Dixons Tax Free website hasn't been working for at least 3 months. Is this another kind of scam to stop you comparing their prices with online retailers? My solution is to do an online search BEFORE you fly and then compare it to Dixons.

S H · 1 year ago

Dixons Tax Free prices are based on Currys / Currys.Digital. at a discount of 14.89%. £100 High St price £85.10 Tax Free price.

KELLY · 1 year ago

DIXONS SUCKS BIG TIME THEY ARE CHEAT LIARS. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL THIS TO EVERYONE. THE PRICES AT DIXONS TAX FREE ARE HIGHER THEN HIGH STREET PRICES. THE MEMORY CARD ARE SO EXPENSIVE THAT YOU CAN BUY ATLEAST 2 MEOMRY CARD FROM ANY OTHER STORE OR WESITE AND YOU WILL STILL HAVE SOME CHANGE. BE CLEVER AND RESEARCH 1ST BEFORE YOU BUY SOMETHING COS U CAN SAVE MONEY.

Steve · 1 year ago

Yes, Dixons Heathrow prices are a rip-off. A Sony Pro Duo 4GB memory stick is around GBP 51 at Dixons Tax Free. You can get the same thing for GBP 16 at Amazon. Over 300% more expensive than Amazon so best avoid them.

kookykate · 8 months ago

Looking for a Digital Camera at Dixons Duty Free in Gatwick North terminal last month - they had a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 for sale @ £135. I didn't buy one, as I thought it would be cheaper on the internet, but on this occasion Dixons price couldn't be bettered anywhere else. Admittedly the Panasonic TZ-series are constantly being upgraded, but this is a brilliant camera, if you can get one, and I am kicking myself now for missing a bargain price!