Berg and Berg

[Wrenkin]

Supposedly it’s a Shopify issue. Many other EU-based stores complain about it. It’s complicated to fix so Berg just
pockets the money.

 

[moimael]

Supposedly it’s a Shopify issue. Many other EU-based stores complain about it. It’s complicated to fix so Berg just
pockets the money.

VAT is always complex to handle and they may have issues with it, but I can assure you it's not a Shopify issue. (source: I work there).

 

[tnd]

seems like they just wanna take advantage and pocket the money. I have shopped at numerous UK/EU brands and never have encountered this issue.

Anyone from BergBerg wanna chime in here?

 

[ericgereghty]

COULD be off base, but I believe VAT vanished 18-24 months ago. I want to say someone from their end attributed it to a website change (or shopify, or something else), and that it was being adjusted, and would eventually be fixed.
Well, that was going on 18-24 months ago lol. Sooooo it's either an incredibly difficult fix, or they just said "*******" and made the choice that it wasn't hurting their bottom line enough to bother fixing.
B&B isn't the only European company I've come across to include VAT to non-EU shoppers, but they are the only one to be so (seemingly) disingenuous about it. Entirely off putting stuff, in my opinion.
In fairness, I can't guarantee I'd be a frequent B&B shopper at full freight even if the VAT deduction was re-implemented, so it's not like they're losing a cash cow there, but as stands now, I absolutely refuse to even consider purchasing B&B until they DEEP into price reductions...and even then I'd a matter of holding my nose a bit.
All in all, not the best business practices, I think it fair to say.

 

[Wrenkin]

VAT is always complex to handle and they may have issues with it, but I can assure you it's not a Shopify issue. (source: I work there).

I don’t have a shopify store, so I don’t have any direct experience. Last time people complained about this issue Shopify was the explanation. Looks like this complaint thread re deducting VAT on your support forum has been going for over two years and is still active

 

[moimael]

I don’t have a shopify store, so I don’t have any direct experience. Last time people complained about this issue Shopify was the explanation. Looks like this complaint thread re deducting VAT on your support forum has been going for over two years and is still active

I see it seems like the real issue here is about displaying the price. In Europe, prices are usually shown including VAT, while in USA/Canada it's not. VAT handling works if you use the Shopify system, but in Europe your prices would display without VAT until you go to the checkout. That causes surprises for people coming to the shop via Facebook / Instagram ads since they see VAT-less prices. Also it seems that Europe requires you to display prices VAT included. First time I heard about this, will see if I can escalate.

EDIT: It's being worked on. Definitely an issue on our end, although not related to the VAT engine but how we display it, my mistake.

 

[Konnor]

I'm not sure if its a beneficial tactic for the company. I was interested in buying the black linen sportcoat and matching trousers, but without VAT and 50% off, it was still cheaper to go through a MTM program with another company.

 

[tnd]

Does anyone from the company frequent this forum?

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

I'm not sure if its a beneficial tactic for the company. I was interested in buying the black linen sportcoat and matching trousers, but without VAT and 50% off, it was still cheaper to go through a MTM program with another company.

It comes out to be about $1000 with the current markdown, which is expensive but I think is a fair price for a suit that was made in a small Italian workshop that the Berg and Berg guys found.You're also paying for the development costs of for sourcing the material and tweaking the designs, which can be sizable since these are small batches that don't benefit from economies of scale.

 

[Konnor]

It comes out to be about $1000 with the current markdown, which is expensive but I think is a fair price for a suit that was made in a small Italian workshop that the Berg and Berg guys found.You're also paying for the development costs of for sourcing the material and tweaking the designs, which can be sizable since these are small batches that don't benefit from economies of scale.

That’s fine. In my opinion, it’s not worth an extra $410 over what I’m paying. Also, a suit being made in a small factory in Italy does not necessarily mean it’s the greatest quality. You may have information that differs from their website, but they don’t list the mill that the fabric comes from. There’s nothing that tells me it’s worth the price tag without taking the risk in purchasing. I’m not willing to do that at $1000. The point that we are trying to make is that they are willing to make 20% less from European customers (they don’t benefit from the VAT tax). Furthermore, they have blamed it on software for close to two years from what I understand. That shows me that they enjoy making the extra 20%.

 

[Chris-Wearings]

That’s fine. In my opinion, it’s not worth an extra $410 over what I’m paying. Also, a suit being made in a small factory in Italy does not necessarily mean it’s the greatest quality. You may have information that differs from their website, but they don’t list the mill that the fabric comes from. There’s nothing that tells me it’s worth the price tag without taking the risk in purchasing. I’m not willing to do that at $1000. The point that we are trying to make is that they are willing to make 20% less from European customers (they don’t benefit from the VAT tax). Furthermore, they have blamed it on software for close to two years from what I understand. That shows me that they enjoy making the extra 20%.

Ya you pay the European tax plus import duties + taxes into USA/Canada . This is not good.

 

[dieworkwear]

That’s fine. In my opinion, it’s not worth an extra $410 over what I’m paying. Also, a suit being made in a small factory in Italy does not necessarily mean it’s the greatest quality. You may have information that differs from their website, but they don’t list the mill that the fabric comes from. There’s nothing that tells me it’s worth the price tag without taking the risk in purchasing. I’m not willing to do that at $1000. The point that we are trying to make is that they are willing to make 20% less from European customers (they don’t benefit from the VAT tax). Furthermore, they have blamed it on software for close to two years from what I understand. That shows me that they enjoy making the extra 20%.

Seems like a bad idea to compare this based on fabric, color, and price. The quality of a suit is mostly about how it fits you. The MTM company may be better (I have no idea). But instead of choosing on price, I think it would be better to choose based on who can provide you with a better fitting suit.

 

[Konnor]

Seems like a bad idea to compare this based on fabric, color, and price. The quality of a suit is mostly about how it fits you. The MTM company may be better (I have no idea). But instead of choosing on price, I think it would be better to choose based on who can provide you with a better fitting suit.

I agree, and in the last few pages alone, there have been critiques on Berg suits fit. The MTM suit should fit better given the measurements are correct and executed in production. I’m sure that B&B produces a great suit, but I’m not willing to take a $1300ish (after customs) gamble to find out. I would be if the **** was on sale and didn’t include VAT.

 

[dieworkwear]

I agree, and in the last few pages alone, there have been critiques on Berg suits fit. The MTM suit should fit better given the measurements are correct and executed in production. I’m sure that B&B produces a great suit, but I’m not willing to take a $1300ish (after customs) gamble to find out. I would be if the **** was on sale and didn’t include VAT.

Not sure that's true, but I hope it works out for you.

Most MTM is not very good. Sometimes the base pattern is bad; sometimes the fitters aren't very good. Sometimes it's an online operation and it's just the customer punching in numbers into a machine without any real expert guiding them. The danger of MTM is that good MTM is non-refundable. Assuming the suit fits well, you may not like the silhouette. And at that point, you're stuck with the garment. MTM companies that offer a refund are also usually not very good.

MTM is usually best when you can walk into a store and try on base garments, then have a fitter judge the adjustments based on that try-on suit.

 

[Konnor]

Not sure that's true, but I hope it works out for you.

Most MTM is not very good. Sometimes the base pattern is bad; sometimes the fitters aren't very good. Sometimes it's an online operation and it's just the customer punching in numbers into a machine without any real expert guiding them. The danger of MTM is that good MTM is non-refundable. Assuming the suit fits well, you may not like the silhouette. And at that point, you're stuck with the garment. MTM companies that offer a refund are also usually not very good.

MTM is usually best when you can walk into a store and try on base garments, then have a fitter judge the adjustments based on that try-on suit.

Luckily, I know my measurements fairly well. I don’t have to just punch in numbers and hope for the best. What is to say that the base fit of an OTR garment is going to be better? That’s essentially what MTM is without alterations. The difference is that I get to have a say.