Hotel Ritz Shipping Charge....

[Lafont]

I was privileged in being able to walk around the Hotel Ritz when in Paris in 2009. I purchased in the main gift shop what they call a Golf Sun Visor as a very special gift for my wife - full price but one of the least expensive items in the boutique and not that much. This year my wife appears to have lost this simply designed but very tasteful accessory and I decided to try to replace it.

The Ritz Paris still offers this item and it's on their website - in navy and white. Price is 33.44 euros (approx. $40) - actually 40 euros with tax - and comes automatically gift wrapped but the shipping cost is listed as 40 euros, or approx. $53. I wrote to them asking if this is an error - that the cost - UPS and "6-7 days" to Cleveland, Ohio couldn't possibly be that high (I could see $7 maybe - totalling under $50) and that the item is fairly small and certainly quite light weight. I also mentioned I don't need it that quickly - three weeks would be acceptible. They wrote back they realize it's expensive but they ship UPS and it's very "secure." They also mentioned the price is based on bulk and not weight. wrote back again asking if there might be some mistake; I didn't know if they really looked carefully at the numbers.

No response yet. Isn't $53 outragious for the shipping of a cotton sun visor from Paris to Cleveland via UPS? I know it's the Ritz Paris but the item itself is reasonably priced for an attractive sourvenir from such an illustrious hotel. More than most sun visors, perhaps, but certainly not crazy out of line. Incidentally, I'm not finding any visors just like this on eBay or elsewhere online, so far. A Ritz Carlton in the U.S. might sell a similar item but it's not from or marked "Ritz Paris." [ATTACHMENT=4197]Hotel Ritz Paris Sun Visor.jpg (4k. jpg file)

 

[Lafont]

To be honest, it's confusing but I think if I have the visor shipped they don't charge the tax. So it's 33.44 euros plus 40 euros for shipping to Ohio. Ridiculous for the shipping part, now matter how I look at it. I'd like to know the experience of others with this sort of thing - Paris to U.S., UPS, etc.
Can anyone relate their experience specifically with having something shipped from The Ritz Paris to the U.S?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

This thread has potential.

 

[Harold falcon]

OP has plenty of posts, so I'll treat this as serious for now.

LaFont, international shipping is often ridiculous. What you may want to consider doing it proxying the visor by asking someone local in Paris to purchase it and send it to you via the shipping method you prefer.

But perhaps it's best to leave this one alone. No matter how loving your wife is I find it difficult to believe she is so attached to a golf visor. That she lost it probably indicates it wasn't very near and dear to her heart. Consider buying her something nicer this year for Christmas.







PS - I've just been trolled, haven't I?

 

[HansderHund]



PS - I've just been trolled, haven't I?

I took it as a serious request as well and PMed an offer to proxy from Austria if he wanted. I didn't hear back, so it's possible.

 

[bellyhungry]

Go to one of those kiosks at a local mall that sells hats and visors. Have them embroider the Ritz Carlton logo on it and then pass it on to wifey as the genuine article.

Problem solved.

And here's the link to the logo: http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/ritz_paris_110200.jpg

 

[stubloom]

International shipping via UPS, FedEx or DHL can be expensive relative to the Post Office. To give you an example of the RELATIVE COST, take this example...

A client of ours was attending a gallery opening in Amsterdam. We cleaned a man's tuxedo, tux shirt and bowtie and a formal dress for the client and carefully packed them (plus some accessories) in two of our standard 40 x 24 x 4 boxes for shipping. Our shipper, UPS, guaranteed delivery to their hotel within 3 or 4 days and guaranteed customs clearing within that same time frame (there was no reduced rate for a longer lead time). Each box weighed approximately 8 pounds. And the cost of EACH box? Almost $700 PER BOX. To put this $700 charge in perspective, shipping a 40 x 24 x 4 box from Arizona to the East Coast via UPS Ground would be less that $15.

So I decided to check out the USPO. About $80 PER BOX, arrival within 7 to 10 days, with no guarantee regarding customs. As our clients were not arriving in Amsterdam for about 30 days, we went with the Post Office. At a savings of over $1200. Here's the critical point: Even with this 30 day lead time, the boxes only arrived about 3 or 4 days prior to our client's arrival. The boxes had spent over two weeks clearing customs.

International shipping comes down to this: If you need it really quickly, you're going to pay dearly for that privilege.

 

[Lafont]

Thanks for an intelligent replay to my respectful inquiry. However, I'm not in that much a hurry, but the Ritz folk don't offer an alternative. No, I won't fake it. Authenticity is a major thing to me in recent years, in particular. As the Ritz people are just apologizing, in a sense, but not willing to change anything, I just wanted to have some idea if this is a standard sort of thing or way out of line. I have had items shipped from other continents - one I recall, anyway, was my Aquascutum reversible outdoor jacket shipped from a small city in the Ukraine - and I don't recall crazy shipping prices. If this its the experience others I'll probably bit the bullet. The total cost is still not way out of line for a birthday gift for my wife.

 

[zippyh]

It's too bad there's no way to use the UPS website and get an estimate of shipping costs between Paris and Cleveland.

Service Details Print UPS Expedited - zone 651

Delivered By: By End of Day Thursday October 18, 2012
Rates
UPS Expedited
92.75 USD
UPS Import ControlSM - Electronic Label 1.00 USD
Declared Value Free
Fuel Surcharge 12.93 USD
Residential Surcharge 3.00 USD
Shipment Total: 109.68 USD
Rate estimates are based on import rates of the destination (import to) country, and include a label accessorial fee.

Rates may vary at retail locations. Result estimates calculated by UPS: Friday, October 12, 2012 1:20 P.M. Eastern Time (USA)

 

[Harold falcon]

Lafont, you're not really getting your wife a golf visor for her birthday, are you? Certainly not the only gift, right?

 

[Lafont]

I just don't have an individual who would be in Paris to help me.
I tried to calculate this myself on the UPS website, but too many uncertainties - e.g. weight, size with "luxury gift wrapping."

 

[JohnGalt]

Instead of making believe, be a true baller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/21622-auth-...-/400259230672?pt=US_Hats&hash=item5d314f2bd0

 

[HansderHund]



I just don't have an individual who would be in Paris to help me.
I tried to calculate this myself on the UPS website, but too many uncertainties - e.g. weight, size with "luxury gift wrapping."

Well I offered to help you but never got a response. I was in it to help you save €10.

 

[cthip]

it's the website and online ordering system that's the problem, desk staff at luxury hotels (even in france) is typically very accommodating

call the hotel, ask for the front desk, ask them to get one from the gift shop and send it standard mail. they might not like it (if they're busy with other things), but they'll do it

 

[MikeDT]

This is The Ritz, charging sky-high baller prices for everything is what they do. $3,000 a night, $100 for breakfast, etc. They probably figured that most baller clients wouldn't mind or notice that they're paying the premium shipping charges for Ritz products.