Who likes a maths problem?

[asmp]

After reading on a previous thread about someone complaining about Moles I thought I’d post this receipt and see if anyone else can understand it.

It is one I sent to their customer services department as it totally baffled me. I bought 2 bags of pony nuts on offer at £8.50 a bag = £17. One bottle of iodine at £23.94 (shelf price) and I had a £5 voucher off. Total of goods = £40.94 less the £5 Voucher should be £35.94. I was charged £36.32.

The reply from Moles was something to do with how they do the VAT on their receipts but I still didn’t understand it. I only bought 3 items

 

[SEL]

They've done something very odd with that voucher.

All the VAT relates to the iodine so the vatable cost of the iodine (net) is £17.70 - there's a saving of £2.25 on it. Your total cost of that is £21.24 (query if that saving relates to the voucher or not)

But your pony nuts are showing as £19.90 less £4.82 - so £15.08.

I think they've split the voucher across both items but its been taken off the net cost rather than the gross (including VAT) cost.

 

[ponynutz]

They seem to have charged you £15.09 for the pony nuts and £17.70 for the iodine spray and then added the VAT on afterwards which doesI suppose normally you would add all the products together (+VAT) and then subtract the savings afterwards. If you do the maths the awkward way they have £36.32 is correct.

The VAT also came out to £3.99 for the iodine if you compare the shelf price with the receipt price which would suggest they've just used the standard rate of VAT for the whole receipt rather than for the one product??

Very confusing, I don't understand why you would do it this way round when the shelf price is already including VAT.

 

[Art Nouveau]

Are you sure the pony nuts were £8.50 each? That's not what your receipt says. But then the receipt says you saved £7.07 whereas you say you had a £5 voucher, so I'm as confused as you!

 

[little_critter]

They haven’t charged the pony nuts at £8.50 per bag. They’ve charged £9.95 per bag (before discount)

 

[BigRedDog]

Iodine was 19.95 before VAT add pony nuts at 19.90 then deduct 2.07 savings on those add 20% VAT for the reduced amount on iodine

19.95 + 19.90 - 2.07 + 3.54 = 41.32 less £5 voucher = 36.32

It is nothing to do with the VAT, it is the amount charged for the pony nuts which is £17.83

 

[asmp]

Are you sure the pony nuts were £8.50 each? That's not what your receipt says. But then the receipt says you saved £7.07 whereas you say you had a £5 voucher, so I'm as confused as you!

Sorry should have said the pony nuts were on offer. Normally £9.95 but on offer at £8.50 (but no VAT payable on them)

 

[asmp]

Glad it is not just me confused!

SEL has probably the right idea.

This was the reply from Moles:

Unlike may other retailers our vat is calculated at the end of the transaction. So all prices showing in the main body of the receipt are excluding vat, but will give you whether it is standard, zero, or 5% vat this is due to the array of products and vatable items we sell.

Any discounts applied are before vat, and if the voucher value is £5 this is including vat (£4.17 exc vat)



Still think I‘m 36p out of pocket

 

[lizziebell]

Sorry should have said the pony nuts were on offer. Normally £9.95 but on offer at £8.50 (but no VAT payable on them)

Check the terms of the “offer” on the nuts as majority of offers can’t be used in conjunction with other offers/ vouchers - so you either pay full price for the nuts and use your voucher (which they did at the till), or you could have asked to have the nuts on the offer price and NOT used the voucher. Can’t have both.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Iodine £19:95 (less the £2:25 autumn spend saving, spend £25 save £5 so they give you £2:25 discount, sorry I haven't the foggiest idea how they come up with that figure) =£17:70 vat on £17:70 is £3:54