station cast 1.5 times more expensive for european customers?

Maybe somebody can help me out here:
Is it true that 1000 station cash cost 10 dollars. And if you happen to have euro as currency it also costs 10 Euro?
When i last checked, 1 Euro was worth about 1.5 Dollars. Does that mean when a racial respec costs 25 Dollars, it will cost me 25 Euros (I just checked, that is $37,46 atm)?
Please tell me I am wrong because that would be outrageous!
Last week I transfered my coercer to another account and payed 25 Euro as well, should it not have been $25?
If I am right I am going to call the customer service and ask them to change my currency to mexican peso!
PS i just found this: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=438343
yes 1000 station cash are 10 dollars or 10 Euros! Irrc that is from a time when dollar and euro was about the same.
It is just unfair for every european customer! Another example how european customers are not treated equally with american customers!

Masuma wrote:

While you're casting around for people to blame, you might add a couple more to your list:
- Your bank: Some bank somewhere down the line is going to have to convert that 10 Euros you paid into the equivalent amount in US Dollars. And contrary to popular belief, the bank's exchange rate is not the global exchange rate. Usually it's a percent or two to the bank's favor. The reason for this: the bank isn't going to get an equivalent exchange rate and is going to have to pay for the conversion themselves. Guess who gets to cover that?
- Your Government: I seem to recall that some European countries have what is called a VAT (Value Added Tax) that's applied to certain purchases. Someone has to cover that. Guess who again?
- Business in general: Prices are generally set at a specific point in time, and only change when the cost of the product changes. So, in the past, when the US Dollar was a bit stronger against the Euro, $10=10 Euro. However, markets tend to fluctuate, so when the dollar gets weaker, the price should fluctuate to accomodate that, but, unfortunately it doesn't.
When I was stationed in Germany back in the mid-80's, the DM fluctuated between 2.40DM to 3.30DM to the dollar. However, German prices did not change on a daily basis based on the exchange rate. Regardless of the exchange rate I paid to get Deutsche Mark, gas was still around 4.20 DM or so per liter, a loaf of bread was still around 2-3DM. Sometimes I made out like a bandit, sometimes my profit wasn't that great. My big expense while I was there: rent on my apartment "on the economy". My rent was 250 DM a month for a small 2 bedroom apartment. One month, I would pay around $100 US, the next I might pay $80. My rent never changed. The amount I paid to cover it did.
When you get right down to it, we Americans get the same treatment when we try to purchase European goods. The price of an item or service might never change from the time it was set, but my cost to purchase it does. It's just the way business works. If I wanted to complain myself, why is it that I would have to pay in the neighborhood of $50,000 for a Mercedes when it's considerably cheaper in Germany?
Not intending to be insulting or condescending, but the economic knife cuts both ways.

Dylara I'm sorry but your post is utter rubbish, charging the same numerical value in euros as dollars when there is such a large exchange rate difference is blatant gouging of european customers, it's disgraceful and there is no excuse for it. Businesses that sell globally adapt to the exchange rates on a regular basis so clients worldwide pay worldwide rates, not just fixed rates plucked at an arbitrary and uncannily convenient single moment in time. If europeans were charged in dollars, then our bank charges & conversions of producing those dollars would adapt to global fluctuations, if however SoE is going to bill us in euros then it is SoE's responsiblity to adapt to exchange rate fluctuations, it's just that simple.

Also your point about VAT in certain european countries is wrong, the vat is added OUTSIDE & ABOVE of the figures in discussion, it's not something that SoE pays and has to recoup.

Dylara@Crushbone wrote:

I actually bought this to Kiara's attention when the Station Store was launched. She said she would bring it to the attention of her boss.
Obviously, her boss doesn't give a crap about anyone outside of the US.
Edit: and lets not get in to the details of exactly what you can do to a company that overcharges you on tax...

Can't you pay with a Visa in USD and let the visa company convert to Euros? The exchange rate and fee will still smack ya but not as hard as paying 10Euros for 10USD.

CoLD MeTaL wrote:

No. SOE wont allow it - tho they used to.
I use a US dollar credit card drawn on a US bank account because I do a fair amount of travelling and most countries prefer US dollars (well they used to, last twelve months or so some places, especially in the Middle East, are starting to prefer Euros). Because my mailing address is in the UK, SOE insists I pay in pounds sterling. This means a dollar transaction goes out of my account, gets converted into sterling by my bank - and I get charged for the priviledge - to pay SOE who presumably then convert the sterling into dollars - and add a bit to the dollar amount in order to charge me for doing so.

snowline wrote:

Why would any company in their right mind do this, it is just a bottomless black hole of financial loss. Any accountant in my company that even thought about suggesting this would be on the bread line faster then they can clean out their desk. Blame the world market for the difference, not the company. If the dollar was doing better then another foriegn currency then you would be moaning that you are paying to much in your currency amount.
All the businesses I do work with charge at the current exchange rate at the time the transaction takes place.

Ansek wrote:

wrong in one, get charged the same exact way for downloadable software from companies in Ireland, England, Italy and Scotland. Last time I looked a download is not a "big heavy item". It is called a exchange rate that flucuates regularly. funnyt VAT documentation I have shows it fluctuates between 14 and 22.5 percent depending on the items. Base in UK will go up to 17.5 in 01/10

Wingrider01 wrote:

That's the point, "All the businesses I do work with charge at the current exchange rate at the time the transaction takes place." - SoE's internal exchange rate is massively out of step with reality, by a year or more.

I'm not sure if you are arguing for or against the OP now.

Greetings,
The exchange rate on international transactions is recalculated after set amounts of time. Every so often the exchange rates will be updated across the various currencies. Those who post here regularly may remember when changes in exchange rates made the Australian values higher than others before it was updated. Sadly, I do not know when the exchange rates will be updated again.

snowline wrote:

bottom line to make it simple - deal with the exchange rate and purchase or walk away from it and forget it. I get nailed by the exchange rate every time I purchase vertical market items from europe and the pacific rim countries, why should it be different for a game? people need to deal with the exchange rates

Wingrider01 wrote:

Bottom line to make it simple, customers are normally able to choose which currency they pay in - SoE prevents that, and has exchange rates years out of date.

TSR-DanielH wrote:

Thanks for the reply Daniel, it would be nice to know when this will be looked at, is it possible to find out?

TSR-DanielH wrote:

Why not allow non US residents to convert our money ourselves and pay you using USD?
Giving us back that options would be the most logical thing to do.
Oh, you also need to re-check that you are charging people the correct tax amounts.

Pervis wrote:

I believe the ability to change currencies from the customer's end was removed due to fraud issues. At this point our system will automatically deny charge with non-matching country/currency codes. If I shifted someone in Europe to US/USD then they would be unable to make any purchases until it was reverted.
Regarding when the pricing will change, I can not be sure. My understanding is that the accounting department will analyze 6-months to a year's worth of data and adjust rates periodically. It does not always correspond directly to exchange rates. Station cash has not been out for a year yet so I assume that they will not be doing so in the near future. I'm sorry that I can't provide anything more specific.

was going to say, tbh i did not expect a better and more customer friendly reaction, but i guess you do not get to decide these things..
still what remains is unsatisfied european customers

I made a thread about a year ago concerning the same topic ... it never got answered, following exchange rates have changed but not that much so following is still somewhat acurate ...

Ghouti wrote:

Original thread: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=438566
So to be honest european people are paying more then US for their accounts and for SC ... i think i need to move lol

Ghouti wrote:

That's certainly an option. America is a pretty cool place. We have spacious skies, amber waves of grain, and apparently some purple mountains or something. At least I think that's how the song goes...

Wingrider01 wrote:

Forgive me, might be totally misreading you but I don't quite understand what you're saying here.
At no point have I suggested SOE's practice of adding on VAT to the end amount is unusual or untoward. Yes, you're quite right, its "the same exact way for downloadable software from companies in Ireland, England, Italy and Scotland." The point that was being made was a refuting of Dylara's argument that the increased cost to EU customers is because of VAT - when the price quoted, and is higher for EU customers, doesn't include tax.
And yes, you're also right when you say downloads aren't "big heavy items". That's what I said too.
Dylara: Why does a German car cost more in the US than Germany?
Ansek: Because its a big heavy item thats shipped halfway across the world.
See? I pointed out that it was a spurious argument because SC isnt a car that needs to be shipped.
As to VAT rates... SOE's own documentation clearly states they charge it at 17.5%. Look in the KB - here for example. I'm no accountant but I've never heard of a 14% or 22.5% VAT rate - the only rates I was aware of were zero, 5% and 15% (or 17.5% as its provisionally intended to be next year). VAT isnt a big complicated tax thing - I can think of only four items exempt (food, books and newspapers, childrens' clothes, medical supplies) and of three at the reduced 5% rate (domestic fuel, residential building work, female sanitary products). Everything else is 15%. Right across the board, no ifs no buts.
As I said, not quite sure why you felt the need to pick apart my post by reiterating what I was saying but y'know, each to his own.
Edit: Sorry, all the colours went funny =/