Here’s what I’m planning to do, in my run for world domination and incredible wealth (this plan aims mostly for the latter part).
- I will start a new business.
- This business will act without approval of my clients
- I will charge them a random amount of money for services that were not requested in the first place
- The entire world will thank me for “making the world a better place”
- I will retire to a loft somewhere in Hawaii
Does the above sound familiar to anyone? Seriously, no?
It’s what our customs services is doing, right now. I’ve ordered two online products recently, and was happy they arrived within the week (go ThinkGeek.com!). It wasn’t cheap, as I had to pay some pretty fancy shipping costs too. It got even more expensive, as I later received two seperate bills to pay additional fees (point #3) because customs decided they should check my packages and re-charge them, without my consent (point #2).
With a business plan like that, I’d have retired a long time ago.
Screw you customs, screw you.
Ehm. Point #2 and #3 – which realy are the only real complaints – have nothing to do with Thinkgeeks business plan, but are Belgian custom issues, *you* should have known about.
I’m not calling it ThinkGeek’s plan either, but I blame Belgian customs. And no, I *should not have known about it*. Would you research every path a product follows before it arrives to you? No, you expect (in full faith) that the prices listed on websites are your cost, and don’t expect a middle-man to suddenly come in and double that charge.