NZ: Charged more than double

[Nermal]

Hi everyone

I bought an iPod from the Apple NZ online shop (based in Australia) and was quoted NZ$720. However, I was actually charged three times!

By Apple: NZ$720
By Apple: AU$720
By Westpac: NZ$20.50 foreign currency fee

Obviously I need to talk to Apple (closed until Monday), but I'm just wondering whether this has happened to anyone else. Also, if you do buy from Apple NZ, check your credit card statement and make sure that it hasn't happened to you too!

 

[Nermal]

Apple has (finally!) refunded the money.

 

[pknz]

Ouch, glad you got your money back.

 

[Nermal]

I'm wondering whether to bother trying to recover the $20 foreign fee. It's probably more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Abstract]

So the moral of the story is: Don't live in New Zealand.


I don't know how I came to that conclusion, but there you have it.

 

[flopticalcube]

I'm wondering whether to bother trying to recover the $20 foreign fee. It's probably more trouble than it's worth.

I would do it just for the principle of the thing. Probably cost me 10X more in my time, but that's the way it goes.

 

[killerrobot]

I would do it just for the principle of the thing. Probably cost me 10X more in my time, but that's the way it goes.

Also, the $20 foreign fee might be based off both of the charges so it probably only should've been 10 in the first place.

 

[Nermal]

The $20 is "one-way"; the refund was in NZD.

 

[Nermal]

Apple just sent me a coupon for $100 off my next purchase

For the curious (and I apologise for the formatting):

WHAT HAPPENED?

Between February 1 and February 7, 2008, some Apple customers in New Zealand were billed incorrectly by the bank that Apple uses to handle credit card payments.*Instead of charging purchases to the credit card statements in New Zealand Dollars (NZD), the bank charged purchases to the credit card statements in Australian Dollars (AUD).**For example, instead of being billed $1,000 NZD, customers were billed $1,000 AUD.
*
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT?
*
Due to currency exchange rates, customers were overbilled.**During the subject period, the foreign exchange rate was between 1.00 NZD = 1.13 AUD and 1.15 AUD.*Customers may also have been charged a fee by the bank that issued their credit card.
*
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT?
*
Refunds have been issued for the incorrect charges. *Where possible, instructions were submitted to authorize a new charge for the correct amount in the correct currency. *In a few cases, where the new authorization failed, there will not be a new charge.*Please contact Apple at**(removed)*if your bank also charged you a fee for currency conversion and need to be reimbursed.
*
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
*
This depends a great deal with how long it takes each customer’s bank to process the refund or credit.**This may be a few days after the transaction was submitted by our bank.**Customers may call their credit card issuing bank to ask whether there are any refunds or credits pending, but not yet posted to their account.