For instance... take Apple. A nice friendly company, you would think. BUt it isn't always easy. I wanted to buy "Quicktime Pro" - video software for the PC from Apple. You can click on a link in the free version and it takes you to a site offering it for £20. So you try to buy but then it turns out you're in Holland and then it's €30. Not sure how they work that out, because £20 is €23. The €30 also includies Irish VAT. Now that is weird: it should actually be including Dutch VAT, as it is purchased from a Dutch site.
Another interesting Apple anomaly: if you give a Dutch address for the Apple store then you will only be able to use the store in Dutch. All descriptions of software are also in Dutch and you only have to hope the software itself will be in English. In Germany, the site is only German. But in Belgium or Switzerland you can choose a language and English is okay too. But that is on the side.
Back to Quicktime. So you want to buy it from the Dutch site including Dutch VAT (or none at all if you are a business) and to pay using the standard (and relatively safe) Dutch internet banking system: iDeal. But no. You can only pay with a credit card. Strange and inefficient as far as I am concerned. Any contacts with Apple are met with a polite but firm rebuttal. "We only sell it for this price and including Irish VAT. You can write and ask for the VAT back. Sorry, the Apple Store in Holland is only available in Dutch."
You suddenly start to get a glimpse of what life is like in Appleville. You have no choice, so Apple call the tricks. No company would dare be so haughty in PC land. There's too much competition. Long live the competition.
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