Tent from Bergzeit co uk problems

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misterfrogfish 24 Oct 2015
Hello,

Has anyone used this company Bergzeit co uk?
I am trying to buy a Hilleberg Unna tent in sand. It is a uk website but it seems the shop is in Germany. When I tried to buy, they said that a visa/debit card is only valid up to euro 500. The tent is more.
They then inform me that I have to make a bank transfer (with relevant charges).
This seems a bit 3rd world to me.

Has anyone gone this route? It seems a bit strange using a .....co.uk site but then redirecting to a German one. It is all in English though.

cheers.
cb294 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Hi,

I recently had the same problem ordering in Germany from the German spinoff of a UK based web shop. Most likely something to with the banks rather than the shops themselves,

CB
misterfrogfish 24 Oct 2015


I would prefer to buy from a UK company but there is a £65 difference.
Also, most of the UK companies advertise the tent but don't actually have it in stock or the colour. Which is very annoying.

A bank transfer, for me, means going to my bank on Monday and waiting 5 working days for the transfer. So probably over two weeks to get the tent. Very backward.



misterfrogfish 24 Oct 2015

Quite a few people looking at this post so it might be worth mentioning -

If I can get the Unna & mesh inner.
I'll have an Akto (green) & mesh inner for sale.

But the Unna seems to be hard to get hold of. And nobody has the mesh inner.
Post edited at 11:50
 jimtitt 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

> A bank transfer, for me, means going to my bank on Monday and waiting 5 working days for the transfer. So probably over two weeks to get the tent. Very backward.

Yup, the hopeless UK banking system. From Germany I could do instant transfer into their account and a normal transfer must be done within one working day anywhere in the Eurozone.
Some banks are better than others though, complain otherwise nothing will ever improve.
 london_huddy 24 Oct 2015
In reply to jimtitt:

Whatever the delay is, it's not the UK system. RTGS and FPS, the main settlement payment systems are pretty much instant...
 wbo 24 Oct 2015
In reply to london_huddy:
I'd guess it is a UK thang. Bank transfer from Norway to Germany is also pretty instant.

'Its like an electronic cheque old boy'

Bergzeit have been excellent for me by the way
Post edited at 19:54
 gethin_allen 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

> A bank transfer, for me, means going to my bank on Monday and waiting 5 working days for the transfer.

I'd have thought a bank transfer to most people these days would be a case of logging on to their banks website and sending the cash which if going to a current account will be credited within an hour.

Have you tried E-mailing or calling them (I'd bet there was someone who speaks English there) them to see if you can do the transaction over the phone in two parts, once for the outer and once for the inner?
 RobertKett 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

I bought some boots from Bergzeit recently. No problems with payment, but the amount was less than £500 obviously. Excellent service from them. Delivery was via DHL, then Royal Mail for the last part.

Hope you get it sorted.
1
 Juan S 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Just to echo everyone above who's had great service from Bergzeit!
In reply to misterfrogfish:

> they said that a visa/debit card is only valid up to euro 500

That must be their self-imposed limit; I've used my debit card for much bigger purchases.
 Lemony 24 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

> I am trying to buy a Hilleberg Unna tent in sand. It is a uk website but it seems the shop is in Germany. When I tried to buy, they said that a visa/debit card is only valid up to euro 500. The tent is more.

Fraud checking international payments is very hit and miss in terms of what protection the seller gets so most online stores are fairly hesitant about doing high value online payments to customers abroad. We regularly ask for bank transfers from our customers (from all over the world). Just see this as a reminder that credit and debit cards are not money.
 andrewmc 24 Oct 2015
In reply to london_huddy:

> Whatever the delay is, it's not the UK system. RTGS and FPS, the main settlement payment systems are pretty much instant...

Unless I am reading it wrong RTGS is a type of system rather than a system itself. FPS is great in the UK but obviously does not extend beyond our borders due to the short-sidedness of this quaint little isle... ironic given our apparent position as an international banking hub. Whereas the Eurozone et al has been quite happily been doing rapid cheap/free international transfers for some time.
 Oli Greg 25 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Like others, I haven't ordered anything requiring a bank transfer, but have ordered lower value items from them and the process has been hassle free with quick delivery from Germany.
Would be happy to use them again.
 TobyA 25 Oct 2015
In reply to andrewmcleod:

I've transferred money from a UK GBP account to a Finnish EUR account many times with no problems at all and nothing like 5 days - 12 hours maybe for it to pop up in my Finnish account? Anyway, it was easy (all done online) and not expensive at all.
misterfrogfish 26 Oct 2015
Been in contact with them. They are the ones who chose to limit to euro 500. Due to bad experiences in the past. (Google translate - we think you Englanders are dodgy).

Opened a PayPal account which wasn't too hard. Had to pay an extra £20 in exchange, but ordered now.

Just need to find a mesh inner, which nobody seems to sell.

My Akto with both inners will soon be up for sale.
misterfrogfish 26 Oct 2015
The 5 days is what the bank says is the max. 'Allow up to...'

I'm sure it would have been quicker.


 radddogg 27 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Just be glad the transfer isn't from Switzerland to France, it would take 12 years!
In reply to misterfrogfish:

I had a problem also using a German Company they often have cheap gear advertised. After exchange rate it cost more then I had to send it back as it took 3 weeks to come (it was a bivy bag I needed it for that weekend and delivery was supposed to be 3 days) I then had to post it back to Germany at my expense. Total waste of time and money. Even though I sent it special delivery it took 3 weeks to get my money back. The company I used was bergfreunde. Ultimately i did get the product so they weren't dodgy in that respect- just utterly useless.
kmulvany 29 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Hi I have been buying a lot of stuff with them, and I have had a good experience overall. I believe if you pay with paypal, then 500 euro limit does not apply.
 crashnodrog 29 Oct 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:

Recently had to transfer cash for a holiday. Using my bank would have cost about £60 in fees. I used instead a company called Transferwise. It cost me £3. I tested it out with a small amount first and then the full amount requested. Transfer took a couple of days but they keep you updated via email.
 RockingKatja 02 Nov 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:
I'm using Transferwise for international money transfers. £1 charge (when transferring about £100) and just the exchange current rate. No hassle with walking to my bank etc. Money normally takes less than 2 days to arrive.
Bergzeit is a decent shop from my experience. Ordered quite a lot there when I lived in Germany. Never any problems.

Edit: Ah, crashnodrog already mentioned Transferwise
Post edited at 12:44
scooby12 18 Nov 2015
In reply to RockingKatja:

If you do go down the Transferwise route, this bad boy gets you a free transfer up to £3k

https://transferwise.com/u/091ea
 NottsRich 18 Nov 2015
In reply to misterfrogfish:
Had the same issue ordering from Sport Conrad. My UK bank thought it was fraudulent activity on my card (even after I told them if wasn't and tried again). On SC's advice I did a bank transfer and it worked fine. It seems to be a normal payment option for larger orders in Europe.

+1 for Transferwise. Do not pay the bank fees.
Post edited at 17:27

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