Cheated by 30 TWD "transfer fee"

Work Working in Taiwan
1

I did some one-time consulting work for a company in Taiwan (basically installing a VPS/server).
We agreed on a sum of 3000 TWD (which is cheap for the service they got and it included documentation).

Today I received a PDF from them with the following balances regarding the bank transfer:
Consulting Service: 3000 TWD (which is OK).
Tax 5%: 150 TWD (which is OK).
Transferring fee: 30 TWD (which I doubt is OK).
Balance due: 2820 TWD (which is what I received).

What pisses me off is that the 30 TWD makes up 1% (+the additional tax it eats).
Wonder if they apply for tax deduction for the 30 TWD internally?
I never agreed to pay any of THEIR charges. The receipt was not from a bank.

Any advice how to take this except not doing business with them anymore and not selling my services so cheaply?
I doubt they will pay the remainder given how much I ranted at them.
I thought this kind of “frivolous fees” were only working in India.

2

You want this to be the last time you do business with them, because of a 30NTD fee?

Really?

3

you should slaughter all their animals and impregnate all their womenfolk in revenge.

You could do it the other way around, instead, if you’d prefer.

4

[quote=“headhonchoII”]You want this to be the last time you do business with them, because of a 30NTD fee?

Really?[/quote]
yes, how can you work with someone that excepts others to pay their banking fees? I always pay mine by myself.
I’d even have worked for free for them if there would be any additional extra work that doesn’t cost me much time. He even said he can not control the bank… :shock:
This is in Taiwan. 30 TWD is a breakfast :smile:
I doubt this is even legal. In any case its a malpractice.

5

It’s pretty normal - and they’re not just making it up, the charge is levied by the bank (it’s more like NT$15 though, normally). Just add a small markup next time.

Come on, seriously, that’s the price of a coffee. You just wasted NT$300 of your life complaining about it.

6

when i was working in taiwan , id have a coworker take me to the post office and transfer some money to my mom every month and i believe it was something like that 30nt or so. Perfectly normal. Its a buck US whats the beef man? Your life must be pretty ok to worry bout a buck.

Means you dont have other (actually serious) things to concern yourself with :slight_smile:

Our bum fee (minimum money bums ask for) here in calif is a buck !

p.s. what kinda gets my goat is when i came back from my trip and i was looking over my Amex and Visa fees. In the past they used to just give you an exchange rate that was a bit less in your favor as a service charge for bills run up overseas.

But nowadays Visa charged me 3pct service fee for every transaction abroad , but gave me a rate that was quite good. The rate that i wouldve gotten changing usd into indo rupiah at an indo bank in indonesia.

And at the same time Amex gave me a rate that was about 3pct less then Visa gave me adn i thought well thats their way of getting their service charge.

Then my monthly statement came and i saw that Amex had given me a 3pct less rate and then ALSO charged me a 3pct service charge on top of it !!
Dang. Im not using that card overseas again.

One has to compare benefits of diff cards. I found my other Visa card with another bank gives me one point per dollar spent just like this Visa card but…

Although they charge less interest when you owe them money their points are not worth much

whereas this one Visa u get money back . One percent for every 100 spent. THe other visa card only gets you a 50 dollar gift card when you spent 15,000 dollars!! Plus this Visa gives you 5pct cash back on gasoline purchases !

So one has to compare credit cards and decide which to use for what.

So hey getting ripped off on exchange rate and then getting charged a 3pct service fee on top of that. And not to mention you ARE giving Amex money when you use their card to buy things (they get 3pct from the merchants) means they are charging YOU money to help THEM make money.

Now thast something so get ripped bout.

a buck transfer fee to send YOU money? Thats not something to spill your coffee on :stuck_out_tongue:

7

30nt?

REALLY?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I think I wasted 90nt of time reading this.

8

That company has bums working for them then.
Seriously if you took off 30 TWD transfer fee from your rent what would happen?
Would the landlord complain or just accept it quietly?
Maybe they found a serious way to cheat out money like banks are doing.
Its interesting to see how many of you would just accept it :laughing:

9

It’s not about accepting it, as such. Just add NT30 to your fees in future.

10

It’s not about accepting it, as such. Just add NT30 to your fees in future.[/quote]
Thats making things even more complicated then. Such a fee wouldn’t be a monetary gain.
They even taxed me for their fee. I will see with the tax office that I only have to pay taxes on 2970 not 3000 cause I never received 3000.
With my high tax rate thats making at least a difference of 30 TWD.
I’m quite certain Taiwan Cooperative Bank (which is were they transfered from) doesn’t ask for 30 TWD.
Highest I have seen in Taiwan these days was 17 TWD.
I will contact them tomorrow on behalf of my bank regarding the domestic transfer fee.

11

[quote=“engerim”]
I will contact them tomorrow on behalf of my bank regarding the domestic transfer fee.[/quote]

PLEASE do! Also please let us know what happens! I am SURE I speak for everyone here on the flob (and perhaps the world!?) when I say that I seriously hope you get this mess all straightened out. I will be waiting with the utmost anticipation to see how this travesty of justice is corrected! :popcorn:

12

YOu must be GErman :slight_smile: Thats one good thing bout the Germans, they never cheat you out of one single phenig ! Not one.

And now we know why :slight_smile:

The french on the other hand…(im a wee bit french so i can say this)

13

[quote=“tommy525”]YOu must be GErman :slight_smile: Thats one good thing bout the Germans, they never cheat you out of one single phenig ! Not one.
And now we know why :slight_smile:
The french on the other hand…(im a wee bit french so i can say this)[/quote]
They owe me approx. 150 Pfennige :2cents:
Once upon, this could have bought me three scoups of ice cream at the Italian Ice Parlor in Germany.
They also would have insisted on every Pfennig.

14

[quote=“Confuzius”][quote=“engerim”]
I will contact them tomorrow on behalf of my bank regarding the domestic transfer fee.[/quote]

PLEASE do! Also please let us know what happens! I am SURE I speak for everyone here on the flob (and perhaps the world!?) when I say that I seriously hope you get this mess all straightened out. I will be waiting with the utmost anticipation to see how this travesty of justice is corrected! :popcorn:[/quote]

Certainly. I’m willing to go as far as complaining/inquiring to the central bank about the local transaction settling. They have their work flow here.
The world deserves to know. :bow:
Of course any fee’s in researching this might be charged to the company that doesn’t agree they owe me 3000 not 2970 (hors taxes as the French would say).

15

Hey, engerim, if you need thirty bucks, mate, I’ll help you out. Just send me a PM. :wink:

16

You mean I can write over their debt to you? :laughing: Is it possible in Taiwan to transfer third party debt between private people?
I guess its only possible if you’d have Power of Attorney from me in the matter.
Please give me 30 TWD then and I will pass you the info where you can “collect” them back.

17

[quote=“engerim”][quote=“Confuzius”][quote=“engerim”]
I will contact them tomorrow on behalf of my bank regarding the domestic transfer fee.[/quote]

PLEASE do! Also please let us know what happens! I am SURE I speak for everyone here on the flob (and perhaps the world!?) when I say that I seriously hope you get this mess all straightened out. I will be waiting with the utmost anticipation to see how this travesty of justice is corrected! :popcorn:[/quote]

Certainly. I’m willing to go as far as complaining/inquiring to the central bank about the local transaction settling. They have their work flow here.
[/quote]

How much will those phone calls cost you? You obviously don’t value your time very highly either, or you would have charged the client more. You have a satisfied customer, next time charge double or triple and don’t quibble over mere pennies. :2cents:

18

You mean I can write over their debt to you? :laughing: Is it possible in Taiwan to transfer third party debt between private people?
I guess its only possible if you’d have Power of Attorney from me in the matter.
Please give me 30 TWD then and I will pass you the info where you can “collect” them back.[/quote]
Nah, I’ll just give you the thirty NT$. I hate to see you in such a state. No need for me to “collect” it back. :bow:

19

[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]
How much will those phone calls cost you? You obviously don’t value your time very highly either, or you would have charged the client more. You have a satisfied customer, next time charge double or triple and don’t quibble over mere pennies. :2cents:[/quote]
I just walk into those banks. They are all nearby where I live. No phone involved.
Those 30 TWD are still in the wrong hands!
Where do you draw the line? 30,100,300,1000,3000?
I had chased banks in Germany before to get my intl. transfer rate down to 5.50 € from 17.50 €.
I complain when something isn’t right.

20

[quote=“engerim”][quote=“Charlie Phillips”]
How much will those phone calls cost you? You obviously don’t value your time very highly either, or you would have charged the client more. You have a satisfied customer, next time charge double or triple and don’t quibble over mere pennies. :2cents:[/quote]
I just walk into those banks. They are all nearby where I live. No phone involved.
Those 30 TWD are still in the wrong hands!
Where do you draw the line? 30,100,300,1000,3000?
I had chased banks in Germany before to get my intl. transfer rate down to 5.50 € from 17.50 €.
I complain when something isn’t right.[/quote]

I should have guessed you weren’t a person to waste money on phonecalls when you can take a bus and complain directly after waiting for the manager to see to your complaint.

One can learn a lot from the Russians. They have suffered much. :slight_smile: