Is Sony Ripping Me Off?

I just bought a Z series with the minimum configuration. I'm a student and I had to work really hard for every dollar I put into that machine, but I absolutely loved it when I saw it at my local computer store. I bought it online because that's the only way I can get the Z for 1800.

So, to get to the point, I live in Maryland, and as far as I know, Sony has no stores in Maryland. We have 6% sales tax, which is $100 on the Z. To some of you, that may not be much, but to me, that's huge. Since Sony has no stores in Maryland, shouldn't they not charge me sales tax? Newegg never charges me sales tax for that reason, so why is Sony?

Thanks

 

Sorry if this doesn't come off as too meaningful , but I get charged sales tax by Newegg here in CA (At 8.25% too!).

The only thing I can really say is: are you sure there aren't any Sony stores in Maryland? I'm not too experienced when it comes to sales tax policies online, but from what I've read, having a store in the state you reside in makes you eligible for the tax (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'd say that there is a store in your state that you might not have known about.

Have you already tried calling them about your inquiry?

 

There aren't any sonystyle stores in Maryland listed on the site. The closest ones are in Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania. I tried to call, but the Sony Reps take off early on weekends and get Sunday off. Thanks for the help

 

The reason Sony is charging you tax is the same as the reason Dell or HP are charging you tax. I don't remember why, but it is something about since they sell nationally, so they can tax every state. Something like that.

 

A friend of mine in Wyoming bought a Sony and didn't get charged his sales tax, though.

 

I guess the same.. dell, hp, lenovo, sony.. they all tax all states... I dont really know why, but yes,, something like selling nationally.. or somthing like that

 

I look forward with my conversation with the Rep on Monday (Tuesday maybe, if they give them Monday off). Thanks, everybody, for the help. Any other recommendations?

 

IIRC they have a department out in Cali

Thats definitely something you should look into OP, especially because you know someone who didnt get taxed.

 

Is there anyone else out there who ordered a Z who wants to share their sales tax (or lack thereof) experiences?

 

if you definitely know that your friend did not pay taxes in Wyoming.. I think you should talk to the reps and should be able to convince them..

 

Do you know about the $100-off discount when mentioning the ebates cashback offer on the phone? Even though you've already ordered, try mentioning that the next time you call and hopefully they'll apply the discount.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=277440

 

Internet Sales Tax Rules:

A company must charge sales tax if it has a physical presence within the State (i.e. stores, warehouses, offices, etc...). A company does not have to, but can, charge sales tax in States for which it does not have a physical presence.

For large companies, like Sony, HP, and Dell, it's easier (and more cost efficient) to charge sales tax in all states, than it is to keep a legal division and have it scrutinize the tax laws in each state, or to risk being sued by a state.

For small companies, or companies that are extremely focused on price (Newegg, Amazon), it's more beneficial to not charge sales tax to reduce the bottom-line price on merchandise. Since these companies have little to no retail presence, the risk of running afoul of individual state tax laws is much smaller.

Either way, Maryland has a 6% sales tax and a 6% use tax, so legally, you'd have to pay the $100 no matter what.

 

I know that on the Lenovo site, it says that because they "operate" in all states or something similar to that (could only be the continuous 48, but I think it's all 50), they charge tax to them. I think that companies just use it to cover their bases or something. I dunno.

But yeah, almost all states charge a sales tax that you would have to report anyway at tax time, even if you didn't pay for it at purchase.

 

But when you put in a Wyoming zip code into the tax calculator, it comes up with no tax. I find that a bit odd.

Edit: Thanks, bogart, for the 100 off. I'll mention it and see if they'll give it to me. Otherwise, I'll cancel and redo the order. I still don't completely understand it though

 

Hmm, maybe it's like Oregon. I know that if you buy anything in Oregon Retail, you don't pay tax. At least where I've shopped there anyway.

Maybe some states don't, or maybe they do. Maybe Sony doesn't "operate" in all 50 states or something like that. I'm sure they have a lot of stores in many states, but hm.

I hope you get that 100 off though, so it will help with the tax thing.

 

Yeah, it could be just that in Wyoming the tax for electronics is 0%.

 

I checked that out. No tax breaks for that (says wikipedia). If they're in tomorrow I'll yell and scream a bit and see where it leads me

 

Hm.... That is very odd then. I would have no clue why. That leads me to believe that Sony doesn't have any operations in Wyoming then? Very strange.

Good luck, you might be able to make a case about how your state doesn't have any Sony Style stores. Definitely use Wyoming too for help, because that is very odd.

 

If they won't give, I'll call the state office that deals with sales taxes and see what they have to say

 

Read this: http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/obj...9-FECA-4AF7-A0E454029D2AEA58/111/277/167/ART/

Then call sony, cancel your order, hangup, call back again, reorder, but this time get it shipped to someone you know in Delaware.

 

Just because Sony doesn't have a sony style store in Maryland does not mean that they don't have some sort of retail presence there that would make them legally obligated to collect sales tax.

Anyways, per the sonystyle site:
Sony automatically computes and adds sales tax in compliance with government tax laws; Sony charges sales tax for orders shipped to all states except the following: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wyoming.

 

And when I google "sony maryland", I see 3 different offices for "Sony Electronics Inc." in the state.

 

But let me be a little more useful:
How about ordering from Portable One? Their cheapest Z-series laptop is $1699, and there should not be any sales tax.

Do you have a sony card? If you apply for one, you would get $150 off the laptop + enough sony points to get a $90 sony style gift certificate.

Do you have an older Dell laptop with at least 1.4ghz Pentium M? If so, sony will give you $450 for trading it in and buying a sony business laptop.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I have the sonycard. I'd buy from p1 any day, except that the 300 off of the 2 year adh warranty makes it much better than p1 for the next day. I got the sony card and used it, so it should lop off a nice chunk. I'll talk to them about the ebates price match thing and see if they'll take off a little more. The more the better! Thanks for all the help mugsy (+lots of rep)!

 

Well, good luck then. I will PM you if I ever see a good deal. Also, if you do go through sony style and do not care for any of their accessories (i.e. you just want the warranty), you can adjust your cart and get 2 sets of neoprene cases to maximize the bundle deal.

 

Yes I got two neoprene cases aswell.

HOWEVER,

You may want to see if a friend or loved one needs a case for their laptop. If it's not 13.3 inch, NO PROBLEM! Just browse through VAIO accessories on top (click COMPUTERS then Accessories & Extras then VAIO PC Accessories) then choose a case or accesory that is compatible with your friend or loved one's laptop and add it to your cart. The discount will still work even if the accessory is not for your particular model/size of your VAIO notebook.

I got a 13.3 inch neoprene case for me and a larger one for my dad's laptop

 

Okay, thanks for the tip. =)