The consumerist does know the difference between shipping and handling, right?

Come on, we all know that handling is the larger cost of "shipping and handling".

And we all know that a good handling is worth the extra cost.

What if I don't want them to handle it?

Uh oh, call Dr. Nick, looks like somebodies broke their funny bone!

@ffmariners: You do know that a ginormous handling charge defeats the purpose of "free shipping", right?

@CaptainCynic:

"Come on, we all know that handling is the larger cost of "shipping and handling".

And we all know that a good handling is worth the extra cost."

Really?? That is the dumbest comment I have seen in a while. The laptop is already packaged in a secure box, wehther it is shipped or picked up from a retailer. The only handling involved here is picking the laptop from the bin and putting it on the conveyor belt. End of story.

eCOST used to pull the same thing before (don't know if they still do) so I never ordered anything from them ever again (one and done!). They charge you with the handling fee, you know, the carton box, shipping styros, bubble wrap and alike. Only came up on the last step of payment.

@impudence: I will sell you a sence of humor at a good price.

@impudence: I'm pretty sure your comment was more dumb, seeing how you apparently completely missed the sarcasm in it.

@CaptainCynic: How much 'handling' actually gets done these days? Is it really $20 worth?

What if you want extra handling?

@fluiddruid: And the buyer can very well decide that.

But the presence of a handling charge does not mean the shipping is not free...

@Meisterjager: It was a veiled reference to a manual act of sexual gratification. Try some coffee, it'll help you wake up. :)

Isn't shipping usually like $50? A large portion of that actually is handling. Shipping is pretty cheap, esp. for big companies because of the fact that they get huge shipping volume discounts. HOWEVER, whoever was the brain child of this sales gimmick is an idiot.

@impudence: Who packages it in a secure box and moves pallets of it around and then puts them in their alotted warehouse space? Gateway. It's not like Best Buy is charging a handling charge here(that would be more asinine as they actually have miniscule handling charges comparitively).

like what you get on ebay - where i once bought some shelves for 2 dollars and paid like 120 in shipping&handling, specified by the seller.

i didn't mind because it cost about the same in total as buying it elsewhere...

If I ask them NOT to handle it at all, can I get it sent for free? I'm thinking they could just nudge it with their feet!

:}}

@edosan:
That will cost you double.

Gateway is, and always has been, a joke. I bought one product from Gateway about 7 years ago, it broke after less than a year. Gateway advised me that I could ship it back to them for $35 and wait months to have it repaired. I opted to trash it and never buy anything from them again.

Isn't handling the cost of doing business? When I buy cereal at the grocery store I don't pay extra because the stock boy "handled" it. If I bought a computer from Best Buy have me committed. But, if I did, I wouldn't pay extra because they "handled" it.

Good gods. Do any of these PC guys know shame?

@edbro: I don't understand when people say they don't pay 'x fee' when they buy 'y item.' Sure you do... they just don't highlight it and seperate out the fee. Whether it is hidden or shown up front, you are paying it.

@Trai_Dep: Nope, probably why they are all consolidating.

The sipping is free, so no big deal. That is a huge savings. $20 is not a huge handling charge on a computer costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I prefer a non-broken computer than a broken one.

Daniel

Handling fees are BS anyway. How is the amount of handling _any_ different if I go to a brick and mortar store and they have to go get the product of a high shelf in the back?

If you have to pay employees as part of your business, that should be reflected in the price of the item, not tacked on as an extra fee in a smaller font below the price. They might as well be charging me extra "building rent fees" to cover the cost of their warehouse at that point.

When I have the handling costs brought into question on my ebay sales, I state that not only is it the materials and time to pack the item, but also the time/gas it takes for me to bring the stuff to the post office.

So in this case, the handling might be to cover the infrastructure the have set up to processes orders and get them out the door. Granted, I'd figure that'd be factored into the cost of doing business (and thus the cost of the product)...but you can't deny some handling needs to be done.

I'm a musician, and I'll Handel it for you for free.

If freedom isn't free, why should free shipping be free?

The issue for me is not that there's a handling fee, but that it's so high. Either they're pocketing some of that money or their warehouse/shipping overhead is ridiculous.

@Daniel: To me, part of ordering a computer is the specification that it is not broken. So really, to say "I prefer a non-broken computer than a broken one," miss the point.

Charging seperate fee for shipping makes sense because there is many options for shipping kinds. But charging a seperate handling fee does not make sense, because sending the customer a not-broken computer should be taken as granted.

I prefer extra handling. I don't think $20 will cover the amount of handling I want.

It's just profit relabled as something else.

Just like a car dealer saying they'll sell you a car at invoice price, as long as you pay a $300 "document fee."

and let's talk about rustproofing! Those Gateways'll rust up on ya like that!

-a vague simpsons reference to the Colecos one salesman tried to sell at Springfield elementary school.

"Free shipping" is just a marketing gag. It doesn't exist. It's always built into the price. You are always paying for it.

@Dakine:
It's Ok. I know a place in New Orleans that does a great job of handling for $20.

Gateway, first you lock-down your towers so securely that you literally have to break the case to get inside (and thereby voiding your warranty); now this?

Just crawl in a hole and die already. HP even makes far superior systems than you...

Handling is not BS - it is a cost associated with the labor, material and warehouse fee per item shipped. Any smart company makes this part of their overall cost of operation and doesn't need to itemize it per purchase.

@ffmariners:

If you buy something in a brick and mortar store all the shipping and handling is included in the displayed price. There's no additional charge because it came over from China and had to go through customs. You don't pay extra because someone has to go back to the storeroom and get it for you. Why should mail order companies be any different?

You know, no one would have batted an eye if they just charged $969.99 for the laptop with free shipping and handling.

@celticgina: Gateway charges about $50 for footling. You're better off just paying the handling fee.

Handling these days is often little more than placing an item in a box with marginal amounts (and sometimes no) packing material. It may even be done mostly by machine.

I've notice most sites that offer free shipping aren't really great deals. It's usually only one shipping method that's free and that would be whichever method is slowest and cheapest.

This practice is not limited to Gateway. Dell does the same thing. I think Dell charged me a $25 handling fee for my "free shipping" a couple of years ago.

I guess if shipping and handling usually cost $50, then $20 just for the handling doesn't seem so bad, I guess. Maybe still a little high. It can't take but a minute for someone trained to get one ready for shipping and maybe a few bucks for box,packing materials etc...

Then I don't know how many one work packs up a day. If one guy is doing 50 laptops a day @ $20 a pop handling charge to the customer. I think that more than covers that persons payroll,benefits, materials and leaves a profit it there.

There is no way the box and container pieces cost $20.

And it's false advertising to say free if it's not free. Somebody who purchased should sue just for fun / principle.

Handling isn't enough, I'm also going to need my order packaged, plied, and processed. That means even more fees, please.

@Consumer007: It is a shipping and handling fee, they only said the shipping portion was free.

The lawsuit probably wouldn't get to the actual lawsuit before the judge dismissed it.

Free chicken sandwich! 20 cent pickle charge applies.

This is just them playing games with the pricing. They quote you a low price on the product but you can't actually buy it for that - there's some mandatory additional charges that make the final price higher.

It's very close to fraud - the company can allocate costs any way they want, but it's important that they advertise the sale price honestly.

My masseuse charges a $20 handling fee, because calling it "happy ending fee" got her in trouble with the law.

Hidden fees?

Nothing new here. Hidden fees have been the way of life long before any of us were born.

As long as "Price" is the focus of customers rather than "Landed Cost", this type of hidden BS will continue.