Rip-Off Britain
Rip-Off Britain is an expression coined in the early years of the 21st century to describe dissatisfaction with certain products costing more in the United Kingdom than in the some other countries, especially certain members of the EU and the United States. Such complaints are particularly prevalent in the media when the pound is strong, as this makes overseas prices lower in sterling terms.
Campaigns
One of the first campaigns aimed at lowering prices in Britain was aimed at car dealerships. There was subsequently a period of deflation of list prices of new cars in the UK, leaving them much closer to the EU average. However, it had previously been commonplace for carbuyers to be able to negotiatate substantial discounts from dealers. When list prices came down the availability and size of discounts fell, cancelling out some of the headline gain.
Rip-Off Britain Today
Other products which still cost significantly more in Britain include:
- CDs and DVDs
- iTunes Music Store songs
- Electrical Goods
The defence generally used by companies subjected to "rip-off" complaints is that some of their fixed costs are higher in the United Kingdom than elsewhere. The amount of substance to this defence varies from case to case. Also, the level of indirect taxation applied to some products, such as alcoholic drinks and tobacco, varies widely from country to country.