Submit: Great giffgaff Ideas

[#1]

I've struggled to get a VAT invoice for my first top up (thanks for the help Shaun!). This will be an increasingly frequent problem both for me personally and for giffgaff going forward as more companies realise that it is actually cheaper for many staff to go PAYG than be on expensive contracts. It saves my company a small fortune!

There is an easy solution to this for giffgaff IMHO based on the following:

1. You already have some sort of ecommerce system backend otherwise you couldn't process the payments. This will include some sort of internal unique invoice number
2. Just display a receipt (or email one automatically) and include the giffgaff VAT and internal invoice numbers somewhere on it . If people want it, they can print it out and if they don't, they save a tree
3. This saves giffgaff the cost of a stamp and a whole lot of needless pain

HTH

[#2]

One problem I can see is that the T&Cs state that any use must be for personal use only, not commercial. I don't understand why PAYG can't be used by businesses, except for a desire by the operators to make more money by requiring a contract

[#3]

The commercial element that you refer to is whereby a bank of SIM's may be used in a machine to utilise the free data - therefore routing traffic through a giffgaff SIM, or some other way of people effectively wholesaling airtime through a giffgaff SIM.

So legitimate use as a business phone is of course fine

Cheers,

Vincent

[#4]

Hi all, We can't implement this as a feature on our website this purely because the amount of people who need a VAT invoice is very low and cost of developing this is quite high. We are very happy to provide them on a case by case basis. So if you have a need, please contact one of our friendly agents and they will take care of it for you. Many thanks, Vincent

[#5]

I don't understand why cost of doing this is high.  A full VAT invoice is not required - all that is needed is a simplified form - as applicable to purchases for less than £250.  (which is fine for a business to use to reclaim).  (See below).  This can also be done electronically (also see below).

The numbers who might need this is probably very low because the terms and conditions say that it can only be used for private, personal and non-commercial use - which now seems to be not strictly true - but probably not many people who might be thinking about using giffgaff for business would look into it further and just take this at face value.

Really all that would be required would be a webpage which takes purchase info as given in 'My account' /Order History, and just adds giffgaffs name and address, VAT registration number, and stating that the charge includes VAT at 17.5% or whatever the rate is at the time.  This is static text (as long as VAT rate stays the same).  The technical dynamic info - date charged, amount, what charged for, is already done - as given in account info page.  You can even leave in zero charged items as given in account history if filtering these out is too hard and expensive.

So if ok to use giffgaff for business, and not hard at all to do, why has this been given status of 'not suitable'?

See HMRC:  http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/managing/charging/vat-invoices.htm

Electronic VAT invoicing

You can issue, receive and store your VAT invoices in electronic format. You don't need to tell HMRC if you plan to issue, receive and/or store invoices electronically.

Where simplified or modified VAT invoices can be issued Simplified VAT invoices

If you make retail sales and you make a sale of goods or services for £250 or less including VAT, then when a customer asks for a VAT invoice, you can issue a simplified VAT invoice that only needs to show:

• the seller's name and address
• the seller's VAT registration number
• the time of supply (tax point)
• a description of the goods or services

Also, if the supply includes items at different VAT rates then for each different VAT rate, your simplified VAT invoice must also show:

• the total price including VAT
• the VAT rate applicable to the item

If you accept credit cards, then you can create a less detailed invoice by adapting the sales voucher you give the cardholder when you make the sale. It must show the information described in the six bullets above

You do need to keep copies of any less detailed invoices you issue.

[#6]

I agree, this should be really easy - as easy as printing a receipt on a piece of stationery

If you can create a webpage, it should be easy to convert what you already have to produce an abbreviated VAT invoice

(I don't know about the technical background to producing the stationery, but I could do it.  I am however a qualified VAT consultant, so I can confirm that there is hardly any info needed that isn't already there - think of a supermarket receipt - the info is very limited, but its enough)

[#7]

It's not suitable because the number of people who need it is too low for us to spend money on developing it. And if you need it, all you need to do, is simply send a message to us via 'Ask an Agent' and request a VAT invoice.

It's a pretty simple solution I think for those few people who do need it.

[#8]

Hi

I'm adding my name to the list. Please add your name too if you would like  a VAT invoice feature to be added.

Kevin Smith

[#9]

I'm adding my name to the list too

I'd like have VAT too

it's really not difficult - any anyone saying it is, is pulling the wool!

 ............Even if you just allow it for goody bags!!!

Surely all you have to do is recreate the details of the credit card page under an Order Confirmation screen and make sure it states::

giffgaff Limited, registered in England and Wales, registered office address: 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX, UK (company number 4196996)(VAT GB12345XXX)  {Datestamp - date only}

-Provision of telephony services

- Price Shown includes VAT at [17.5%]

- You have paid £XXX.XX  

If there is a button marked Print VAT, this could simply cause a print function at the user's end and storage at your end in case of a VAT inspection enquiry 

We had it added to our online site function and the programming company charged us £325+VAT for this!!!

I agree with Richard Yates - adding this function is trivial and those of us who can claim back phone VAT on our personal phones wouldn't need to  keep "Asking an Agent"

Alternatively simply add a button that automatically asks an agent to send the VAT invoice onto the registered e-mail account. This could even have a do this every time I top up box .... that way auto-top up would be covered

PLEASE ...........