Outraged shopper exposes BIG W's $4,000 shipping fee blunder: 'That is ridiculous!'

When an Australian mother from Singleton, New South Wales, set out to purchase an outdoor play set for her children from BIG W's online store, she was met with an unexpected and jaw-dropping surprise.

The $1,200 item came with a hefty shipping fee, a cost that would make anyone's eyes water.

The astronomical delivery charge sparked a wave of disbelief and anger, not only from the shopper herself but from a community of consumers who were quick to voice their outrage on social media platforms.



The customer expressed her disbelief and frustration on social media.

'How can they charge $4,466 for delivery? BIG W is slowly losing my vote!' she exclaimed.


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A mum was charged $4,466 by BIG W for the delivery of a $1,200 outdoor play set. Image source: Shutterstock.


Her post quickly gained traction, with other shoppers echoing her sentiments and criticising the exorbitant fee.

'That is ridiculous! No one would pay that,' one user commented.

'Jesus, are you ordering a few pallets of bricks? No way normal merchandise would cost that much to send,' another replied.



The play set in question was not shipped directly by BIG W, but by Plum Play, a 'trusted partner' of the retail giant.

This detail led some to speculate that the customer's rural location in the Hunter Valley might have contributed to the inflated shipping cost.

However, the sheer size of the fee left many questioning the weight of the item and the logistics involved.

Other customers reported encountering similarly 'ridiculous' shipping costs for the same item.

Some even reported fees as high as $50,000, while most ranged between $7,000 and $10,000.



In response to the outcry, BIG W confirmed that an 'error on the website' was responsible for the inaccurate delivery charges.

The error has since been corrected, and it's understood that the correct delivery fee to the customer's home should have been around $100.

This fee is determined by the supplier based on location and the weight of the item.

'We were made aware of a delivery calculation error on our website, which has since been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused,' a spokesperson for BIG W said in a statement.



This isn't the first time a website error has caused a stir among BIG W customers.

In 2020, a pricing blunder left shoppers seeing red, and shipping fees were once again brought into question a few months later.

In both instances, BIG W cited a system glitch for the error.
Key Takeaways

  • A BIG W customer experienced a shocking $4,000 shipping fee for an outdoor play set.
  • The error seemed to affect those in rural areas, with others reporting exorbitant shipping fees of up to $50,000 on the same item.
  • BIG W acknowledged the issue and confirmed it was due to a website error that has since been corrected.
  • The company apologised for any inconvenience caused by the inflated delivery cost due to the website glitch.
Have you ever encountered a pricing error while shopping online? Share your experiences in the comments below.
 
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Yes, I agree. I don't buy anything online from Kmart, their delivery fees are ridiculous.
In most cases the delivery is more than the item you are buying.
I don't understand how such a big company charges so much more than everyone else .
 
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I was buying a small package from the US until I saw the shipping cost. The item was a small magnetic ruler that I could not buy in Australia. The item was $55us but the freight was $138 so I quickly cancelled my order. You need to be vigilant when buying online
 
I'm a CPAP user and have bought items from America, paid postage and still saved from 20% TO 50%. Considering some of these items are made in Aust and NZ, it just goes to show how much price gouging is happening. Some brands now forbid the US to post cpap equipment back to Aust so they can make more money out of us. It really is pathetic.
 
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Be careful when ordering gym equipment from Dick Smith/Kogan.
We ordered an exercise bike, and assembled it as per instructions.
All good until we tried it out.
There was a design fault, and Dick Smith agreed to take the item back, in the original packaging, for a full refund.
However, we then received a second email, telling us it would be our expense to cover the freight.
The best quote was $128.
The exercise bike cost $150.
Ended up selling the item "as is" on Gum Tree for $80!
Moral to this story:
* Do not buy heavy items online.
* Always view the item physically instore if possible
* Always ask about "returns policy."

PS: Have bought items from Kogan before - was satisfied with purchase.
 
I'm a CPAP user and have bought items from America, paid postage and still saved from 20% TO 50%. Considering some of these items are made in Aust and NZ, it just goes to show how much price gouging is happening. Some brands now forbid the US to post cpap equipment back to Aust so they can make more money out of us. It really is pathetic.
I have done this but then found I couldn't claim from private health fund. It was still much cheaper anyway, a mask with a lot of spare parts, which actually gave me the right size nasal cushions ( I had been given larger ones here ) and cloth covers for the side straps, was US$75.00 compared to over AUD $300.00. Postage was minimal, may have even been free. The nasal cushions here are about AUD $90 each, and I got three sets included in that package from US.
 
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I was buying a small package from the US until I saw the shipping cost. The item was a small magnetic ruler that I could not buy in Australia. The item was $55us but the freight was $138 so I quickly cancelled my order. You need to be vigilant when buying online
Same with eBay. Be wary of returns policy of the seller.
We bought a Chess Set from eBay.
There was a nice wooden set of chessmen in a box, plus a solid board.
Item was "Postage Free."
When it arrived, it was a plastic bag full of plastic chess pieces, and a folded up piece of vinyl for a "board."
I went back to the original advert on eBay, and found the seller had a "no returns" policy.
When eBay asked for a review, I told the story, but no action taken, even though the goods were not as displayed in the pic.
To be fair, eBay does provide for buyers to ask sellers questions, but ... looking at the picture of the chess set ... what could possibly go wrong?
 
I too was buying from the US a TShirt for $15, the online distributor got in touch with me and informed me that it was going to be $US75.00 to send to Australia, I cancelled the order quick smart.
 
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I have started to find that, comparing product prices, a lower price can incur a higher postage fee! And, comparing American prices with Australian prices for electronic goods, we are being ripped off: sometimes just on product price, and sometimes on shipping fees.
 
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I'm a Temu fan at the moment.
The savings I have enjoyed when setting things up for my 2 new puppies have been nothing short of miraculous. Quality has been pretty good too.
No freight is almost too good to be true.
Does China subsidise freight/postage?
I bought one of those Stirling engines on eBay for grandkids and it was "post-free."
Price was so much better than competitors, but had to wait for 4 weeks to receive it.
Forgot to change my eBay forwarding addess to the Interstate address of family, so forked out an extra $11+ to send it on.
 
I have started to find that, comparing product prices, a lower price can incur a higher postage fee! And, comparing American prices with Australian prices for electronic goods, we are being ripped off: sometimes just on product price, and sometimes on shipping fees.
So true.
We are not getting the benefit of privatisation/franchising-out of Australia Post.
 
Does China subsidise freight/postage?
I bought one of those Stirling engines on eBay for grandkids and it was "post-free."
Price was so much better than competitors, but had to wait for 4 weeks to receive it.
Forgot to change my eBay forwarding addess to the Interstate address of family, so forked out an extra $11+ to send it on.
Not sure if the freight charge is subsidised, or, if they have gigantic storage facility here in OZ. It's possible the different goods are spit up among a heap of local suppliers. However they manage it, I normally don't have a long wait for products.
 
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I'm a Temu fan at the moment.
The savings I have enjoyed when setting things up for my 2 new puppies have been nothing short of miraculous. Quality has been pretty good too.
No freight is almost too good to be true.
Temu has a warehouse in Sydney, so it is not coming directly from China or wherever their company is situated.
 
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I was buying a small package from the US until I saw the shipping cost. The item was a small magnetic ruler that I could not buy in Australia. The item was $55us but the freight was $138 so I quickly cancelled my order. You need to be vigilant when buying online
If you buy anything on line you have to look at the shipping fee and if it is from England maybe an air fare would be cheaper. hahaha
 
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