BIG W Backflips On $15 Layby Fee

BIG W has reversed its decision to charge customers a $15 non-refundable service fee on lay-bys, reducing the unpopular charge to just $3.

In June last year, the retailers quietly hiked its lay-by service fee from $5 to $15, not long before its popular Toy Mania Sale. The cancellation fee also leapt from $12 to $20, raising the ire of lay-by regulars.

A post detailing the changes last year attracted hundreds of comments in the BIG W MUMS AUSTRALIA Facebook group, with the move labelled as ‘pure profit greed’.

“Holy shomoses that’s ludicrous, I definitely won’t be making any lay-bys.”

“Wow, that’s a huge service fee just to place a lay-by!”

“That’s bloody ridiculous. I’ll be thinking twice about doing a lay-by now. Might just put money aside and do a big shop when another decent sale comes on.”

BIG W Lay-By Fee changes

Irate shoppers have also taken to the BIG W Facebook page to voice their concern.

“When was BIG W going to post the lay-by changes absolutely ridiculous increase $5. to $15.00? Not everyone has finance and the elderly who use it a lot. Shame BIG W.”

“Elderly don’t have Zip or Afterpay and every BIG W near myself store all Xmas lay-by etc on site. Absolutely ridiculous.”

However, there are also plenty of shoppers who support the fee increases.

“I feel like it’s to stop people lay-bying and then constantly cancelling them to get better deals.”

“See I agree with it. So many people lay by a ridiculous amount of items that they won’t pay off / collect. This may deter a few of those people. They store the lay by for 6 months so it works out $2.50 a month for the convenience of being able to pay it off and having somewhere to store it.”

A BIG W spokesperson told Mouths of Mums at the time that there are several reasons behind the fee increases.

“Whilst we try our best to avoid any increase in administration and cancellation fees, this has come into effect due to an increase in the costs of managing and storing goods for Lay-by, as well as a rise in the number of orders that are later cancelled.

“These changes will ensure we can maintain our ability to continue to offer Lay-by as an option. For those looking for alternatives to Lay-by, we offer buy now, pay later options including Afterpay and Zip Pay.”

However, it now appears BIG W has reversed this decision, with its lay-by page confirming each lay-by will now attract a one-off, non-refundable $3 service fee. The $20 cancellation fee remains.

Did the fee increases put you off lay-bys at BIG W? Let us know in the comments below.

88 Comments

- - mom321189 said
  - 06 Jun 2022
    9:48 pm
I am not a fan of laybys for toys that most kids will not use for along time. Id rather buy books whenver i spot a good one and keep it as presents. I might consider art and crafts too but only buy if its a good deal and on budget. Not laybys as it still means debt.

- - mom335207 said
  - 06 Jun 2022
    8:17 pm
Wow this seems a bit rich! I know so many people that use the toy sale layby to help save and budget for Christmas presents….. this just makes it harder!

- - rovermum said
  - 06 Jun 2022
    12:29 pm
I haven’t put a layby on at Big W in so long. I now just purchase on my Visa Debit Card. If I can’t afford it, I don’t buy it.

- - mom488299 said
  - 05 Jun 2022
    4:38 pm
I have contacted Big W online and via Messenger to say they have lost me as a customer because of this. I was using their Lay By as a budgeting tool. Now it’s just another way of ripping off people like me, who can barely scrape by as it is. It’s absolutely appalling to think how little they value their loyal customers. Well, they’ve lost me.

- - Amanda Holland said
  - 05 Jun 2022
    9:12 am
I haven’t had a lay-by at target or big w for years, so it doesn’t affect me

- - KellyB said
  - 05 Jun 2022
    8:32 am
It has been a while since I put anything on layby so this won’t impact me too much.
I wonder when the last price increase actually was?
If you consider it like a storage fee I can understand why it has increased…with more online shopping finding a place to store items at the back of the store is probably more difficult now

- - Nic said
  - 05 Jun 2022
    7:28 am
I have never used lay-by but can see how this price hike would hurt especially since our everyday items have increased so much recently.

- - BellaB said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    8:23 pm
The cancellation fee seems fair enough.
- Mum2archer replied
  
  06 Jun 2022 , 11:21 pm
  I agree. Obviously it’s a problem so they are doing something about it. I don’t use layby anyway so it doesnt effect me
- - mom160270 said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    7:58 pm
We expect price hikes with everything these days, but this jump in prices is very steep.

- - mom485263 said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    1:38 pm
A very big price increase in layby fees. I can partially understand the increase in cancellation fees but the fees to just put on a layby seems a bit steep. I wonder if other stores are increasing their fees as well?

- - mom223151 said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    12:23 pm
It’s a bit extravagant in one sense, but as a business I do see the logic behind the increase.
Not sure what I will do now, maybe get on Afterpay. Need to think about this lay-by with Big W.

- - WilFox said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    9:30 am
Well… Big W has now lost me as a layby customer. Not only you gotta cough up the $20 fee plus the % deposit of the actual layby. Not everyone is in a financial position to have that $20. Especially the elderly or disability pensioners or people on low income.
I can understand the cancellation fee in some ways as its time, process and admin but unfortunately, some people financially hit a brick wall to why they cannot pay off a layby or keep up woth the fortnightly requirements.
I am disappointed in Big W. They really push to be caring to their customers but guess profit is more important. Us customers have already copped inflation on groceries, fuel, energy… now a layby fee. What a complete joke.

- - Bitsnbobs said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    9:01 am
Sounds like they’re trying to get rid of the lay by system by making it unattractive for their customers.

- - mom486400 said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    5:08 am
$15? That’s steep compared to other places that layby. Also quite disappointing capitalising on profit from families just before the toy sale.

- - Ellen said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    4:24 am
I don’t understand the anger and shaming of some people. When you think the fee is too much for whatever reason, than go somewhere else. Are the prices to high and you can’t afford it, than don’t buy it.
- mom486446 replied
  
  04 Jun 2022 , 11:10 am
  Of course people can’t afford it! That is why people place things on lay-by. Is that such a foreign notion to you? That people are on a fixed income, and yet still need to buy things?
  
  This is ridiculous, and nothing more than a push for people to use buy now, pay later programs.
- - ~Loui~ said
  - 04 Jun 2022
    12:34 am
I never knew that there were fees attached to Laybys at all. $15 is quite a significant fee, I, fortunately, don’t need to use laybys, but I imagine this will make it difficult for some people.

- - mom466087 said
  - 03 Jun 2022
    10:38 pm
Wow! Good to know before the toy sale!

- - kikidaz12 said
  - 03 Jun 2022
    10:24 pm
Wowsers! What an increase.

Last year it took a month AFTER I paid for my layby for them to even look for the layby. The service was atrocious and missed my daughters birthday presents in the process. Very disappointing. I didn’t cancel even though they stuffed up.

I wasn’t planning on laybying this year, this has made certain that I won’t

- - mom265671 said
  - 03 Jun 2022
    10:15 pm
Definitely doesnt help those families who have very little

- - mom339095 said
  - 03 Jun 2022
    10:03 pm
Wow! I haven’t used laybu for a number of years…because I’m just not that organised, everything is last minute for me ????????‍♀️ Didn’t even realise layby had an extra charge.