Luggage storage at Circular Quay, SYD

[lorri111]

Will be getting early into Sydney prior to our cruise so looking for possible storage of hand luggage for a few hours. I was looking at Bounce but it seems to be $22 for 2 bags (online bookings only apparently) and reviews from last year indicate it was charging a foreign transaction fee for booking even though local card used. I am bemused by this, does anyone have recent knowledge? Sounds very dodgy to me if so, and not sure it is secure storage, just in cafe? Another option, what time can you drop off bags prior to a cruise, and does this include hand baggage (with tag)?

Edited February 23 by lorri111

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, lorri111 said:

Will be getting early into Sydney prior to our cruise so looking for possible storage of hand luggage for a few hours. I was looking at Bounce but it seems to be $22 for 2 bags (online bookings only apparently) and reviews from last year indicate it was charging a foreign transaction fee for booking even though local card used. I am bemused by this, does anyone have recent knowledge? Sounds very dodgy to me if so, and not sure it is secure storage, just in cafe? Another option, what time can you drop off bags prior to a cruise, and does this include hand baggage (with tag)?

It seems strange that Bounce payments would incur a foreign transaction fee unless those payments somehow go though an overseas bank. That may happen if the Bounce storage system is an international set-up, working through local shops/cafes, and payment to Bounce are processed overseas.

 

You can drop-off baggage at the cruise terminal from around 8:30am. However there is no storage facility there for things like hand baggage that you would wish to retrieve before boarding. All baggage handed in to the baggage drop-off is taken onboard and delivered to your cabin. You will need to keep your hand baggage with you. Perhaps minimize what you need to carry on with you - valuables, medical needs etc - so they are easy to take with you while sightseeing.

 

 

 

 

[lorri111]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It seems strange that Bounce payments would incur a foreign transaction fee unless those payments somehow go though an overseas bank. That may happen if the Bounce storage system is an international set-up, working through local shops/cafes, and payment to Bounce are processed overseas.

 

You can drop-off baggage at the cruise terminal from around 8:30am. However there is no storage facility there for things like hand baggage that you would wish to retrieve before boarding. All baggage handed in to the baggage drop-off is taken onboard and delivered to your cabin. You will need to keep your hand baggage with you. Perhaps minimize what you need to carry on with you - valuables, medical needs etc - so they are easy to take with you while sightseeing.

 

 

 

 

As someone pointed out, their website is ".com" not ".com.au" so I suspect it is an international set up. I am glad I found out as I would have been annoyed if I had found it out after paying online. I figure I don't need my hand baggage (which is all I am taking) before boarding, so if I keep electronics on me it might be safe to leave with ship drop off.

[cruiser3775]

Bounce is a large multi national organisation, so that explains the foreign exchange transaction fee. But it would be helpful if they were upfront about it before you choose which credit card to use. The Circular Quay location is fronted by a restaurant, but the actual storage is not part of it, so it is not a security risk.

Edited February 23 by cruiser3775

[arxcards]

The bounce online payment is processed in $AU at an overseas bank, hence the charge. It is your bank that charges the fee, not Bounce. Bounce is charging you in $AU, and are not required to advise the payment will be processed outside of Australia. 

 

We will drop all luggage we won't need and that leaves us travelling light. It is more than just valuables, electronics & documents though, as we hang on to anything we will need till dinner in case of delayed luggage to our cabin.

[lorri111]

13 minutes ago, arxcards said:

The bounce online payment is processed in $AU at an overseas bank, hence the charge. It is your bank that charges the fee, not Bounce. Bounce is charging you in $AU, and are not required to advise the payment will be processed outside of Australia. 

 

We will drop all luggage we won't need and that leaves us travelling light. It is more than just valuables, electronics & documents though, as we hang on to anything we will need till dinner in case of delayed luggage to our cabin.

ACCC consider it would be a misleading practice not to inform consumers ...

 

If you process payments outside of Australia, you should alert your customers before entering into a transaction with them if they are likely to be charged international transaction fees.

https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/1651FAC_FX busines guide Disclosure D02.pdf

[arxcards]

21 minutes ago, lorri111 said:

ACCC consider it would be a misleading practice not to inform consumers ...

 

If you process payments outside of Australia, you should alert your customers before entering into a transaction with them if they are likely to be charged international transaction fees.

https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/1651FAC_FX busines guide Disclosure D02.pdf

Misleading in Australia, sure, but part of normal practice in much of the world. At this stage you can only report it as a breach, choose not to use them, or pay with a card that doesn't charge international fees.

 

It is one of those toothless ACCC guidelines that advise best practice. There is no legal requirement at this stage, and ACCC hasn't taken any steps toward enforcement since publishing those guidelines in 2019. Their main target is for those web/ebay/marketplace/FB pages that pretend to be Australian, but only have an Australian online storefront for goods being sold out of Asia. Another concern is that ACCC publishes a document where they can't spell business correctly.