Review of Icewear


Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Misleading sales pitch - VAT refund

I made a large purchase at icewear Artic Explorer in Reykjavik on July 12,
2023. Was a visitor in Iceland off Cunard
ship. Signs all over store indicating VAT refund available. I was hesitant at first, however was assured by staff in store that VAT would be reimbursed as customs
agent would be available at ship prior to our departure. With this in mind spent more money then intended. Very
disappointed that the VAT refund information was not correct and I felt that staff openly
used this as a sales pitch to encourage sales. Icewear is a huge business
in Iceland , and I feel victim to the sales pitch. I spent the amount of money expecting a VAT refund that apparently is only available at
airport. Customs officer are not mandated on departing cruise ships. I wrote to Iceland government and wrote complaint to Icewear asking for the amount I should have received in VAT refund as a credit to my card. This was not considered and I was offered a gift card instead. I don’t want to spend more money at Icewear. Shame on Icewear for taking advantage of visitors to their country.

12 July 2023
Unprompted review

Reply from Icewear

Hi Christine,
We're sorry about the misunderstanding surrounding the VAT refund.
We were informed wrong about how VAT is handled onboard cruise ships and we are correcting how we tell customers about Taxfree.
All tourists have the right to VAT refund, but when traveling by cruise ships the ship has to arrange for customs to pick up the refund forms.
We hope you otherwise liked your trip to Iceland.

Kind regards
Icewear support