Hello all...
Just a quick note, I'm sure this has been mentioned before.
When a mail order/Internet merchant receives a sale, they are allowed to charge your card if they expect to ship within a *reasonable* amount of time. Reasonable, as defined by my merchant account bank, is 30 days or less. If your card has been charged and you do not receive product within that time, call your bank and demand a charge back. If you receive a confirmation that an order will ship by a certain date and you do not receive it, call your bank and demand a charge back. Charge backs are a nightmare for merchants. Fines and higher processing rates are the result.
One final note (especially with Internet merchants), sometimes what you may see as a charge is actually just an authorization of your card. The bank *puts aside* the funds waiting for the final charge to go through. You can clarify this with your bank when you see any action on your account. If the sale is not completed within a set period of time (10 days in most cases) the funds are returned to the account.
You might want to call a merchant before placing an Internet order, as many merchants use 'real time' card processing which charges your card regardless of when (if ever) the order is completed. We elect not to use this method for two reasons... it's more expensive for the merchant to process the transactions, and we only charge a cc when an order ships. Consider faxing in an order if available, and be sure to write in BIG bold letters, "You have authorization to apply charges to my account ONLY when order ships", and sign it. That way, if they charge your card prior you can inform your bank.
Hope this helps.
Geri Weaver
Geared Up!
www.geared-up.com
New look... same great service.