| Credit
Cards |
Processing
credit card payments over the Internet is very safe
provided the WWW site you are planning to use has implemented a secure
payment system. Most small retailers will use a payment
system
from one of the major banks or financial organisations. These
include
- WorldPay (Royal Bank of Scotland)
- Barclays Merchant Services
- Streamline (NatWest)
- HSBC
- PayPal (owned by EBay and used
mainly on the EBay site)
- NoChex
- Protex
These systems are extremely secure as your credit card details are
NEVER given to the retailer. The processor simply tells the
retailer
that you have paid the money and passes them the total amount paid and
usually the address of the card holder.
If there is a problem with these transactions the processor will
normally refund your money then reclaim it from the retailer so you
don't need to worry.
If the site you are using accepts credit card payments check to make
sure it uses a secure processing system like the ones above
|
| Phone
Ordering |
Some
retailers will offer a phone ordering service. This means
you will be giving the retailer your full credit card details over the
phone.
The vast majority of times this will be perfectly safe but you
may want to be more careful with this system. NEVER give your
card details to someone who phones you up (unless you are certain they
are who they claim to be)
|
| E-mail
Ordering |
Never
give
your credit card details in an e-mail. E-mailing credit card details
may invalidate any fraud protection your credit card offers. If this is
the only payment option offered We would advise against buying
If an E-mail is sent to you asking you to confirm your credit card
or bank details on a www site DO NOT click on any
links or buttons on the e-mail. These e-mails are fraudulent and are
attempting to capture your credit card details.
|
| Delivery |
Most
retailers will tell you if they have the item in stock or if they need
to order it for you. They should also give an expected delivery time.
In most cases goods will be shipped by Royal Mail or by Couriers.
Royal Mail expect 90% of items send first class to arrive by
the
next working day but items can take up to 15 working days before Royal
Mail consider them 'lost'. If an item is slow to arrive check with the
retailer to confirm when it was dispatched. Goods are the
retailers responsibility until they have arrived.
|
| Sending
Parcels to other addresses |
Most
Credit
card fraud occurs when goods are sent to different addresses. Some
retailers will send goods to an address other than the card
holder address but under these circumstances the retailer has less
protection against fraud so please be understanding if a retailer cannot do this or requests an
additional charge.
|
| Refunds |
Most
retailers, and every retailer on the TrustedSellers www site, will
have a refund policy that matches or exceeds the legal requirements of
the Distance Selling Regulations. Simply put you have 7 days
from
receipt to return the goods for ANY reason (simply not liking them IS
enough) for a full refund of the purchase price. Some
retailers
will refund postage but this is not compulsory. There are
limitations for some goods (Food, Cosmetics, Pierced Earings, Custom
Made or Special Order items etc) and
the goods must be unused and still in a saleable condition. Note: This
only applies to UK sellers selling to UK buyers outside the UK other
rules may apply.
Check your retailer is based in the UK
|
| Faulty
Goods |
If
goods are faulty or develop a fault soon after purchase then you can
return them for a full refund or exchange - the decision to refund or
exchange is up to the sellers. The retailer may require the faulty item
to be returned (they will cover the cost of return if it is a valid
fault). After six
months the retailer can refer you to
the manufacturer for any warranty repairs. Please note:
Damage
due to normal wear and tear, consumable items or misuse of the item is
not normally covered.
Check your retailer has a refund policy
|
How Do I
Contact the
WWW Site
Owner? |
All
Internet Retailers must include a contact name, address and phone
number on their www site (EBay retailers will have this information
stored with EBay and they can give it to you on request). If
you
have problems please contact the retailer first and most will be happy
to help. All TrustedSellers have contact details available.
Check that the retailer has contact details available (either on the
site or via EBay)
|
| What
If I'm Still Having Problems? |
If
you didn't receive the goods please contact the retailer first as
things do get lost or delayed in the post and most will send a
duplicate for you. If that doesn't work and you paid by credit card
then contact your credit card company to arrange a refund.
If the goods are faulty, dangerous or fake then contact your local
trading standards office as well as your credit card company.
If you have problems with a TrustedSellers retailer and you can't get
satisfaction from them please let us know at report@trustedsellers.co.uk
and we will do our best
to help. |
This HMSO publication gives a good all around guide to your rights and what to
do if you have problems |
|