Charged before item is in stock

[Guest2]

I have recently ordered something online and it was showing in stock at the time. I checked later after I ordered and it changed to out of stock - I thought I had may have ordered the last one

Upon checking my order status it says

'This order will state "Pending" status until back in stock (expected around 9/20)'

Payment has already been taken via Paypal. I have emailed the company stating I would like a refund but not heard anything yet.

I thought usually payment is taken for something when it is in stock (which it was showing when I ordered it anyway)

 

[Fenris]

Just contact them, find out when they will have more and if you want a refund then, ask for it and they should give it to you. Whatever you do don't do something stupid like set up a paypal dispute before you even hear back from them.

 

[Guest2]

Just contact them, find out when they will have more and if you want a refund then, ask for it and they should give it to you. Whatever you do don't do something stupid like set up a paypal dispute before you even hear back from them.

as above - I did, 20th September, I have

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

some companies charge on order, some charge on dispatch.

I know which I prefer

 

[MooMoo444]

No problem with either method, as long as refund is instant. Holding your payment at random is kinda lame.

 

[uniQ]

When you pay via PayPal I don't think its possible to pay any other way than immediately. It's not like a CC where a merchant can put a pre-auth on it then take the payment on dispatch.

 

[arknor]

some companies charge on order, some charge on dispatch.

I know which I prefer

yea the one that doesn't involve waiting up to 72hours from the date the refund back to your CC is issued.

also it appears to be a really dodgy tactic to stop people shopping elsewhere

 

[WillyNelson]

Also it appears to be a really dodgy tactic to stop people shopping elsewhere

Similar to the one that really irks me, when a seller marks an item as dispatched so you can't cancel the order but they don't process or post the item until days later.

 

[Nexus]

yea the one that doesn't involve waiting up to 72hours from the date the refund back to your CC is issued.

also it appears to be a really dodgy tactic to stop people shopping elsewhere

Its not all 'dodgy tactics' though.

A lot will be down to how their e-commerce and systems work, possibly even human error if something has been improperly marked as out of stock or needs reordering. There are even some very big chain stores in this country who have poor stock control, especially when they have to locate a product from one of their stores, rather than a warehouse.

But ultimately yes, its rubbish when you order anything that is marked as in stock, whether charged up front or not, only to find out that they have to order it in, especially if somebody else does have it in stock.

A quick call or e-mail will usually sort a cancellation out pretty quickly in my experience and I'm yet to have any business not see my reason that you said the item was in stock and it isn't, yet I can get it from elsewhere today.

I can see how this might be an issue if you are using a debit card and need your funds back, which is why a credit card is really the way to go, plus it gives you more protection anyway.