Mail order charging

[Sonyme]

Are there any legalities regarding when a mail order company can charge for goods ordered? I was always under the impression that the debit/credit card could only be debited when the goods were despatched, and have generally found this to be the case. I am housebound so all my puchases are made on line. One company that I have dealt with for some time has started charging at time of order - I place order on line on Sunday last and when checking card statement on line found that charge been authorised on Monday, so far no indication of order processing or despatch date. On a previous occasion ( with same firm) I received part order and letter stating that remainder of order was no longer available and would I 'phone for alternative or refund, not a free phone number either! I did get refund but are they in order to charge before goods are available for despatch?

[milly143]

They are quite within their rights to take the payment at the time of the order, whether or not the item is available for dispatch.

[Sonyme]

Thanks for reply - it would seem that I have been incorrectly informed, but I take a dim view of paying in full for goods which may not be receive for some weeks. Guess I'm stuck with it.

[milly143]

I can understand the frustration in certain cases. I used to work for an online company that took all payments at the time of ordering. Unfortunately there were many occasions where the item ordered would be out of stock, sometimes for weeks and it was clear this left people very unhappy as we already had their money. On the other hand, it's easier to budget if the money goes straight away. You won't get caught out when a payment leaves your account that you had forgotten was due.