I received a pair of Draper (Knipex) combination pliers yesterday. Very nice they are.
I hadn't ordered them! The advice note had a company called Ultra Trueflow in the 'Invoice Address' box and my name and address in the 'Deliver To' box.
Being an honest chap I sent Draper an e-mail advising them of the situation.
Got a reply today. Cheeky bastards at Draper asked me to call Ultra Trueflow to sort it out!
I have replied saying that I'm not calling anyone to sort out their mistake - and that I will treat them as 'unsolicited goods'.
---- Item is sent to you AND is charged to your retained payment info o Same again, only the customer gives a different address
---- Sales rep uses the retained payment info
---- Item is not sent to you BUT you get charged for it o Sales rep gets the boot, charges every lead with retained payment info
---- Leaves company with fat commission check
---- Everyone on the planet gets goods they just enquired about
The third is rare, the second is very common, the first occasional.
Now other tricks... o Your payment details are compromised
---- someone sold them out the back door o Someone is testing the card out with small purchases (card valid)
---- if sales rep challenges the address it defaults to "oh yeah, home one"
---- you then get something you did not order delivered to your address o If you do not spot it on the statement
---- next month they usually try a big order & redirect to different address
---- usually this fails due to "floor limit" re not registered card address
---- you again get something you did not order delivered to your address
So always check because it could be the start of the above.
In my case... o Someone put 2 small transactions went through ok
---- National Express & online tool place -- I have never used either o Then they tried a 7k order with an online PC reseller
---- fortunately failed on name not matching card registered name
---- Misco immediately wrote to notify me & voided it - excellent
---- I should add most resellers have 5k "floor limit" before checks anyway o Then they tried a 3k order with another PC reseller
---- charged, but delivered to my card registered address
---- rejected at the door
They had timed it perfectly. It was between statement dates - statement had not arrived, so "invisible".
Thankfully Misco's letter made me suspect the card was being "tested", but the statement date was still days away. So I signed up for Net banking and found the 2 small transactions and 3k funds already released. One phone call & the card was blocked, money refunded and now being chased.
Yours may be a very simple miss-direct - or it could be the same.
However I have had all the above errors & events in the past eight years. No paperwork goes to the bin, no card used physically (card destroyed & requisite numbers committed to memory), no online banking etc.
You probably know but... o CCP - Credit Card Processor (VISA or Mastercard etc) o CCC - Credit Card Company (the Bank) o CCH - Credit Card Holder (You) o CNP - Customer Not Present (Mailorder, phone, online)
All transactions are governed by CCP rules. CCP require any order under CNP to be delivered to the CCH address. CCC may allow redirect - but the CCP makes them carry the can for it. Supplier may allow redirect - but CCC & CCP make them carry the can.
The conditions of the CCP are what govern the transaction.
Hence the "peculiar situation" can arise where a card is fraudulently used yet delivers to the CCH address so the person obtains no financial gain. This is because the CCP rules require it and Supplier & CCC enforce it either totally or for varying levels of transactions or "floor limit" checks.
Sadly the (good) tough retail security of years past is now very lax.
However always check your cards if something turns up out of the blue. Most likely it is just a deliver address error, but be aware - not always.
For transactions over £100 use a C/C re protection. You may want to verify if international protection still applies, a recent ruling (Jul2004) as I recall nullifies the protection for CNP outside UK.
For transactions under £100 use an online system with protection. They are far from perfect, but it at least gives you some protection and anyone seriously using them will not risk their reputation re referrals etc.
Just something to be aware of. Errors do occur, but cards are sold out the back door in the hundreds.
It always amazes me how companies miss opportunities like this to create a little extra goodwill with potential customers. How difficult would it be with a relatively low value item like this to simply have said "thanks for letting us know, we will send out a new one to the customer and you can keep that one".
Yes, I have had such good service recently. AdvancedMP3players had an order from me, for a case for my MP3 player. I made a mistake and ordered the wrong case, partly because the 'right' one was out of stock and I thought another one also fitted.
Put in a support ticket, got an RMA number and sent it back. I got email feedback all the way. Waited about ten days, as they'd said, and had an email saying it was now in stock, closely fopllowed by another saying 'processing', another charging me the extra (about 7 quid including the new carriage), and another saying 'dispatched'.
The first order was sent by post at my request to my PO box. They sent the second by Citylink, and they couldn't deliver of course. Within a couple of hours I had email from the company saying that Citylink had a problem (didn't know what at this stage). Citylink were useless as usual; called for 10 mins and had the phone picked up and put down. Eventually got through and discovered the problem.
Emailed the sender, to get them to authorise a new address. "No", they said. "We'll reclaim that one in our own time; meanwhile we'll send one by post to your PO box". And they did; arrived next day.
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