What is it with UK companies and online ordering?`

Warning: rant.

I want / need a studio flash.

I had hassle before christmas with SRS trying to get them to deliver to a different address - "nyet" - won't work. Because of security.
Thing is, we both work. It's a flat. UPS fail epically in finding it, never call first, and will guaranteed try to deliver while we're not at home.

So I want it to be delivered to work... nope, no dice. What about a UK address? No, that can't be done either. In the end, my brother orders it for me, I send him the cash via Paypal and away we go. Apologetic sales staff, which is fair enough, but I was frustrated.

Fast forward: the flash centre won't accept international credit cards on line or over the phone full stop. Maybe I did get told this at some point on the phone, I can't remember, I registered the words "IBAN" and "no problem", but that's it. I even asked my parents to drive the thirty-odd miles to Brum to go and pick it up before I'd ordered it... ha, bad idea.

So, who else has these "special" kits still in? (D-Lites are being updated at focus on imaging). WEx... ah yes. Delivery possible, but it will be a 48 hour service with Royal Fail and cost £35.
My box, up to 30kg, costs me just over £20 when I use the correct courier.

Ah yes, WEx can't deliver to any other than my registered card address, either.

Well, they could, if my card was a "Mastercard Securecode" wotsit thingy. Aha. Let's go look that up... huh? UK site? naa, give me Finland... no such thing.

What is the use of a security "PIN" if it's only available in certain countries? WHY WHY WHY?

Someone, somewhere, please justify this with words that don't include "banks" and "security measures" and specify what security measures? You want a copy of my payslip with my company on via fax? Hell yeah, if you can look after it; I trust you with my cash, so where's the issue?

I can order in the states without any problems. Why can't I do it within Europe?

Anyone got any reliable information on how fast IBAN transfers are to the UK? I know inside Europe it's 2 working days (and possibly less).

I'm very, very annoyed. And no, I don't want to pay PP charges.

Bret

You could try find a shop that takes PayPal. I have all my ebay purchases (all paid by visa) delivered to my office, even though my credit card is billed to my home address. I just choose my office address in PayPal and it seems to always work fine without any security checks or anything.

SRS will deliver to a different address, you just need to register online with them first.

How does the company know you haven't stolen someone's card and details? They don't. So delivering to the card holder's address is a readonable safeguard.

I arrange for a re-delivery or collect from the delivery office if I miss a delivery.

dunno about IBAN transfers - but I feel your pain

I've had a similar experience dealing with the USA from here.

I fall foul of the Verified by Visa scheme - I HATE it like poison , it never ever ever works for me.

OK - my experiences

Ordering my K-x which came from Adorama - ordered it through their Website , I thought, and all went well at check out , was told my order had been accepted by Adorama and then .......

The dreaded Verified by Visa box popped up and as usual using Safari and this Visa card - it all fell apart - wouldn't accept my password [ b..... system ] . I started to sweat .

Organised a change of password - it came so I copied and pasted it in the required box

GUESS WHAT ??

Failed again By this time I'd no idea what was going on - had my order been accepted ? Had it now been refused ??

I'd to make a phone call to the USA - yup to Adorama to see what could be done.

They were incredibly helpful - were aware of Verified by Visa and were aware of the problems folk had with it . They were unhappy with it because their customers were unhappy with it.

As far as Adorama were concerned my order had gone through and had not been refused by my Credit Card issuer .

I phoned the Issuer - they had accepted it - even told me how much [ little ] I had paid . The problem was not with them but with Verified by Visa folk - and they gave me the number to phone - and I did . BUT of course the problem was not with Verified by Visa it was with my Credit Card Issuer

ARGH - " here we go round the Mulberry Bush , the Mulberry Bush, the Mulberry Bush " time

I'm fit to be tied !

I phone Adorama again get a very nice lady , who takes my name and order number [ which by this time has arrived by e-mail ] and asks me to phone back in 20 mins by which time she will have all the info on her screen .

I did - and this time got a very nice man - who was only too well aware of Verified by Visa problems and assured my they actually ignored it

We organised where my camera was to be delivered [ not to my own address I might add ] but to someone who had once placed an order with them .

By this time it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I was concerned that as I had free shipping with my order it was going to get held up - " Not at all " said they " it will be shipped today and will arrive before Thanksgiving "

I nearly fainted on the phone - ordered Tuesday and would arrive the following day ?? This I did not believe - but I got an e-mail from the delivery address on Wednesday with a picture of the contents of my order from Adorama !!

Adorama got an email thanking them so much for their courtesy and help .

I really do have problems with online orders at times - did I say I HATE Verified by Visa ?

OH and when I went to the USA in December I had to persuade my CC folk to take the security off my card !! I told them what I would be spending , and in what shops , for what purchases . They were concerned 'cos the USA doesn't have Chip and Pin - so my card would be open to fraudulent use , they kept telling me . I did in fact use it without any problems - but oh the hassles

Did I mention how easy it is to purchase something from SRS :

The commonest form of credit card fraud is via PayPal, and also using cards that originate in another country. Cuts both ways, I'm sure I would have problems with a UK registered card if I wanted to make a purchase in Finland. Europe wide "Chip and pin" goes some way to solve that for "in person" transactions, but it's not an option for "cardholder not present" transactions - which are again the most commonly occuring fraudulent use of a card.
It may well be the retailers insurance which prevents them from taking certain forms of overseas payment - otherwise the retailer would be liable for the cost of the fraud.

As usual the fraudulent minority create problems for the law abiding majority.

Hyram - have ordered twice from SRS both times by phone - no Verified by *@$* nonsense and great people to deal with BUT my Kit came from the USA - no-one here could match the price and with the extras I got as well I was quids in. The difference in price went a long way towards paying for my New York trip

SRS will remain my place of choice in the UK - though it would be nice if they had a branch up here .

As I once had someone clone my card and spend £13,000 out of my account (and no, I don't normally have that amount of cash and that is another story), I should be grateful that there are security checks. The problem I have is that there appears to be no mechanism by which you can set things up in advance.

Me: "I am going to the US for a few weeks, is it possible to have this put on my account so you don't block my card?"

Teller: "No"

Me: "So what should I do?"

Teller: "Ring up the number on the back of the card when it gets blocked"

Me: "Very embarrassing when I am in a shop or restaurant! The call is expensive too!"

Teller: ~shrugs~

Me: "Can I claim back the cost of the call?"

Teller: "No." (Looks at me as if I am mad.)

Surely, the best security would be if the card holder could inform the bank where they will be and when? As a result, I take a big wadge of cash...

K.

Kris - my CC folk will allow you to do that so they are forewarned - the only snag for me was that they didn't consider the USA was safe !!

The other CC firm let me down good an proper - I had phoned their security people and arranged with them - told them where I was going and when and where the card was likely to be used and for how much . "No problem " said they " we'll put a marker on your account and you'll have no trouble "

hahahahahahaha - There am I in the Apple Store in the Lincoln Centre - and the card is refused

Back to the other card and my fingers crossed that since that would be used twice in the same store it would go through without problems - fortunately it did .

I have not had any problems with the Verified by Visa setup and I don't go anywhere so no problems there either, but Mrs Oggy got Barclayed last year. She went to Peru and Ireland and used her card with no problems, then she went to India and her card was refused. She used up the last of her credit on her phone calling me. I went to Barclays with three seperate forms of ID including my passport, bank statements for both of us at the same address, our marriage certificate, copies of her airline and hotel bookings - I could even have produced a DNA sample if it would have helped. The teller made some phone calls then looked at me aghast. She said that while they accepted what I had presented them with, they could not do anything unless she called them (how could they authenticate the phonecall when they could do nothing with the evidence I had presented them?) I explained that she was there with no communication, no food and probably without a roof over her head. They refused point blank to help. They could not explain why she had no problems with her other trips, just this one.

I went home and out of desperation emailed the hotel where she was staying. They kindly let her use the phone to call her bank.

So now we are looking for a good bank if anyone knows one (and don't say Coutes :roll.

It was after a trip to the USA that my card details were copied and used to buy around £3,000 worth of goods without my knowledge. So now I'm quite happy that my card is blocked for any unusual transactions. It's easier to phone and unblock it than all the hassle of issuing new cards.

I have some experience of camera retail, and fraud is an absolute nightmare, firstly for the effects on the retailers themselves, and secondly for how this impacts on regular, honest purchasers of camera equipment.

It's worth bearing in mind that for one digital SLR lost to fraud a retailer will have to sell anywhere between ten and fifty of the same cameras in order to recoup the loss. Hence the fact that most retailers exercise a degree of caution - most have been stung many times.

Jonathan

Bought a lens from Japan, Paypal, picked business address, done.

Bought a lens from Canada, Paypal, business address instead of home, easy.

Tried using visa debit card in the US when the bank knew I was going, was treated like a criminal for over 90 mins, whilst the wife was waiting at the table in the restaurant for me, in a wheelchair.

All these scenarios do make me despair sometimes, and I wish I knew what the answer was!

Slightly off topic, but we stopped taking cheques, the day we had one returned unpaid, even though we had the guarantee card!

Every single detail was written off the card on the back of the cheque, the signature matched, the limit was £100, and £85 of goods was bought.

Conversation with the bank went something like this:-

me 'give me my money'
bank 'no'

me 'why not?'
bank 'signature doesn't match our records'

me 'it matched the card, spot on, so give me my money'
bank 'it doesn't match as the chequebook was stolen in the post'

me 'was the card stolen as well?'
bank 'yes'

me 'so the thief can sign them both the same then!!!'
bank 'er...'

me 'so give me my money, it's guaranteed!!'
bank 'no, you shouldn't have taken a stolen cheque'

me 'how many retailers did you report this to so we could look out for it?'
bank 'er, we didn't'

me 'that's why you guarantee them, so we can take them! so give me my money!!!'
bank 'no'

The bank refused payment so I lost:-
£85 worth of goods
£85 sterling
£35 cheque bounce charge!!

Total loss, over £200, and untold lost sales due to a flat refusal to accept cheques anymore, due to not being able to trust accepting them. Most retailers can tell you loads of stories of how they have had their fingers burned, that's why we can be over cautious sometimes.