Did I order from a scam website and what do I do about it?
July 2, 2012 8:56 AM Subscribe
I think I ordered a wallet from a scam website. Help me determine if it's a scam, and what to do about it.
I ordered a wallet last Monday. I was immediately charged by the company that manages this store's website. The confirmation email was lacking in details and the whole thing started seeming a little off. I sent two emails and have not received a response. After poking around, I realized the "management" company's client list is a mixture of weird mock-ups, legitimate businesses that do not acknowledge or credit this management company, and suspicious-looking storefronts that all share the same address and phone number. The BBB gave them an F and there are comments from people who ordered something and never received it.
If this does sound like a scam, what do I do? I normally wouldn't be too worried about not getting a shipment confirmation within a week, but this is giving me really sketchy vibes. How long should I give them? At what point do I just do a chargeback? Can I report it to someone? And what possible benefit could someone get by charging people and not fulfilling orders? Surely nobody's just going to let their money fall into a black hole.
I ordered a wallet last Monday. I was immediately charged by the company that manages this store's website. The confirmation email was lacking in details and the whole thing started seeming a little off. I sent two emails and have not received a response. After poking around, I realized the "management" company's client list is a mixture of weird mock-ups, legitimate businesses that do not acknowledge or credit this management company, and suspicious-looking storefronts that all share the same address and phone number. The BBB gave them an F and there are comments from people who ordered something and never received it.
If this does sound like a scam, what do I do? I normally wouldn't be too worried about not getting a shipment confirmation within a week, but this is giving me really sketchy vibes. How long should I give them? At what point do I just do a chargeback? Can I report it to someone? And what possible benefit could someone get by charging people and not fulfilling orders? Surely nobody's just going to let their money fall into a black hole.
call your credit card company.
posted by violetk at 9:04 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by violetk at 9:04 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
How long did it say delivery would take? Wait that long.
If you're not up for that, try canceling your order.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:04 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you're not up for that, try canceling your order.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:04 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Have you tried calling them? I have found that some businesses were just terrible at email responses.
But the fact htat people are already saying that they didn't get their stuff I'd just do a chargeback, report it to BBB after whatever delivery window they've given you has passed.
posted by sm1tten at 9:06 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
But the fact htat people are already saying that they didn't get their stuff I'd just do a chargeback, report it to BBB after whatever delivery window they've given you has passed.
posted by sm1tten at 9:06 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Call your credit company and file a claim against the charge.
posted by DoubleLune at 9:06 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by DoubleLune at 9:06 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
When your bill arrives, contest the charge. The credit card people will want to know that you tried to resolve the issue yourself, so give them a call (you already wrote two emails); if they don't answer then you're good. Contesting the charge will cause them to come to you if they want their money.
In my experience, it does not good to call early. Wait until you have your monthly statement in your hand.
posted by ubiquity at 9:07 AM on July 2, 2012
In my experience, it does not good to call early. Wait until you have your monthly statement in your hand.
posted by ubiquity at 9:07 AM on July 2, 2012
By the way, both the BBB and resellerratings.com links suggest that it's not a scam, but that they're very slow about filling orders. You could just wait, calling them for occasional updates as the person in the resellerratings.com review did. You can find out from your credit card company how long you have to contest a charge, and contest it on the next to the last possible day if it hasn't arrived by then.
posted by ubiquity at 9:13 AM on July 2, 2012
posted by ubiquity at 9:13 AM on July 2, 2012
Response by poster: This is the website and it does not have a phone number, but its facebook page does have a phone number-- it's the same number as Leather Bags and More (as well as the same address)-- but the number just goes to an automated message saying "all operators are currently unavailable." I left a message.
posted by Marit at 9:17 AM on July 2, 2012
posted by Marit at 9:17 AM on July 2, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by primethyme at 9:03 AM on July 2, 2012