Reply With QuoteSounds like it may be a German dealer? They often are cash or bank transfer only
I’ve found a watch I’m wanting to buy on c24
It’s a business seller with a couple of bricks and mortar shops and it’s own website
The watch in question is slightly cheaper on the website so I decide to ring them with a few questions and paid a small holding fee /deposit whilst I transferred some funds
Here’s the thing the seller is asking for bank transfer only
I appreciate it’s a pretty expensive watch and the shop doesn’t know me from Adam but what’s wrong with paying with My Debit card?
They’ve already taken a holding fee amount from it
I’ve even offered to drive the 6 hour round trip to pay with my card in person which also doesn’t seem acceptable
They would accept cash or bank transfer
Has any member had this scenario before ?
Sounds like it may be a German dealer? They often are cash or bank transfer only
Don’t create a problem where there isn’t one.
They are probably only trying to avoid transaction fees or mitigate against chargebacks/fraud etc
If the terms aren’t acceptable to you then vote with your feet.
No mate it’s uk based with shops in the ukOriginally Posted by ryanb741
Back in the day I paid for a watch on C24 with bank transfer. I don't think I would now though. I'd prefer to have the protection of a CC or PayPal transaction.
Is it a hard to get watch? Unless the payment terms were made explicit to you at the outset I'd ask for the deposit back and walk away.
I could understand the fraud aspect with other payment methods but not with my own debit card
Surely I could hypothetically just walk into any uk shop and purchase what I wanted with my own debit card or am I missing something?
It’s an expensive watch yes but there is a few for sale
Wouldn't touch it. Bricks and mortar store not allowing you to drive 6 hours to do it with chip and pin doesn't sound remotely right.
It's likely to be the cost of processing the payment, card payments cost the retailer about 0.5%, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. You could offer to pay it?
Alternatively, it could be an individual's watch (eg the owner) and he doesn't want the money to go through the business accounts.
Yes I’m starting to have my doubts also
But I do believe it’s an established business
Maybe someone with some local knowledge could chime in if I named it ?
I'd be going elsewhere. Retail not accepting a card doesnt sound right to me.
Ok I’ll name it it’s Robinsons Jewwellers ltd at Leicester
Someone from here must have knowledge of the outlet in question
So if you walk into their shop and want to buy something they will only let you do it via bank transfer? Who could be arsed with that?
The website looks OK and the shop looks good, but I don't understand how they've remained in business if that's their payment model?
Me neither to be honest...
Although I appreciate it’s an expensive watch and they wouldn’t want to loose out ,which is fair enough
I can’t help feeling that I’m leaving myself open to the same
Are you 100% sure that you are dealing with the real world store, not a mock site set up to imitate the real deal?
Have you thought to ask them their reasoning ?
This is my worry
It’s now marked as sold on c24 and also on the website
I did call the number that google lists for the granby street store originally and spoke to a lady and left the deposit but received a text later stating the bank details etc
Since then it looks like I’ve only been speaking through the mobile number I have been given
I’ll ring the store again tomorrow to confirm things
It does happen, I bought a car a few months ago from a large dealership and they would only accept up to £1000 by debit card, I had to pay the rest by bank transfer.
Have you tried google street view? Unless the C24 ad is a scam, the Robinsons site is genuine.
I’ve asked and they’ve said fraud and it’s happening in the trade where people are using even debit cards and as they don’t know me they are unwilling to accept risk
I’ll copy both links and if kindly ask if anyone can see anything wrong?
Here’s the one from c24
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/rolex/day...id10947398.htm
Both now marked sold/reserved so I’m pretty sure/hoping I’m dealing with the same reputable company?
I will call them again in the morning to confirm
In the meantime if anyone is from around that way and can vouch for them It would be appreciated if you could let me know
Thanks for the input so far everyone....
Don’t get yourself in a tizzy.
For a £17k+ watch, make the journey. When the watch is in hand and you are satisfied then do a bank transfer.
I would say that not accepting debit cards due to the fear of chargebacks or fraud is a problem in and of its own right! It's suspicious, to say the least, in this day and age.
I'm sure that there is increasing chargeback fraud or stolen card fraud but it is still suspicious, that is to say it is a problem in its own right, from the wouldbe customer's perspective. I want to use a card specifically so that I can use a chargeback if I need to, all the more so on a high value item!
I'd only pay by bank transfer with a company I already knew really well (or which had outstandingly good references from somewhere like TZ-UK). Even then, I'd want to make absolutely sure I was dealing with the co,pany I had been led to believe I was dealing with.
As you say, if the terms aren't right by one's own standards, walk away.
Last edited by markrlondon; 6th September 2019 at 04:21.
That's weird then. Personally I wouldn't do it then
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This smacks of a scam that is quite common. If someone intercepts the communications and then diverts you to only dealing with a moby and bt.
Don't do it.
For that amount, I'd get myself to the shop, no question. Imagine how you'd feel if it did go wrong.
Just my two pennies worth...... For deals involving that amount of money, travel and deal face to face, you'll be in a far better position to make a final judgement for yourselves with the added peace of mind that all is well.
I would personally make a day of it and enjoy the drive or ride back with your new purchase on your wrist
I hope it works out for you... and don't forget pictures... cos we all know it never happened unless there are pictures! :)
Mike
Remember seeing this regarding dealers getting scammed with debit cards
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AwzeJKgTSGs&t=166s
In person it shouldn't be an issue, if you have the card and pin number then it's bulletproof.
Over the phone is different, I am very cautious about that - in fact forum members and known customers only. It's still easy to intercept new cards in the mail and rack up charges, you only need their name and address in a lot of cases. I'll take a deposit over the phone but won't release stock (high value anyway) without seeing the physical card in my machine.
Someone wants to buy and pay over the phone, bacs payment is safest.
I'm siding with the seller, unless I'm missing something?
With this sort of value I think face to face is essential the opportunity for scams on both sides of the transaction is high (I'm not saying that in this instance this is the case).
The buyer could have a stolen card or the sellers item could be fake. In both cases one side or the other could lose a lot of money and therefore an in person transaction seems to be prudent.
In this specific instance, the shop refusing anything other than BT even in person does smell a bit ripe to me. It may just be policy or an assistant who's a little overzealous but it could also mean that the item in question is a high quality fake and paying by BT means a charge back cannot be made (I am not a trader so don't know the ins and outs of payment systems so this may not be accurate) and must be pursued through court. For nearly 18k I'd want to see the watch, feel it in my hand, have utter incontrovertible proof that it is the genuine article in all its parts. If I was dissuaded from doing that in any way shape or form I'd be thinking of cancelling the transaction and waiting for something else to come along.
Forgive me if I’m wrong but the op has said that they have refused him paying in person via debit card too, which fore me is one of the alarming aspects.
As an aside could the op not pay an amount say 1k via credit card and then be covered for the full amount should he need to claim?
If the company refused that too I’d be very troubled.
As said previously I was only allowed to pay £1k on a debit card when buying a new car. This was at a large dealership and I was there in person, the balance had to be paid by bank transfer, this was now their policy and I can only assume it’s creeping into large value transfers.
Edited as now resolved.
Last edited by Jon Kenney; 6th September 2019 at 15:30.
Got an email
"we do take card payments in the shop in most cases not high end transactions unless customer is know to us, not over the phone.
Regards"
Go along to the shop. It is a high value transaction, it sounds like Know Your Customer due diligence controls that banks and retailers carry out in light of U.K. and EU anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations.
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Last edited by BillyCasper; 6th September 2019 at 15:20.
I think bank transfer has a limit of 10k as well in one day so bear that in mind.
No they don't. If by bank transfer you mean the Faster Payments system then limits can vary depending on the bank. Nationwide have a limit of £10k on each transfer & £50k per day. If you means BACS or CHAPS then these aren't limited to £10k but take time to process.
Note that multiple large transfers via Faster Payments can trigger the anti-fraud systems & get held up until approved.
I’m now at a loss as what to do for the best
I’ve already sent £850 and I’m reluctant to send the rest and hope for the best
I really don’t understand why I can’t pay with my debit card over phone or in shop
I’ve sent Adam at Robinsons an email and linked this thread for him
Hopefully he will reply
I’ve now had an email from Robinsons
Stating they’ve had chargebacks in the past and regularly receive warnings about card scams etc
I do believe they are genuine and a very reputable jewellery outlet
They have also offered my full money back if I don’t want to go ahead
In the meantime I’ve spoken to NatWest “my bank” about this transaction and they warned me of the pitfalls If things do go wrong ...
I’m not saying this would happen but it is a possible risk on my behalf
I’ve also been trying to sort out a card reader in the meantime to be able to pay with chip and pin?
But I’m having real trouble logging into mobile banking I just use my fingerprint on the app
I’ve either forgotten my password or it’s just not working ....I need to ring my bank again and this whole scenario is giving me a headache
So in this instance I’ve decided to accept the return of my money
I apologise for any inconvenience caused to Robinson’s
But it’s just not worth the hassle on my behalf
I’ll post a WTB on here if anyone has one they thinking of letting go
I bank with First Direct/ HSBC and last time I tried to transfer 13k with my online banking (to a member on here actually) there was a 10k a day limit, so I had to send the balance the next day
You’ve done the right thing. Regardless of the card/no card shenanigans, you were about to seriously overpay.
Yeah that was quite annoying when I banked with them and I was a premier customer. No issue with Santander. Their faster payment limit is/was 100k last time I checked.
Their loss.
Better to be safe than sorry.
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C24 says they are worth around 15k
So yes I was paying too much ....
Problem is there’s not much else available at the right price
I guess I’ll just have to be patient
They don’t know you from Adam either and it’s an expensive watch they’re selling! Debit card payments over the phone aren’t covered in the event of a fraudulent purchase so they are doing the correct procedure. You asking to pay this method will only want them to sell you the watch less so.
It works both ways👍
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