Re: [Sheflug] Re: bounce

[Will Newton <nospam [at] misconception.org.uk>]

On Tue, 9 Jan 2001, Alex Hudson wrote:

> Have you ever used it? It doesn't make much difference at all.

It does. Use a debit card and you have the hassle of recovering the
balance yourself. Use credit and you just ring Visa who call up and say
"About your merchant facilities lads..." and kneecap them.
Makes my life easier, and brings a smile to my face thinking of all the
limping cowboys.

> People can make transactions on UK credit cards simply by knowing the number
> (unlike in other countries), UK credit cards are often not accepted in other

Sometimes. It depends on the merchant setup. You NEED an expiry correct
these days. Back in the eighties this wasn't always the case. Floor limits
are now down to about 5 quid (was 25 quid last time I used a PDQ system).
Credit card fraud is not half as easy as it once was.

> countries (US, for example, who won't honour a UK VISA), it's difficult to

Rubbish. Amex/Mastercard/VISA are all accepted in Europe and North
America. For god's sake, it's how I pay for my hosting (in Canada)!
Even Diners Club (yeah, remember them) was accepted over here and the US.

> revoke transactions (I know, I have done), I could go on. As Stephen pointed

Likewise. Stand your ground. It is up to the credit card company to sort
out the mess most of the time.

> out, vendors like CCs because they're guaranteed funds - i.e., once the
> transaction has gone through, it *stays* gone through. If you want to cancel
> it, your bank has to launch an investigation, and until the investigation is
> concluded you don't get your money back, and certainly it's unlikely the
> vendor will have paid [a|the] bank back.

That's backwards. Debit cards involve a bank, which is why they are
complicated and slow. The Consumer Credit Act gives you a level of
protection that debit transactions do not give. Trust me, I'm not making
this up. :)

> I've stopped ordering anything over the internet now, because of the
> ridiculous ease it seems that people are able to make fraudulent
> transactions. Mail order's not a whole heap different. I generally find COD

True. If most issuers get wind of internet involvement in a fraud they
will point to the Ts&Cs and say you neglected to safeguard the safety of
the details. Which is nonesense of course, but it saves them money, and
they sell "Internet Protection" as an upmarket feature (VISA Platinum and
Amex Blue)

> a much easier form of transaction - vendor gets his money, I get my peace of
> mind, and there's very little chance of fraud inbetween.

It does however, usually cost upwards of 10 quid. And on a 10 pounds worht
of stuff from Amazon... I'll take my chances.


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