Urgent Advice - Credit card related

puno

This is a long story which I wont bore everyone with the detail, but my inlaws have been conned by a security firm and had an alarm installed with a service contract costing 3k!!!!

They paid by credit card and are still within the seven day cooling off period, my question is will the credit card company be able to stop\reverse the transaction?

What should they tell the credit card company?

Needless to say they have given written notice to the company to cancel, but my thoughts are that stopping the money getting there is is better than trying to get it back.

advice please

taless

I think most likely you won't be able to stop the credit card company from paying the contractor, unless it was an obvious fraud. You mentioned you were conned - can you provide more details into it? No harm having a word with your card company though.

While I believe you are quite unlikely to get the payment stopped, I believe you can successfully perform a chargeback via the credit card company. I hope your written notice is served by Registered Mail, and you have the original description of what the security firm 'claimed' and what you got in the end - all this will definitely help to get your credit card company reverse the charges.

puno

Scam is a better word than con. The scam is that the system they've had installed was installed before the end of the 7 day cancellation period making it more difficult to cancel. The price is £2000 more than that is charged by companies like ADT. The company operates just inside the law, but looking at trading standards sites, this is a common scam.

Legally they are entitled to cancel the contract so they could dispute the charge on the basis the contract was cancelled. The charge hasn't hit the card yet, so I suggested they cancel the card (saying they've misplaced it) in the hope that would stop the transaction being processed. If that doesnt work then they will have to go through the dispute process.

taless

I will insist on the cancellation, whether the thing was installed or not. (In fact I think that is your only chance to have your money recovered). I do not think banks will bother that you got the thing at a higher price than market price.

I doubt cancelling the card will help though - banks can still charge to a cancelled card/lost card. Unless you tell the bank that you lost the card before you applied for the security systems, which of course I will not encourage as this is fraud in itself?

So do insist on the cancellation, within the 7 day period!

Zebedee69

Easiest thing is to report your card as "Lost/Stolen". You will get a new card and old number is deleted.

This will level the playing field. Expect the security company to go nuts though threatening court action, ccj, br, debt collection etc etc.

taless

My understanding is that any payments that are made before the card is reported as lost/stolen will be honoured. Eventhough the card may not have been charged, the fact that the 'agreement to pay' was made before the card was reported is enough, I believe.

Zebedee69

Yep but if its a contract im guessing the same dodgy firm have set up rolling payings on a Credit Card Direct Debit. At least you wont let them take any more money..... Getting the money you have allready spent...... Well I dunnon about that.