Payment Error

If you have reached this page, it may mean there has been a problem with your selected payment method.
 

1. WRONG BILLING ADDRESS

Most often, this is caused by a "mis-match" between the address you have provided on our website, and the address to which your bank card statement is sent. This is referred to as your BILLING ADDRESS, and is used by the payment processor as an extra "layer" of security when processing an online transaction. It is therefore important to make sure that the BILLING ADDRESS we ask for is exactly that shown on the bank card statement for the card you are using.

2. USING A COMPANY/BUSINESS BANK CARD

Card processing gateways are services operated by banks and other major financial organisations, and it is via these "gateways" that online payments are processed. The gateways apply many sophisticated fraud-prevention systems, some of which are very "strict" in how they assess an onlne transaction. Many companies issue cards to members of staff, but have arrangements with the card provider to apply certain "fliters" regarding the use of the card. These range from specific credit limits, to the type of goods or services that the card user is authorised to purchase.. Additionally, to protect your company against fraud, the banks and gateways may also apply higher levels of security filtering when a Business Card is being used for an online transaction.

If you have tried to use a Business / Company Card, and the transaction has failed, it could also be that the BILLING ADDRESS is incorrect. Some companies have the card statements sent to an accounting office - other companies allow the employee to use their own address. Either way... if the BILLING ADDRESS for the card statement does not match the address you entered on our website, the transaction will fail.

If the address is correct - and the transaction STILL FAILS - then please CONTACT US as we are usually able to arrange an alternative payment method for you / your company - such as a BACS transfer, or by issuing you with an invoice against a formal Purchase Order.

For company purchases, if your card payment fails, don't abandon your purchase... We are more than happy to help you get the goods you are after and then find a workable way for you / your company to pay for them.

3. STRANGE ERROR MESSAGES AND CODES

In many cases, all you may see is some strange error message, followed by a code number. Of course, for most people, this means very little.- but can cause anxiety. One's immediate reaction is that something is amiss - and the bank is warning you of rogue activity. In MOST cases, this is not true... There are scores of technical and filtering reasons why a transaction may fail, and the error message is a log number for the banks to ensure they record WHY the transaction failed.

Again... if you have concerns about such messages, please WRITE DOWN THE ERROR MESSAGE and / or CODE - and CONTACT US.

4. INSUFFICIENT FUNDS?

We do not "decline" cards - the bank exercises that option and sometimes shoppers have reached their credit limit with their card provider. If your address and personal details are correct, and you still get a "payment error" message, it could be that you have reached the credit limit on that card set by your bank. Top-up your card as soon as you can, then come back and conclude your purchase. If you've registered an account with us, your products will be stored in your shopping cart until you log in again. Using a different card can also be a solution.

5. IS MY CARD INFO SAFE?

Our website is SSL Secured, meaning that all personal data you input and send to us is ENCRYPTED when in traverses the internet. It is virtually imposssible for this data to be deciphered by rogues who may intercept it.

Furthermore, we DO NOT STORE CREDIT CARD DATA on our systems. When you pay by card, the data is communicated ONLY TO THE SECURE PAYMENT GATEWAY. We do not see it, or store it. When the transaction is complete and payment has been made the gateway processor sends us a transaction "token" - a coded "signal" that the payment has been made, and it is OK for us to process your order..We store this "token code" - as it uniquely identifies your payment with your order, and in the event of issues relating to the order, we can refer to the token code as part of any audit trail.

5. PROTECTION AGAINST FRAUD

Fraudsters abound on the internet - but online shopping can be as safe - if not safer - as using a card in a high-street store. There are some basic "rules" shoppers should apply when buying online. Here are some of the more important ones:

• You should not purchase from websites that do not clearly indicate they have SSL Security. This is easy to determne... In the browser address bar, you should see HTTPS:// in the website address when using any web page that captures personal information. In some browsers, a little icon of a "lock" may appear instead of HTTPS. If you click on the lock, it will popup the SSL Certificate information.
• You should not purchase from websites that do not provide a physical address and a telephone number. In the UK, it is a LEGAL OBLIGATION for online traders to provide a physical address and a telephone number. While many websites are not rogues, the fact that they may choose to NOT give an address and phone number is to their detriment, aside from being illegal. In general, play safe... even if an offer looks good and is tempting, our view is not to purchase from sites that don't tell you where they are physically operating from, or give a phone number to call. A PO Box number is not a physical address... In fact, sites that give a UK PO Box as the address are more likely to be based off-shore, and maybe don't even have a UK business operation.
• Telephone or email the website operator if you have the slightest doubt about your intended purchase and the safety of the payment system.
• If the webshop invites you to SIGN UP (as we do), it is a good idea to do so, because your order history will be (or ought to be) archived by the website. This allows you to access your order history and also keeps good track of purchases and forms a good and reliable basis for tracing problems if they occur.
• When you have made a purchase, the website is again obliged by law to email you a transaction receipt. The website stores a copy, but YOU have a copy on your personal computer or email account. The website cannot alter this once it is in your hands, so it again provides irrefutable evidence of your purchase and your payment. If a website does not email you this receipt, not only are they breaking the law, but you will have no independent reecord of your transactions. Of course, a valid email address is needed, so make sure the email address you provide is legitimate and operational.
• Websites in the UK are also obliged in law to state Terms and Conditions, as well as a Data Privacy Policy Sites that fail to do this often indicate "shady" businesses that either could not be bothered to provide this data, or have hidden reasons for not doing so.

Internet sites are operated by PEOPLE, so it should be quite easy for customers to make contact with PEOPLE. If you struggle to get hold of a live person when you make contact with a website owner, then they do not really care about good, traditional "customer care". While we occasionally are not in a position to answer phones (we are a small team), you can be sure that we do have phones here, and will respond to messages that may be left on our answering systems.

Many people PREFER to place orders over the phone, rather than through the website. We are quite happy to asssist you with orders over the phone, if you prefer ordering this way.