07-25-2020, 08:00 AM
I don't currently use Apple for anything, and my only contact with Google is people trying to force me to submit to Recaptcha, which generally results in me ranting at them about it...
So far as online purchases, I'm one of those people who buys almost everything online, and has for many years. Just no Amazon. Or Wal-Mart. And I generally avoid large chains. In all those years of buying from the long tail of online retailers, I've only ever had to file a chargeback once. The card processor agreements are very stacked in favor of the consumer; the retailer will have to prove that they came through or else they lose, so most of them aren't inclined to risk it.
The one exception was a decent-sized retailer that used to be good, but the new CEO had run them into bankruptcy. Although you could find it easily with a web search, there was no mention on their consumer-facing web site that they were in active bankruptcy proceedings, and the only reason the utilities hadn't been shut off was that they had a court order requiring them to continue providing service. They had no inventory left, no cash, and nobody would give them credit any more, so they couldn't actually buy for you the items you ordered, but they were still accepting orders as the only source of cash they could get in a futile effort to keep the company afloat.
They were not answering emails or telephone calls, so resolving it with the retailer wasn't possible. When I called my card company, only then did the representative ask what I'd ordered, and I gave a brief description. They initiated the chargeback, and after a few weeks, I got my money back, likely from the card issuer, but they were legally obligated and still solvent. It worked fine without them keeping a pre-emptive log of everything I'd been buying with my card for years.
On the other hand, if I'd used cryptocurrency, cash, check, money order or bank transfer, I'd have been out the money. So. If using those for something that is not handed directly to you, make a habit of checking public records for bankruptcy proceedings for every retailer every time before placing an order?
So far as online purchases, I'm one of those people who buys almost everything online, and has for many years. Just no Amazon. Or Wal-Mart. And I generally avoid large chains. In all those years of buying from the long tail of online retailers, I've only ever had to file a chargeback once. The card processor agreements are very stacked in favor of the consumer; the retailer will have to prove that they came through or else they lose, so most of them aren't inclined to risk it.
The one exception was a decent-sized retailer that used to be good, but the new CEO had run them into bankruptcy. Although you could find it easily with a web search, there was no mention on their consumer-facing web site that they were in active bankruptcy proceedings, and the only reason the utilities hadn't been shut off was that they had a court order requiring them to continue providing service. They had no inventory left, no cash, and nobody would give them credit any more, so they couldn't actually buy for you the items you ordered, but they were still accepting orders as the only source of cash they could get in a futile effort to keep the company afloat.
They were not answering emails or telephone calls, so resolving it with the retailer wasn't possible. When I called my card company, only then did the representative ask what I'd ordered, and I gave a brief description. They initiated the chargeback, and after a few weeks, I got my money back, likely from the card issuer, but they were legally obligated and still solvent. It worked fine without them keeping a pre-emptive log of everything I'd been buying with my card for years.
On the other hand, if I'd used cryptocurrency, cash, check, money order or bank transfer, I'd have been out the money. So. If using those for something that is not handed directly to you, make a habit of checking public records for bankruptcy proceedings for every retailer every time before placing an order?
