to think that if a company can't authenticate a card payment then they shouldn't take money from my account?!

[Gaige]

On Friday my DP tried to buy a sim free phone from phones 4u but they couldn't authenticate the card payment so couldn't complete the transaction. They also emailed him to explain this. Fair enough.

He has now checked his bank account this evening and found that he is the exact cost of the phone down in his account although the actual transaction is not showing at the moment. He has called his bank and they've told him that until the transaction is showing on his account there is nothing they can do.

So AIBU to think Phones 4u should not have taken the money? Especially without DP calling them to try and sort out the payment problem?

Your.partner should be able to ring his bank and get the payment authorisation code to give to phones4u and they can requet the bank removes the payment. He doesnt need to wait till its on his statement especially as it could take a few days

Thank you. I'll get him to call the bank again in the morning.

This hardly ever works. You give the company the code...they check their records...their records say 'decline'...bugger all they can do with an authorisation code.

This is really common. I work in a bank and speak to at least 5 people each day it happens to. It's no one's 'fault'...just a mis match between the bank and companies systems which mean the bank says it's authorised and the company says declined.

They haven't yet taken the funds, hence the bank can't dispute it yet.

What will normally happen op is that the authorisation, when not claimed by the company, will drop off the system over the next few days. Your available balance will then be back to normal.

If you don't 'need' the money, leave it be, keep an eye on it and let it naturally resolve. If you DO need the money and can't wait, phone the bank and request that they remove the auth...they CAN do this but you'll have to listen to alias of disclaimers about 'if the company claim it it will still debit'.

Which bank op out of interest?

Isnt this what they call a "ghost" transaction where the money is ringfenced by the bank as the transaction is pending, but then it is "un ring fenced" (?!) when the money isnt claimed by the payee?

Tesco do it (for £2 iirc) when you are ordering online shopping to prove that the account is live and the card is valid.

I also work in a bank. Phones4u will fax the authorisation over to your husbands bank and give permission for the bank to remove the payment. If thr payment declind then there would be no Authorisation code. Once its faxed (ps get fax number from bank) it would be refunded within 24 hours wheres could take up to 5 days or more for phones 4u to refund it.

Also the bank cannot remove the payment from authorisations without permission from phones4u hence the fax.

Becuse if that was the case then customers would make payments in shops then ring their bank and say oh I didnt make that payment.

This process works, I give all my customers the best avice for them.and not fob them off with oh it will drop off the system etc

Also the bank cannot remove the payment from authorisations without permission from phones4u hence the fax

That's not true.

The bank need no ones permission to remove an authorisation.
In regards to all customers just deciding to remove authorisations...that's why the bank will give you a disclaimer saying they can't be held liable if the company claim it etc etc. in this case, as long as the company are telling the truth and as far as they are concerned it's declined, that's not an issue.

Phones for you will be unable to 'refund' it if as far as they are concerned the transaction has declined :/

Phones4u dont have your money at all, the money is sitting in a nomans land account.
Banks dont like payments to mobile companies online, we have paymenrs declined a few times when we have tried to buy phones online. A friend had a problem and they tried 3 times and the money was talken 3 time and held in limbo
I work for a car dealership and someone messed up a credit card transaction for a new car. It was over £10000. Unfortunately the money was in the system We didnt have the money so couldnt release the car . The money had left his account so he couldnt pay us.It took a couple of says to sort out.

And you can fuck right off with the 'fob you off' dig.

I'm guessing you're new to your job?

Phones4u will fax the authorisation over to your husbands bank and give permission for the bank to remove the payment
Like they're going to that before hell freezes over. By the time you've persuaded them to do that, and a P4U manager has authorised it, the money will have been reallocated back to your account anyway.
Does anyone use fax machines anyway? Even my old antiquated office recycled theirs last year as it had been used as a shelf since 2009.

Harriet I had a similar issue with an online payment and I was told it had to be faxed, presumably because it is the quickest way to prove it is an original from the company concerned not a mocked up email with a fake email address.

It's Lloyds bank. Thanks for the useful information everyone. Will show it to DP when I get home from work.