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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To accept £12 less on a payment?

41 replies

BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 10:50

I sold some goods online to a buyer overseas. The payment took ages to come through and they said it bounced back the first time, which seemed rather strange to me but hey ho.

Finally the money has arrived this morning but it is £12 short. I realise this is likely due to the constantly fluctuating exchange.

Having waited so long, do you think I should just shrug my shoulders, say 'It's Christmas!' and accept it? Would I be an awful Scrooge to insist on receiving the full amount before sending the goods?

OP posts:
SadTrombone · 21/12/2017 10:52

Depends I guess.
Was the item £500 and you're short by a small percentage? Or £24 and you're short by half?

Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 10:54

Closer to the latter SadTrombone.

OP posts:
Sweetpea55 · 21/12/2017 10:54

Have you calculated it taking into account the currency rate at the time?
So eg. You ask for & £22 and they gave you £10

RestingGrinchFace · 21/12/2017 10:56

If it is a large proportion of the payment it is more likely due to fees that they haven't paid than a fluctuating exchange rate.

araiwa · 21/12/2017 10:56

Has your own bank charged you?

cakeymccakington · 21/12/2017 10:59

How have they paid? Via PayPal?

BewareOfDragons · 21/12/2017 10:59

If it's closer to half the money missing, then I would tell them that tbh.

laudanum · 21/12/2017 11:01

You need to claim that back.

Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 11:05

They have paid via BACS and no, the bank hasn't charged me.

OP posts:
Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 11:09

Thing is, it took over a week for the payment to come (during which time I was just taking on trust that it would come and holding on to the items - I didn't make them available to anyone else which I easily could have done). If I don't get them sent today, they're not going to get the items before Xmas... and we're pushing it now as it is...

So really the question is, should I be nice and give a stranger who has kicked me about £12 for Xmas?

OP posts:
WishingOnABar · 21/12/2017 11:09

If the amount was agreed in advance then dont take less. Just message and say the payment was short, please send xxx so I can get it posted out

Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 11:10

Sorry, that was supposed to say mucked me about, not kicked me about!

OP posts:
4merlyknownasSHD · 21/12/2017 11:11

£12 is a fairly common commission taken by the currency transfer agency within the bank. We sell to overseas companies and sometimes it comes through compete, sometimes with £12 taken off. It is all to do with how the payment is made, or which route it takes. Your customer has almost certainly made the correct payment. I actually now add something to the carriage cost to cover the £12 shortfall, should it happen.

billybagpuss · 21/12/2017 11:12

Message them and let them know.

Tugtupite · 21/12/2017 11:20

They have paid via BACS this is the UK transfer system and so I had always assumed only in GBP. I think they used CHAPS if overseas and forgot to add the transfer fee (10-15 GBP).

If you billed them in GBP they must should pay the correct amount in GBP...GBP has not devalued by 50% against any other currency over the past month or so, so it is most likely error as described above.

The bad news is if 12 GBP short, to do another overseas transfer will incur the same charge again i.e. they would have to pay (eg) 12 x 2 = 24 GBP to make up the shortfall to you.

I wouldn't accept a 50% loss unless my profit margin was sufficient to compensate for that (i.e. I would not sell at a loss).

lljkk · 21/12/2017 11:36

Heck no, do not accept £12 less. Not your problem why the payment is short; show them your bank statement to document you didn't get the money.

I thought Paypal is available everywhere, I don't know why they have to use BACs at all.

pisacake · 21/12/2017 11:42

no you shouldn't

astoundedgoat · 21/12/2017 11:43

Nope. Tell them that the payment has arrived less £12, and they need to send that today by Paypal for you to ship the item. Tell them that if you are sending a refund they may have to bear the transfer fees at their end.

Bet they're in the US. Trying to convince American customers that no, we don't accept USD and yes, there will be fees that THEY have to bear was one of my biggest ecommerce headaches.

I once had a trade customer send me a CHEQUE for $170 for products and was AMAZED that I couldn't lodge it to my bank. This was a big company that supplies hundreds of museums all over the US, and they thought overseas suppliers all accepted USD drawn on their local bank.

Say NO. You are not a charity, and it is not your job to fund this person's Christmas gifts.

TheRottweiler · 21/12/2017 11:43

IIjkk

PP is only 'available everywhere' IF you actually have a PP acct.

Not everyone does - amazing that.

astoundedgoat · 21/12/2017 11:44

Also you should sign up for Stripe.com and start accepting credit cards directly if this is happening to you. Do you have a website and a registered business?

GU24Mum · 21/12/2017 11:44

What is their obligation to you ie is it to send £x and you receive the net or for them to send you £x + whatever is necessary for you to receive £x?

astoundedgoat · 21/12/2017 11:46

Not everyone does - amazing that.

If you have a bank account or a credit card, t takes minutes to set up. A LOT less time than making a CHAPS payment.

senzaparole03 · 21/12/2017 11:46

It would probably be more effort than it is worth at this stage, but i find it really lazy by payers.

It is now so easy for payments to be determined in the currency owed, and to just tick a box to have the transfer charges charged to the sender not the receiver.

I got a bit screwed by friends last year. I paid out 1200 for a large air bnb, and only 2 of the 10 paid me the correct amount. All others paid what they estimated in their own currency (when they could easy have specified it for GBP) and i was down both on the FX and the commission. it all added up to quite a bit actually. I said nothing.
It's just rude.

Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 11:56

Just spoke to bank. You're right, it was a CHAPS payment. The sender's bank apparently charged them a £12 fee and they have subtracted this from what they have paid me.

OP posts:
Original poster
BeQuietAndEatYourGreens · 21/12/2017 11:57

If I send the items today so that a child can get their Xmas gift on time, can I trust them to send on the remaining £12 do you think?

OP posts: