Why do CC orders have to be confirmed?

[Andrae Palmer]

I ordered a second REDMAG 128GB yesterday at noon PST. I was hoping it would ship same day since it was listed as in stock. This morning when I got up noticed my bank account was not even charged and just got an email from bomb squad rep asking for confirmation on the order. For credit card online orders why does a bomb squad rep have to contact me to confirm the order? Is it too much to ask that orders get processed like anywhere else on the web? Can't we confirm our orders in the store?

 

[Elsie N]

Just a guess, Andre... but maybe they've had some unauthorized orders using someone else's credit card? May just be doing their due diligence at fraud protection.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

Just a guess, Andre... but maybe they've had some unauthorized orders using someone else's credit card? May just be doing their due diligence at fraud protection.

I would guess that sites like B&H Photo face the same potential fraud issue and use other methods to confirm while placing the order. On a rush order it sucks to wait 24 hours for a order confirmation email.

 

[Scott Crawley]

If I remember correctly, B&H used to use a confirmation system for your first five orders. Once a track record was established, only then did they stop the confirmation process. Their methods may have changed, but that was my experience.

 

[Elsie N]

... On a rush order it sucks to wait 24 hours for a order confirmation email.

Good point. Might be a lesson for the rest of us if we need a rush order to contact our Bomb Squad rep who knows us. I think many of us, me included, often think that because we are on the forum, we are well known throughout the Red Digital Cinema industrial complex. Obviously that's not the case.

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Yeah ... the more you need it now, the more personal contact you should be having with your bomb squad rep.

I've never bought a thing from Red, but all my clients who have tell me the same thing: call them. Let them know you are in a hurry, ask what they can do for you to make sure it ships fast.

Sometimes the answer is nothing, but often you get the help you need.

And yes ... B&H does need to confirm orders past a certain size for new customers. I order little things from them all the time. When I hit either $1000 or $2000 though, they still confirm - because my typical order from them is less than $500 - often much less.

Its not just about a $ amount, its about a pattern.

Now Red ... its hard to order less than $500 from them. Coupled with the fact that most of their orders are for very large dollar amounts ... their pattern may be one that is high risk - and thus they are probably offered different terms than a place like B&H.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

I've had an online account with B&H for a decade now and have ordered tens of thousands of dollars worth of items... I can't remember a time that they called or emailed to verify an order placed online with my account. In anycase perhaps RED should send an automated email to the address on file and when you click on it... it confirms your order. That would speed up the process a bit.

For extra security they could set a limit on what amount triggers a fraud review.

 

[Scott Crawley]

Now that you mention it, B&H never called me either. I had to call them at their verification center. It was the last step in the order process and without it there was no order.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

Now that you mention it, B&H never called me either. I had to call them at their verification center. It was the last step in the order process and without it there was no order.

That makes sense... now I recollect having to do this many years ago... seriously it must have been back in 03. That is a much better system than the one RED currently has.... because the customer is alerted that the order needs to be verified and can promptly take care of it.

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Now that you mention it, B&H never called me either. I had to call them at their verification center. It was the last step in the order process and without it there was no order.

Now that the two of you mention it , I have called them in the past at the verification center. More recently, I thought I got automated emails asking for confirmation from B&H ... but now I can't find them in my email. (and trust me it would be there.)

 

[Andrae Palmer]

My Rep is on vacation so on Tuesday I emailed orders@red.com to let them know that I ordered the redmag. It still hasn't been shipped... I can't see how customer service is great for an item that is listed as in stock and yet still takes days to ship for a next day rush order. Ordered the redmag on Monday at exactly 12 noon PST. Have not received a tracking number from FedEx as of yet.

 

[Christopher Barrett]

They always quote standard turn around as 3-5 business days don't they? I don't think I've ever gotten anything shipped same day. Two days ago I received notice that my Canon mount was ready!!!!!!!! Asked my rep if I could get it overnighted to me by Friday... "No promises"

Between Epic-X and Scarlet shipping and all the accessories people will be ordering, I think we're going to have to suck it up for now.

Mind you I love how fast I get stuff from B&H, but B&H doesn't have Reds.... heh.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

They always quote standard turn around as 3-5 business days don't they?

Well they do list next day shipping as a "rush order"... obviously if we have to wait 3-5 days for a rush order just to ship for an item that is listed as in stock... Then that would be some slow rushing. I am quite used to getting simple in stock orders from RED shipped the same day or the next day. All I ordered was just one small item that's listed as in stock.

Obviously B&H, albeit an awesome company... doesn't have REDs and I'm just using their system as an example of a way for RED to improve their order processing.

Between Epic-X and Scarlet shipping and all the accessories people will be ordering, I think we're going to have to suck it up for now.

Yeah... That's what scares me.

 

[Max Fischer]

Yes, the "Rush" thing is a bit overstated. I can't imagine not having backups of EVERYTHING that's Red-specific. If a cable goes bad and you don't have a backup, you're screwed for days.

 

[Andrae Palmer]

It's Friday now and it still hasn't been shipped. I wrote an email to my rep explaining that I needed the card for an important job on Thursday... still nothing. So now I'm in Philadelphia on a job with just one SSD card. I don't understand how something could be listed as in stock and I'm begging for it to be shipped and no one can help me. I guess it really does take 3-5 days for a rush order to be shipped.

 

[Erik Franzén]

It's Friday now and it still hasn't been shipped. I wrote an email to my rep explaining that I needed the card for an important job on Thursday... still nothing. So now I'm in Philadelphia on a job with just one SSD card. I don't understand how something could be listed as in stock and I'm begging for it to be shipped and no one can help me. I guess it really does take 3-5 days for a rush order to be shipped.

I think they're just hammered for now, probably the worst time to be putting a rush on things! Did it get sorted in the end?

 

[Detlev Eller]

... For credit card online orders why does a bomb squad rep have to contact me to confirm the order? Is it too much to ask that orders get processed like anywhere else on the web? Can't we confirm our orders in the store?

Andrae,

... credit card companies put the customer before the merchant ... so, from a merchant point of view ... it is somewhat risky to accept credit cards ...
when in doubt, there must be a clear trail .... and its less work to make sure, the order is valid in the first place.

Not every merchant is a target for fraudulent orders ... and most web stores are not informed about the implications and just go live selling - blind.

then, with to many charge backs ... coming from unauthorized charges ... or people ordering with fraudulent intend using other peoples cards ...
the merchant account is at risk .... the threshold is pretty low.


there are double checking systems in place ... like MASTERCARD 3d secure ... and VISA Verified ....
they require a password at purchase that serves as authorization and protects the merchant better ...

... which is why i like to use them.


not all can handle this process, though ... as of today, even facebook has its problems with it. (guess they did just not think about it)




in summary,
life is usually more complex than it seems at first sight ... ;-)
and each of us needs to find our own way to navigate the high sea ...

Hope this information is useful ...




(... Disclaimer: i have no idea how RED is handling this, what their process or their policy is,
i am just commenting from my own experience with the process and implications ... )

 

[Keegan@Netflix]

It's Friday now and it still hasn't been shipped. I wrote an email to my rep explaining that I needed the card for an important job on Thursday... still nothing. So now I'm in Philadelphia on a job with just one SSD card. I don't understand how something could be listed as in stock and I'm begging for it to be shipped and no one can help me. I guess it really does take 3-5 days for a rush order to be shipped.

Hello Andrae,

Looking in our system the card did go out Friday I will have your Rep touch base with both you and Noel. In regards to your other post, Brent has made a few post in other threads regarding our current ordering process and things changing. In the past we did confirm all orders with our customers before they shipped, it allowed the customer to make any last minute changes to the order, ensure the customer the order was being handled.

As we continually receive a higher volume of orders daily we have transitioned into a process where once you place your order and receive your order confirmation the order will be in the shipping queue (if paid for in full using a credit card at that time). However the 3-5 business day processing time will still always be standard.

If you have any other questions about the ordering process please don’t hesitate to contact me directly, our main goal is to get product in your hands and provide the best service possible.

Best Regards,

 

[AndrewThomas]

Why does it take 3-5 days to process?

 

[Andrae Palmer]

I got the card this morning... exactly one week after I placed the order in the store. Missed it for the job... but I learned a very important lesson. I'm ordering everything way in advance now... keeping in mind that the 3-5 days processing time really takes that long even for rush orders for items that are listed as in stock.

As we continually receive a higher volume of orders daily we have transitioned into a process where once you place your order and receive your order confirmation the order will be in the shipping queue (if paid for in full using a credit card at that time). However the 3-5 business day processing time will still always be standard.

Great news... this is what I hoped for.