Is there a law against this?

[Jog On]

Booked a holiday with a card over the phone the other day.

Got an email with the invoice and they tacked on an extra £16 to what they told us we were paying over the phone. Now I know it's not a lot of money but in principle if you pay for something by giving someone your card details over the phone surely they have some kind of obligation/duty to only charge you exactly what they said they would.

Now they're saying it's airline tax that accounts for the extra but I don't really give a tulip about that. If they say "OK that will be £x what's the long number on the front of your card?" then you get an invoice for £x+16 they've either screwed up on their information at the time or are being a bit dodgy in the hope that we'll just not worry about it.

Is there a law against this - like false advertising or something?

[suityou01]

Booked a holiday with a card over the phone the other day.

Got an email with the invoice and they tacked on an extra £16 to what they told us we were paying over the phone. Now I know it's not a lot of money but in principle if you pay for something by giving someone your card details over the phone surely they have some kind of obligation/duty to only charge you exactly what they said they would.

Now they're saying it's airline tax that accounts for the extra but I don't really give a tulip about that. If they say "OK that will be £x what's the long number on the front of your card?" then you get an invoice for £x+16 they've either screwed up on their information at the time or are being a bit dodgy in the hope that we'll just not worry about it.

Is there a law against this - like false advertising or something?

If you name and shame the bastids I will help.

[TheFaQQer]

Speak to your credit card company - suggest that it sounds like someone at the holiday company may be putting through fraudulent transactions.

[suityou01]

Speak to your credit card company - suggest that it sounds like someone at the holiday company may be putting through fraudulent transactions.

The law to which you refer to is called theft.

Forget about credit cards for a minute. Try this scenario.

You walk into the local corner shop to buy a loaf. That's £1.45 please says the cashier.
You hand over a £20 note and get 50p change.

Theft, pure and simple.

[Doggy Styles]

Have you got evidence, such as an email or a letter, of the quote as you understood it? (i.e. without the extra charge)

If you have got evidence, first contact the merchant and try and get a reduction from them. If that doesn't work, contact your card issuer and they can charge it back.

If you haven't got evidence, then I think you have to pay it (or cancel the booking, with whatever penalties you get for that).

[minestrone]

[pmeswani]

Booked a holiday with a card over the phone the other day.

Got an email with the invoice and they tacked on an extra £16 to what they told us we were paying over the phone. Now I know it's not a lot of money but in principle if you pay for something by giving someone your card details over the phone surely they have some kind of obligation/duty to only charge you exactly what they said they would.

Now they're saying it's airline tax that accounts for the extra but I don't really give a tulip about that. If they say "OK that will be £x what's the long number on the front of your card?" then you get an invoice for £x+16 they've either screwed up on their information at the time or are being a bit dodgy in the hope that we'll just not worry about it.

Is there a law against this - like false advertising or something?

It think it may come under either The Theft Act, The Fraud Act and/or The Sale of Goods Act. Don't know which sections, but it should be covered in at least one of those acts. However, prices stated on the web is exempt from the Sale of Goods Act, as it can be argued that the prices advertised could be incorrect due to admin error and therefore no protection is offered. However, if you were quoted on the phone, by email, by letter or in person and you were charged more than what you are quoted, you migh have a case. However, the burden of proof in relation to what was offered on the phone is on you and not the supplier, and you can only hope that the supplier records conversations.

[Doggy Styles]

Have you got evidence, such as an email or a letter, of the quote as you understood it? (i.e. without the extra charge)

If you have got evidence, first contact the merchant and try and get a reduction from them. If that doesn't work, contact your card issuer and they can charge it back.

If you haven't got evidence, then I think you have to pay it (or cancel the booking, with whatever penalties you get for that).

I should add that the above reply comes with some credit card company experience.

If you want to go down the route of willfull fraud/sale of goods acts (theft won't work), I think you'll need very good evidence. A number of other cardholders similarly disgruntled with this merchant might help with the balance of probabilities.

[pmeswani]

I should add that the above reply comes with some credit card company experience.

If you want to go down the route of willfull fraud/sale of goods acts (theft won't work), I think you'll need very good evidence. A number of other cardholders similarly disgruntled with this merchant might help with the balance of probabilities.

One could get a Consumer Watchdog to attempt to purchase the same goods from the said supplier and use them to act in your defense if they can prove dishonesty from the supplier.

[MarillionFan]

Just ask for a breakdown of the costs.

Actually didn't a new tax kick in this month for holidays. So they may be right and just forgot about it.