Industry Tips
Mail Order
Whenever you shop by mail, be sure to record the date, name and address of the company, merchandise ordered, and payment made in case you need to reach the company about the order. Pay by check or money order & include shipping & handling charges & clearly written shipping address. Know refund policy. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. Inspect items promptly. Be cautious of exaggerated claims & unusually low prices.
If you use your bank issued credit cards when ordering merchandise by mail or telephone and find the products to be defective or to have been misrepresented by the seller, and if the seller itself will not issue a credit, you have the right to withhold payment for the merchandise until the dispute is resolved. According to federal law, payment can be withheld only if the purchase exceeded $50 and occurred in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address. Check with the card issuer to determine if their policy differs.
Under the FTC Mail Order Rule, a company must ship your order within 30 days from the time it receives the completed order, unless, in making the offer, the company clearly stated some other time for shipment. The FTC has recently amended this Rule to include goods ordered by phone, computer and fax. If the company cannot ship your order within the time advertised, it must inform you in writing of the delay. The company must give you the chance to cancel your order if you do not agree to the delay. If you decide to cancel, the company must refund your money within 7 days of your notice of cancellation. If you do not respond to the company's notification of delay, the company may assume you agree to the delay. It then has another 30 days to send the merchandise. The company may not, however, delay shipment beyond an additional 30 days without your express consent. The Mail Order Rule does not apply to COD orders, or orders for which you send no advance payment. The Rule also does not cover mail order services such as photofinishing, seeds and plants, magazine orders, and negative options plans such as those used by some book, record, and tape clubs.
