How can I be sure you won't take my money and run away?

If I am paying with a debit card (switch, delta etc)?

How can I tell if a merchant is trustworthy?

How safe is it to disclose my card number over the phone?

A perfectly valid question. There have been several cases of companies that have folded up overnight leaving a lot of unhappy customers without computers.

A good measure of a company is how long they've been trading for. Of course, a long history does not mean that they can't go bust, but it does offer some measure of security. We have been accepting cards since 1996.

Further security with credit cards: When paying with a credit card you have a lot more protection. Various credit cards offer various additional benefits. Some offer free insurance, free damage cover etc. However, the most important reassurance is that when you pay for a computer over the phone and then don't receive the goods you can get your money back from the credit card company.

It is important to deal with companies you can trust:

When a credit card company allows "merchants" such as ourselves to accept credit and debit cards over the phone they do extensive checks on the company and its directors to ensure that they are dealing with an honest company. Credit card companies are very conscious of frauds and lose a lot of money to frauds every year. Therefore, if they have any suspicions that a company like ours is indulging in any shady practices with cards, they'll revoke their facilities immediately.

Best Price Computers Ltd has had facilities to accept debit and credit cards since our year of registration as a limited company, 1996. Since then our facilities have never been questioned or suspended. The company providing our current facilities i.e. Barclays Merchant Services has very amicably processed  large volumes of money in card payments for us. We like to think that this is because they trust us.

Debit cards like switch, delta and solo work similarly to credit cards with two main differences. Firstly, the money comes straight out of your account and you don't get any interest free period. Secondly, you don't have the same level of purchase protection as you would have with a credit card.

So why pay with a debit card? There are several benefits. In many cases it works out slightly cheaper as paying with a credit card may attract a small surcharge. Further, if you maintain a balance on your credit card you are paying interest to your card company from the day you make the purchase.

But what about protection? If the firm you are dealing with is a trustworthy company the risk is negligible. Should there be any reason that you do not get your computer, they'll be happy to refund the amount. 

When you disclose your card number over the phone, unless there is someone listening in on your conversation, the card details remain confidential between you and us. We are obliged by law to keep that information from getting into the wrong hands. At Best Price Computers Ltd we are very strict with customer confidentiality. Not only do non-authorised persons not have access to your card number, they don't have access to any other details you give us either (like your address or phone number).

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