Q&A for How to Back Out of an Online Purchase

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What should I do if I want to cancel a purchase because I never received an item?

Derick Vogel
Credit Advisor & Owner, Credit Absolute
Derick Vogel is a Credit Expert and CEO of Credit Absolute, a credit counseling and educational company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Derick has over 10 years of financial experience and specializes in consulting mortgages, loans, specializes in business credit, debt collections, financial budgeting, and student loan debt relief. He is a member of the National Association of Credit Services Organizations (NASCO) and is an Arizona Association of Mortgage Professional. He holds credit certificates from Dispute Suite in credit repair best practices and in Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) competency.

Derick Vogel

Credit Advisor & Owner, Credit Absolute

Expert Answer

Talk to the business to see if they have any information. If they're not able to help you, then contact your bank to explain the issue and get a refund.

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Question

What if the website was a scam and I find out after I ordered?

Community Answer

Call the police and/or contact the consumer affairs bureau/office in your area. You probably won't get your money back but at least others can be warned off.

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Question

I ordered some vitamins online. I meant to order just the free trial, but I must have accidentally ticked a box for more. They have charged me far more than the price of postage with the free trial. I sent a few emails to the company explaining that I did not mean to order so much, but I have not received any replies. How can I stop money from being taken out of my account?

Community Answer

You could block the credit card or debit card that you fed into the site, or you could call your bank directly and let them know that you do not want to authorize this payment.

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Question

I placed an order for an item online. It is on back order, and my credit card has not been charged yet. Now I don't need the item after all, but they have not yet agreed to cancel the purchase. Can I prevent them from charging me for the order?

Community Answer

You have to go through the company's customer service and ask them to cancel the order. Most companies should be able to do it at this stage. Otherwise, you might be able to have your credit card issuer block the purchase, but that usually costs a fee and is probably not worth it. At worst, you will just have to wait to receive and then return the item.

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Question

Can I back out of an online purchase if I accidentally ordered the same item twice? Can I get a refund?

Community Answer

Generally, yes you can. I would suggest calling the company right away to cancel the duplicate order before it ships out. Many online companies will not charge until your item ships, they'll place an authorization hold (pending charge) until then. On a bank statement it may show as a charge online, but the funds will not transfer until your item ships in many cases. Once it ships you would need to return the duplicate item for a refund per the company's policies.

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Question

I cancelled an online order less than 30 minutes after I placed it. The company sent me the item anyway! Now they want me to pay for return shipping and a restocking fee. They say they never got the cancellation. What's the best way of disputing the company return policy?

Community Answer

I found a great article about this online. I Googled "Is it illegal to keep things sent to me in error". You can keep things sent to you in error. Do you have your cancellation confirmation?

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How do I find out if my online order when through?

Community Answer

They will send you an email. Sometimes orders take longer.

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