COMPLIANCE

When the agent orders the wrong thing

If the agent orders the $25 gift card instead of the cable, the payment might be approved while the item is still wrong. I’m using that case to work through which records the buyer needs and who should investigate.

The purchase request, the seller’s order and the payment result answer different questions. Keeping them together makes it possible to compare what was requested, what was accepted and what happened to payment.

Responsibilities in the purchase

One company may perform several roles. A shopping service that also sells the goods takes the seller’s role as well.

  • Buyer

    Sets the shopping limits and reviews the item, seller, total and terms. The product should preserve that approval, record any later changes and show whether those changes were approved. It should offer a clear way to report an incorrect purchase.

  • Shopping service

    The service runs the agent, enforces its permissions and keeps the approved request and checkout history. Its support team should explain the mistake and proposed remedy. Any compensation depends on its commitments and the applicable rules.

  • Seller

    Keeps the order it accepted, including the item, price and sale terms, and supplies the goods. Handles delivery and any available cancellation or return under those terms and applicable rights.

  • Payment service and card network

    The payment service routes payment; the card network sets rules for its participants. Their controls and records support payment and disputes. They do not establish that the agent chose the right product.

  • Card issuer

    The bank or company that provides the card account handles suspected unauthorized use and applicable billing claims, such as duplicate charges or non-delivery. It may need the instruction, order and payment records to assess the claim.

Security duties for the seller

Using an outside payment service leaves duties with the seller. The seller needs to agree who handles shared security work, monitor its providers and check that their card-security assessments cover the services actually used.

What approval establishes

  • Buyer approval and card approval

    Your approval records what you agreed to buy. Payment authorization is the card issuer’s decision to allow the payment; it does not establish that the agent followed your request. Keep the approved order and the issuer’s decision as separate records.

  • The services’ commitments

    The seller agrees to supply an order under its sale terms. The shopping service’s terms describe its own commitments, including any promises about agent mistakes. Those commitments matter alongside the applicable law when a purchase goes wrong.

  • Payment claims and returns

    The card issuer checks payment claims under the rules that apply to the account. Buyer authentication is part of the evidence, but it does not settle whether the shopping service followed the purchase request. The issuer’s claim decision and the seller’s cancellation or return process address different parts of the problem.

Order problems and payment claims

The first contact depends on the problem. The request and seller’s order help explain a wrong item; payment entries help establish an apparent duplicate charge.

Suspected unauthorized card use

Report suspected unauthorized use to the card issuer and stop further payment access through the relevant service. Keep the transaction, access records and any approved instruction.

Relevant records

  • Transaction and access records
  • Any approved purchase instruction
  • Payment limits and revoked-access history

First contact

Card issuer
Report suspected unauthorized use and ask which claim process applies.
Payment service and card network
Stop further payment access and preserve the payment record.
Responsibility for the loss

A support response does not decide who must bear the loss. That depends on the evidence and applicable rules.

When the buyer is busy

This prototype waits for the buyer to open Apple Pay. A fuller shopping service would also need a way to handle an unfinished request: save a proposal for later review, or buy under separately agreed spending limits.

  • After you approve on the device

    Approval on the device is followed by a payment check. The buyer can step away, but the initiating checkout stays open until payment completes. A real purchase also needs the seller’s order confirmation.

  • If checkout closes

    Closing the initiating browser, tab or Apple Pay window before payment completes cancels that payment session. It does not erase an authorization or order already recorded, so recovery starts by checking the existing results before another attempt.

WHEN THE BUYER IS AWAY

Find the cable while I’m busy. Ask me before buying.

A proposal for later review

The service would keep the request and proposed order for the buyer to review later. Payment would wait for the buyer’s approval.

Review a refreshed order

On return, the service would recheck the item, stock, delivered price and terms before asking the buyer to approve. Any change would need to be shown in the review.

The changing code

Apple’s browser code changes every few seconds and accepts one successful scan. Scanning opens device review; the published code rule does not establish a post-scan approval deadline.

Permission while the buyer is away

You’re away
You’re availablePayment attempt
While you’re away
The agent prepares a purchase proposal. It has no permission to pay.
When payment can proceed
When you return, check the current order and approve.
Permission to spend

Permission to search is separate from permission to spend. The open questions are which limits the chosen provider will enforce and how the shopping service will show that each order matched the approved request.

Try reviewing and approving a purchase