Monday, March 14, 2011

GlitterSniffer Cosmetics Turnaround Time- Google Checkout and The Mail and Telephone Order Merchandise Rule

On Saturday, March 12, 2011, GlitterSniffer Cosmetics announced a change in their turnaround time for orders. They extended it from 5 business days, as stated in their listings and their Artfire policies, to 15 days.  The explanation was that there is a 10 day hold on their funds remitted via their payment processor Google Checkout as a new merchant.


The company states this is temporary, for approximately a month.

A check of Google Checkout shows that it is a policy to place a 10 day hold on funds for new merchants for a period of 60 days, then for a review to be conducted to lift the hold.


GlitterSniffer Cosmetics began using Google Checkout on January 28, 2011. The review would be conducted by Google Checkout in about 2 weeks time, not the month that GlitterSniffer Cosmetics is stating.

The hold is placed on funds remitted to the merchant, not the actual charge to the method of payment. This means that GS has to charge the funds then wait the ten day hold. The company has 168 hours (7 days) to capture the funds. Despite the funds not actually being transferred to the company they are obligated, per Google Checkout Program Policies and Guidelines, to fulfill orders within 24 hours of charging the method of payment. 





This would seem to indicate that per Google Checkout Program Policies and Guidelines the new 15 day turnaround time is incorrect if the company wishes to be compliant with the guidelines. Once the money is charged (which at the longest is 7 days) the order must ship within 24 hours to meet the guidelines. That is, at most, 8 days. 


Additionally, the new turnaround time would need to meet the criteria set forth by the FTC Mail and Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, which states:
The Rule requires that when you advertise merchandise, you must have a reasonable basis for stating or implying that you can ship within a certain time. If you make no shipment statement, you must have a reasonable basis for believing that you can ship within 30 days.
 If, after taking the customer’s order, you learn that you cannot ship within the time you stated or within 30 days, you must seek the customer’s consent to the delayed shipment. If you cannot obtain the customer’s consent to the delay -- either because it is not a situation in which you are permitted to treat the customer’s silence as consent and the customer has not expressly consented to the delay, or because the customer has expressly refused to consent -- you must, without being asked, promptly refund all the money the customer paid you for the unshipped merchandise.
This means, per the Federal Trade Commission, the merchandise must be shipped out in the agreed turnaround time, or the customer must consent to the delay. If the customer does not agree expressly to the delay then the company must issue a refund without the customer having to ask.

It is unknown at this time if all customers with current orders have been notified and given consent for the delay, nor if Google Checkout is aware of the issue GlitterSniffer Cosmetics seems to be having with the new turnaround time and meeting their payment processors' policies and guidelines. As of publication, the listings and policies for GlitterSniffer Cosmetics on Artfire still give a stated turnaround time of 5 business days.

I will update in the event new information becomes available.

2 comments:

  1. Well, I can tell you that I was not asked for consent of delay. I've left glittersniffer, but am still waiting on an order that was placed FEBRUARY 7th. It will be interesting to see if I actually get it, as I've been emailing her since the last week of february, and it is now the last week of March. So no, she hasn't been contacting people for consent. There are also tons of people asking on the fanpage where their orders are. So I think compliance with those rules is not happening. Just my opinion and thoughts on the matter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I ordered on March 11th and have also not received my order, nor a response to 4 separate e-mails and two posts on the fanpage regarding my order. I received a tracking number from USPS that has NOT updated since I got it on 3/21, I sent the first e-mail on 3/24, and since then have been e-mailing and posting on the fan page. She has posted at least four or five status updates since my order saying that all orders had been shipped, but obviously that's not true. She replied to one of my comments on the fan page and said she'd be with my e-mail shortly, which was at 2pm on 3/27, and I've yet to get an e-mail. She has never even talked to me about it, let alone asked me to consent to a delay. And her fans act as though I'm being a horrible bitch for posting on their fan page concerning the matter. I'm getting fed up with it.

    ReplyDelete

Please be constructive in your comments. Any comments posted to this blog that may be considered defamatory, inflammatory, or threatening to anyone will be removed.

You're Not Alone

Subscribe

Bloggers' Rights at EFF

Easy Access

ACE Books Amazon Payments Artfire ASPCA Attorney General Bellasugar Better Business Bureau Big Cartel Business Opportunity Buyer Beware Cellini Red Charity Child Safety Closing Coastal Scents Complaints I Filed Consumer Affairs Consumer Product Safety Commission Consumer Reports Consumerist Contact Copyright Cosmetic Safety Craftzine.com Craigslist Cream Eyeliner Dammit Pigment Detroit Handmade Detroit Urban Craft Fair Disney Double Labels Ebay Email Etsy Etsy Call Out Blog Facebook FDA Federal Trade Commision Flickr Frankening Freedom Of Information Act FTC Get Crafty Gift Cards Gift Certificates Gift Exchange GLAAD Glam Rock Magazine glittermail GlitterSniffer GlitterSniffer Bath GlitterSniffer Cosmetics GlitterSnifferCosmetics.highwire.com Glow in the Dark Google Checkout Handmade HBO I Answer Your Questions Ingredients Internet Crime Complaint Center Kids in Danger Labeling Lawsuit Listia Mail and Telephone Order Merchandise Rule Maker City Faire Mascara Media MedWatch Mermaid Tail Michigan Department of Agriculture Michigan Radio Mineral Makeup Class My Story New Products News Not Approved OFT Old Stock Open Letter Overview Party Paypal Perfect Mint Personally Identifying Information PETA Pigmentchick PIRGIM Pissed Consumer Promises Psycho Bath Co PureLuxe purpose Randoms Recall Refund Rep. John D. Dingell Repackaging RipOffReport.com Sanrio Seuss Soap Statement Store Credit Technorati Terms of Service The Conservatorie The Princess Bride The Spotted Box Tim Burton True Blood TWLOHA USPS Vegan Wayne County Health Department Web Wholesale Women's Health Working Girl Cosmetics Your Story
Powered by Blogger.