Online shopping via bank transfer?

U

Usjes

Registered User
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Hi,

I was planning on booking a Yoga holiday in Turkey but when I got to the payment stage I found that they don't accept credit cards and they want the funds transferred to their bank account:

We will email you our bank details once we receive this form. What amount will you be transferring? (eg £75 if deposit only)*

Alternatively they accept cheques but given that the holiday starts in about two weeks they will want the full amount immediately and it wouldn't be practical to wait for a cheque to clear to confirm my booking.

I have a notion in my head that paying online by bank transfer is a big no-no. The website more than likely is legit, but it could be a scam and once I have transfered the funds, if the holiday turns out to be fictitious then I have no recourse. The money is gone.

Am I correct? Would I be mad to pay via a bank transfer, or would this be as safe as a credit card payment?

Thanks,

Usjes
 
Seems very strange that they don't accept credit cards. I've never come accross a website selling something that doesn't accept credit cards.
I'd be very caustious on using back transfer but perhaps speak to someone at your bank and ask their opinion.
 
McD1978 said:
Seems very strange that they don't accept credit cards. I've never come accross a website selling something that doesn't accept credit cards.
I'd be very caustious on using back transfer but perhaps speak to someone at your bank and ask their opinion.
Click to expand...

Yes, that was my thinking I just wanted confirmation. I think the site is legit. and that they don't take Credit cards to keep costs down (I found this when paying in person when on holiday in Turkey in the past), but online in advance it just seems very risky. What about paying by cheque in advance, does that leave me in the same boat once the cheque has cleared before I arrive on site to find whether or not the holiday is legit? Or is a cheque (which clears before I receive the service) somehow inherently safer than a bank transfer ?
 
You could send a post dated cheque if they would accept that but it all sounds very suspicious to me indeed.

Did you do a google search on this company or check out their domain address to see if their bona fida.
 
Made a few enquiries today and nobody I've spoken to has completed an online transaction like this. My advice is better safe than sorry. Walk away.
 
I have booked holidays by paying an upfront deposit by EFT with the remainder paid later by EFT or cash on arrival. These arrangements have been with individual owners.
 
Update

Well, I mailed them outlining my concerns and asking how they usually convince their customers that they are legit. They say they dont accept credit cards due to the excessive overheads. They did say that they have had occasionally customers who aren't comfortable with the bank transfer and that they let them pay in cash on arrival so I have asked them if this will be acceptable in my case. I'm kind of surprised that virtually all their customers dont have these concerns, but who knows, maybe there are a lot of foolish people out there.
It is a small family run business and I know from previous holidays in Turkey that hot-air balloon companies for instance wouldn't accept credit cards, again due to the cost to them. So maybe it is specific to rural Turkey.
 
pudds said:
You could send a post dated cheque if they would accept that but it all sounds very suspicious to me indeed.

Did you do a google search on this company or check out their domain address to see if their bona fida.
Click to expand...

I did have a brief poke around on google and they have their own site plus a facebook page with plenty of comments from past clients etc., but really I dont think this proves anything, I believe any competent web-designer could mock all this up in under an hour.
 
I have booked holidays with small independent places in Greece and Morocco where I paid by ban transfer and it wasn't an issue. I was a little concerned initially, but everything was OK. It is fine to be security conscious, but not everyone is out to scam people; there are legitimate reasons for not accepting credit cards.
 
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