Yaatri

Maybe CBP held him up. Sometimes they do question people on jetway before they get to the aircraft.

bwilson831

I think the 'Doc' was being humurous and trying to 'wind up a Kanuk'

Yaatri

US-U.K calling rates don't tell us anything about U.K.-U.S. calling rates. Thhe two are completely unrelated.

Often1

OP's daughter can suit herself as she chooses. But, the vast majority of smallchargebacks are simply honored by CC issuers as a matter of CS and without actually going through the rigamarole. But, issuers which see a pattern of no attempts to resolve are less likely to go the simple CS route down the road when perhaps it's less clear cut and could go either way.

I pay US$0.019/minute back to the USA so even a 10 minute call would cost be less than US$0.20.

Doc Savage

Way back when, way before 9/11, I almost missed a flight to Vancouver because I asked the shuttle driver to take me to the International Terminal at SFO....

KissFlyGoodbye

Idk why SFO doesn't allow me to purchase DF when I go to YYZ. Grinds my gears.

Had the same thing happen to me from JFK - NRT yesterday. Cigs never came and the boarding door closed. The DF clerk was late, but since the boarding door is closed, they couldn't open it back up to let me get the purchase. I do hope they credited it back to my CC.

cordelli

Minimum wage trolley pushers?

There are plenty of calling cards that let you call the US from the UK for under three cents a minute.

cbn42

Credit card companies require you to try and resolve the problem with the merchant in good faith before you start a dispute. If the merchant informs them that you failed to do so, it does not look good for you.

If you don't want to make an international call then send an e-mail, if you can find an address. Or just wait and see if they give you a credit. They know who you are and they know that you didn't get your stuff.

Passmethesickbag

I'd say you're getting totally ripped off by the Bearded One. Even BT standard rates are 18.3 p/min (daytime) or 12.6 p/min (evenings/weekends). I pay a fraction of that through my provider (Eclipse).

Whatever the phone rates, if I were your daughter, I'd just dispute the charge, rather than risking a frustrating and long phone call, potentially being passed from pillar to post. Make it DFS's problem, not hers!

I've never had any problems with DFS delivering at the gate. However, your story worries me, because I will often use my spare $$$ rather than my credit card to buy duty free.

beergut

I use telediscount access codes, 1p a minute to the states


http://www.telediscount.co.uk/index2.php

bwilson831

18.3ppm is still going to add up if she get's bounced around, put on hold or whatever. I don't pay the bearded one 30.6ppm, because I subscribe to his Talk International option - 3.06ppm Daughter's coming home for Christmas so she can call from here next week if necessary. Gives the card transaction(s?) time to hit as well.

It dawned on me that the most elegant solution to the problem (which, from contributions above, clearly happens from time to time) is for the store put a hold on your card for the amount (much like hotels and car rentals do) and only process the transaction after you've flown away clutching your stuff. It would also stop them getting on the CC companies radar for too many chargebacks. Who knows? Maybe they do. We'll see.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Happy holidays:-:

Scots_Al

I've never understood why the US has this completely bizarre system of having to collect your purchases at the gate, and why they can't operate like most other places - i.e. you buy at the shop, you take your goods there and then... it's not like (most!) people are going to crack open their cheap bottle in the airport whilst waiting for boarding!

It seems like incidents such as the OPs are bound to happen on a regular basis.

ckpeter

I don't usually buy duty free purchase, so someone please correct me if I am wrong.

From what I understand, the US requires delivery at the gate because many US airports mix international flights with domestic flights. So, the only way to be relatively sure that the traveler will be flying out of the US will be to deliver the purchases at their international flight gates.

Passmethesickbag

Indeed it is. But now, of course, LHR does the same in T1 and T5. I don't understand what there is to stop you from giving your duty free purchases to your friend who's flying to Glasgow. Maybe Europeans are just less paranoid about alcohol.

kukukajoo

Do tell!!! I would like to get some!