What happens if goods don't arrive?
What happens if goods don't arrive?
What's coming up?
In this activity, we're going to look at the steps you can take when things go wrong with an online purchase or payment.
If the goods you ordered don't arrive, you've received the wrong goods, or the goods are faulty or broken, then there are steps you can take to try and resolve this. Just follow these steps, and you may be able to get your money back.
Start activityStep 1: Contact the website
The first thing you should do is try and work it out with the website, just like you would with a high street shop.
Go back to the website you ordered the goods from and use the site’s contact information to request a refund.
You'll usually need to wait a few days for them to respond and try to work things out. Maybe they'll offer a refund or replacement, in which case you can either receive your money back or get the goods you wanted.
Step 2: Contact your bank or PayPal
If the site refuses to respond, and you feel that you’ve made reasonable efforts to fix the problem, then you should contact PayPal or your credit card provider (depending on which one you used to pay).
Credit card providers and PayPal are used to dealing with these situations, and have special call lines where you can submit your claim.
Step 3: Receive a chargeback
The credit card provider or PayPal will ask you to submit a report about what happened. If they agree that there’s a problem, they can reverse the charges and refund your money. This is called a chargeback.
eSafety tip
If all else fails and you are not satisfied or not getting anywhere with a retailer or website, we recommend looking at the Australian government's Australian Consumer Law website for more advice on next steps. This is a handy website to consult for details on your national consumer rights, and also has links to state and territory consumer affairs offices.
Congratulations!
You've completed the What happens if goods don’t arrive? activity, and learnt the important steps that can help you get your money back if things go wrong, and also where you can go to seek further advice in your state or territory.
Next, If you have registered and logged in to this website, you'll now be able to take a short quiz to finish the Paying safely in shops and online course. If you are not registered, you are now at the end of this course.