My order is "pending"? What does that mean?

MinhyrdinWindrose · Moderator Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 15683 Location: USA

As a general FYI:

An order being put on hold and listing as "pending" is something that is not uncommon with internet shopping (period, not just on IMVU).

- If you have made several purchases in a short length of time. (For example, I had a sale put on hold for buying an account name and then purchasing the AP less than a week later.)

- If you have made purchases for more than one account (For example, we've had married couples who have orders placed on pending for buying credits or passes for both accounts, using the same credit card.)

- Sometimes your bank or credit card company will place a hold on the transaction for being "out of the ordinary" for you. (Perhaps it's not your usual pattern to buy from a "gaming site" -- most of your other purchases are real world necessities like groceries or gas.)

These things are all examples of instances that can cause a "flag" to be raised and transactions put on hold pending verification.

When this happens it does not mean "No, we don't want your business." It simply means that more information is needed. The company (in this case IMVU) may wish extra time to verify that the funds are in place... or that you are indeed the credit card holder -- or have the permission of the credit card holder to make that purchase.

Please note that no funds have actually been removed from your account, even though it appears that you have been charged. Those funds are "on hold". They will not actually be deducted from your account until the verification process is complete and the transaction has gone through. These holds are often called as "authorization requests" or "Auth holds" in banking terms. They ensure that if the order does go through after verification, funds are available to pay for it. If the sale is canceled those funds will be freed up (that is, returned for your use).

To check on your order, simply file a billing help ticket. [Help >> Request Support >> Submit a case >> Billing >> payment method that you used for the order] You can wait the two days or file immediately. There is no mandatory "wait" time before you can file -- it just may turn out to be unnecessary to have filed and the transaction hold cleared up before the ticket is even seen or responded to.

And while it is annoying to have to wait or possibly even have to send in verification documentation that the card is yours and you are allowed to use your own bloody card, please do keep in mind that this practice really is for your protection -- personal and financial.
_________________
The size of the purple monkeys has no effect on the height that banana fish can jump.