[Mr Heliums]

I have the iMac G5 expected to ship in 3-4 weeks, but an HP printer and .Mac will apparently ship in 1-2 days. Will my credit card therefore be billed a month or more before the iMac arrives?

[Skip Breakfast]

If they're performing the transaction correctly, the payment has been approved but not charged. By that I mean your available credit is not what it used to be, but you are not responsible for payment until the item(s) ship.

At least, that's how we did at MacWarehouse.

[Mr Heliums]

Originally posted by Skip Breakfast:
If they're performing the transaction correctly, the payment has been approved but not charged.

But will they bill me for the whole amount when the first item arrives? That's the crucial bit!

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by Mr Heliums:
But will they bill me for the whole amount when the first item arrives? That's the crucial bit!

I would argue that if it's that much of an issue, you should have held off on buying...

[icruise]

They'll only charge you for the things they ship you.

[Mr Heliums]

I didn't say I had bought it.

But it's an issue that has become important with Apple's penchant for slipping shipping dates. What if the iMac G5 is like the PowerMac G5 and is delayed a month or so more? Just on principle, I do not want to pay for an item months before it ships - even less so if Apple was to use underhand tactics in doing so by billing me for the whole amount when only part of the transaction has shipped.

As Apple reserves the right to change shipping dates, I also want the flexibility to cancel before ship date should such a delay prove unacceptable to me - or if I simply change my mind before Apple can supply me with the machine. Those are basic customer rights, but I've dealt with Apple before attempting to get a refund, and it wasn't a pretty pastime.

[Mr Heliums]

Originally posted by Icruise:
They'll only charge you for the things they ship you.

Thanks iCruise - that was the help I was looking for.

[mitchell_pgh]

You can always cancel before the item has shipped. (in the US anyways)