Overcharged for a piece of software?

21 March 2008 • 677 views, 2 today

Overcharged for a piece of software?

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A couple of days ago, I bought a one-year license for Kaspersky Internet Security 7. I used PayPal for the transaction. From the catalog to the checkout screen to the PayPal authorization page, the amount declared was $59.95. That’s $59.95. I have an account on that site and was signed in, so that arvato systems GmbH (the vendor of Kaspersky) knew that I was in the Philippines — VAT was removed from the shopping cart, presumably because I wasn’t anywhere near Europe.

The confirmation page showing my completed order also reflected $59.95. Take a look at the screenshot. I also got an email from arvato systems that, as soon as they receive the amount of $59.95, I would be able to download the product.

Then moments later I realized I’d gotten another email from, curiously enough, PayPal.de (a German entity). But that wasn’t what busted my chops. This email declares that I had paid $71.34 for the antivirus software! That’s $11.34 more than what was displayed on my screen the whole time I was purchasing Kaspersky. Nowhere in the shopping cart or checkout screens did I see an item for “sales tax”, which is what the email from PayPal.de calls the extra amount.

I then checked my PayPal account and, true enough, I’d been charged $71.34 by arvato systems. I tried to file a dispute with PayPal, but was informed that I should try to settle it with the seller directly. So I emailed the latter using the email address provided (Kaspersky-Global@arvato-systems.de)… and it bounced. This German company still has not replied to me via PayPal’s dispute resolution interface.

I’ve been using PayPal as well as credit cards to make online purchases, and I’ve always felt secure because of the predominant culture of trust. Without trust between buyers and sellers, without the confidence that such a culture inspires, global e-commerce won’t have flourished as it has. But it seems there are still some bad eggs in the basket…

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