Payment Policy
Each section below sets out what Trail Forge does with a payment, and what the customer needs to do. The same processor handles every method, so the security position applies equally to all of them.
Methods we accept
What Trail Forge commits to do: accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards, together with PayPal, and show the available methods before payment is taken.
What we ask of you: check that the card or wallet you intend to use is issued on one of those networks before starting checkout.
Cash on delivery, bank transfer, cheque, cryptocurrency and payment on account are not accepted; each either cannot be reconciled automatically or leaves the order unsecured.
Where another method is preferred, write to support@elowenonline.shop before ordering and a definite answer will be given rather than leaving the attempt to fail at the payment step.
All five methods are processed through the same provider, so the security position described in the next section applies equally to cards and to PayPal.
Cards and wallets
What Trail Forge commits to do: process every method through a provider certified to PCI-DSS Level 1, and never store a full card number.
What we ask of you: enter card details only on the payment page reached from this site, and never send card numbers by email.
Card details pass directly to the processor, which returns the result, the card brand and the last four digits. PayPal works differently: the customer authorises the payment on PayPal's own site and returns with a confirmation.
No member of staff can view or retrieve a card number, and no message purporting to come from Trail Forge will ever request one.
Where a payment is referred for verification by the bank, the order is held rather than cancelled, and the customer is contacted so that the verification can be completed.
When we charge your card
What Trail Forge commits to do: authorise the card when the order is placed, capture the payment when the order is dispatched, and charge only the amount confirmed at checkout.
What we ask of you: allow for a pending authorisation to appear on the statement before dispatch, and check the confirmed amount before submitting the order.
The confirmed amount includes sales tax calculated from the delivery address. No handling fee, card surcharge or currency conversion charge is added by Trail Forge.
Where an order is amended before dispatch, any difference is refunded or charged before the parcel leaves the warehouse.
Where an order is cancelled before dispatch, any authorisation placed on the card is released, and the customer is told when that release has been requested.
Security of payment
What Trail Forge commits to do: encrypt all traffic in transit, serve the payment step over the processor's own secure connection, and keep card data out of its systems and logs.
What we ask of you: treat any email requesting card details as fraudulent, and report it to support@elowenonline.shop.
Card payments may be subject to 3-D Secure verification, which is why a bank may ask for a payment to be approved inside its own application before the order is accepted.
No card is stored between orders; the site does not offer saved cards, and each order is paid for individually.
Where a customer believes their card has been used without authorisation, they should contact their bank immediately as well as Trail Forge, so that the card can be stopped while the transaction is reviewed.
Declined payments
What Trail Forge commits to do: confirm that nothing has been charged where a payment is declined, and check the processor's response if a decline appears inexplicable.
What we ask of you: check that the billing address entered matches the one the bank holds, and retry with another card or PayPal if the decline continues.
A decline usually means the issuing bank has blocked the transaction, the billing address differs from the bank's record, or the card limit has been reached.
A pending authorisation from a failed attempt is released by the bank, normally within a few working days; that release cannot be expedited by Trail Forge, because the hold sits with the issuer.
Where repeated declines occur on the same order, Trail Forge will contact the customer rather than allowing the order to sit unresolved.
Refund of payment
What Trail Forge commits to do: issue the refund to the original payment method within seven calendar days of the returned item passing inspection, and email when it is released.
What we ask of you: allow for the bank's posting time on top of that period, and contact support@elowenonline.shop where the original card has since been closed.
Money returns to the card that paid, or to the PayPal account that funded the order. A different card, a different account or a cash refund is not possible.
Where an order was partly paid with store credit, the refund is apportioned in the same proportions as the original payment.
Where a refund has been released but has not appeared after ten working days, write to support@elowenonline.shop with the order reference and Trail Forge will supply the processor's reference number for the bank to trace.
Payment help
What Trail Forge commits to do: answer payment questions within one working day, Monday to Friday, and confirm the outcome in writing.
What we ask of you: send the order reference, together with the date and amount where they are to hand, to support@elowenonline.shop.
Where a charge is not recognised at all, contact the issuing bank as well as Trail Forge, so the card can be monitored while the transaction is investigated.
A short email is usually resolved faster than a formal chargeback, and Trail Forge would prefer to hear from the customer first.
Where a payment dispute is already open with the bank, tell Trail Forge the case reference so that both enquiries can be answered from the same set of facts.