Time and Money

It’s time for a little bonus post about time and money. I want to touch on two key ideas: first, when you pay for a product or service that’s promised but not delivered for some time; and second, when you spread out payments on something over a longer period. These situations highlight how businesses can handle your money and how some might actually leverage it to their advantage.

My Experience: The Display Delay

Back in September, I spent over £300 on display equipment for my LEGO Titanic and Venator models. These sets are among my favourites, so I wanted to give them a little extra flair. I ordered from a well-known online retailer that specializes in display cases for collectables, which are made-to-order. They quoted a delivery time of 6-8 weeks, which seemed reasonable at the time.

Initially, I didn’t mind the wait; I understood that made-to-order items take time. But as the weeks passed, the lack of communication started to bother me. My order status simply showed as “paid” and “unfulfilled” without any updates. I emailed them a few weeks in, only to be reminded of the 6-8-week window, and when I followed up closer to the six-week mark, they responded that I was still a couple of days early. 

When the six weeks finally arrived, they informed me of an indefinite delay. No new timeline, no clear answer. By October 30th, after days of silence, I decided to contact my credit card company and initiate a chargeback. At that point, they had held onto my money for over six weeks with no product to show for it.

Eventually, I got a reply saying they’d process a refund in ten business days. Then, confusingly, they emailed again, saying the refund was cancelled due to my chargeback request. I clarified that I just wanted my money back once, not twice, but still haven’t received a response. According to both the retailer’s timeline and Amex, it could take over two months from the date they took my money to get it back.

Talking to others, I found that similar issues aren’t uncommon—especially with niche retailers. On the flip side, I recently had an issue with Amazon, which refunded me within one working day when an item wasn’t delivered. The difference is staggering.

How to Make Money (the Ferengi Way)

The Ferengi in Star Trek have a set of business principles called the Rules of Acquisition. The first rule: “Once you have their money, you never give it back.” This rule sounds comedic, but it’s alarmingly similar to how some companies seem to operate.

So, here’s a tongue-in-cheek, completely unethical business strategy for making money that’s inspired by my experience. Please note, this is NOT serious advice—just an illustration of a concept.

1. Advertise a luxury or designer product and let customers know there’s a two-month lead time.

2. Take their money and do… absolutely nothing.

3. Wait for inquiries. When customers reach out, respond with, “There’s been a delay.”

4. Delay some more until they’ve had enough and demand a refund.

5. Agree to refund, but tell them it’ll take 10 working days.

6. After a further delay, return the money, reassuring them it’s “on its way.”

Using this strategy, you could theoretically hold onto their money for two or three months. If you have 1,000 customers each paying £500, that’s half a million pounds sitting in your account, earning interest, for potentially several months. Yes, there are overheads, and you’d need to fulfil some orders to maintain credibility, but it’s a striking example of how holding onto funds, even temporarily, can be lucrative.

Are some businesses knowingly using this approach? It’s hard to say for sure, but the pattern is frustratingly common. Reviews don’t always help either, given the proliferation of fake reviews.

Online shopping is a modern convenience, but it’s also a minefield of companies that may exploit your trust. Stay vigilant and keep an eye out for red flags.

Monthly Payments and Utility Bills

I recently vented to someone about my Lego display case saga, and they compared it to how utility companies charge more than your actual monthly usage to build up a credit balance. I get the similarity, but I think there’s a fundamental difference.

Let’s look at electricity as an example. With utilities, you’re typically billed monthly or quarterly. But your actual consumption varies by season, so monthly bills might not match actual usage. To keep your expenses steady, companies often “smooth out” payments by estimating your annual usage and dividing by 12. This benefits customers by avoiding steep winter bills, and it helps companies maintain a regular income stream.

This type of arrangement is mutually beneficial: customers get consistency, and businesses enjoy steady cash flow. The practice is based on the idea that a year has 12 months, which, let’s be honest, is just a human-made division. If we used the lunar calendar, we’d have 13 months. Utility companies essentially estimate an annual cost and divide it by 12 for simplicity.

However, problems arise when companies fail to estimate usage accurately. Years ago, I remember helping a family member whose bill unexpectedly jumped from £30 to £200 per month. I was incredulous as estimating usage is their core business, so how could they be off by such a huge margin?

So, while there are some surface-level similarities between paying monthly for utilities and the Lego display delay, the key difference is in the value exchange. With utilities, both parties benefit from the arrangement. But with companies that don’t communicate, fulfil, or refund on time, only one side seems to benefit.

In today’s world, balancing time and money requires vigilance and, often, a healthy dose of scepticism. As consumers, we should be careful about where we spend and whom we trust, especially when paying upfront.

Thanks for reading.