Rail ticket transaction identified

[joncombe]

I got my credit card statement and was mistified about a transaction shown I didn't recognise. I was on the point of telephoning the credit card company (Amex) because I didn't recognise the transaction. But I finally found the source of it by searching through my email.

The transaction was train tickets bought through the SWR website. It shows on my credit card statement as

Description "DESKTOP" with location "SOUTHAMPTON". That's it!

I haven't been to Southampton in many months and cannot think of any business I'd used called "DESKTOP".

So this brings me on to my question. I presume the information that shows on credit card statements and bank statements must be set by the merchant. I would have thought it was therefore in their own interestes to make it clear what the company was called and "DESKTOP" certainly doesn't do that! Otherwise surely they are leaving themselves open to charge backs when people report a transaction they can't identify? Either way I'm surprised there aren't standards about setting something identifiable?

 

[[.n]]

SWR still provide descriptions that reference SWT - I'm often tempted to dispute them as SW Trains Ltd is a dormant company (can't remember now what the exact conmpany name used is, but I did check out of interest and it was dormant!

I assume DESKTOP refers to web browser purchases, rather than an app purchase

 

[ainsworth74]

There can be some interesting ones like that (though that's a good one!). When I pay for parking at Middlesbrough station that usually comes out as being "Northallerton Station" which was a touch confusing the and the first time I was scratching my head trying to remember when I'd been at Northallerton station and spent £1!