(despite showing in stock)
Exactly. I ordered a £300 transceiver from Proviation a month ago, which showed as "Product Available from Stock ✓". Only after they'd taken my money did I found out over the next days that they did not have it in stock, and neither did their suppliers. I cancelled my order, and still haven't received my refund, one calendar month later. I subsequently ordered the radio from a real online retailer (that actually did have it in stock), and of course received it within days.
When I complained, Proviation explained their practice in an email to me:
"The in-stock position reflects the fact that we have drop-ship arrangements in place with suppliers if we ever sell out in our own stockroom. On this occasion our main supplier is also out of stock, the delay stemming at Yaesu UK."
I have no problem at all with Proviation acting as a middleman - a 'drop-ship' supplier, as it affords me a greater choice of products, as Proviation themselves point out.
However, claiming "Product Available from Stock ✓" for individual products is purposely misleading - they know full well that they're not in stock, nor do they seem to have any system for checking if even the real suppliers have it in stock (which they did not). The claim is completely disconnected from any stock levels, and Proviation will not correct their advertising, even when they know it to be untrue (the webpage still makes the same claim now). That is purposely misleading, and as far as I'm concerned amounts to scamming me out of my money, which I now seem unable to get back (nor can I get through to them by telephone).
I gave Proviation the chance to change their webpage to reflect that they don't have the product in stock. However, they seem to believe that their practice is acceptable, so (as I told them I would) I have now reported them to the Advertising Standards Authority, to let them decide.
It's a pity; they seem like a sincere company, but they seem unaware that making false claims as a standard business practice is always going to end badly for them. I imagine many of the posters in this thread would be perfectly content if they had chosen to go into their purchases knowing that they would have to wait 'x' months before delivery - they would then have had the choice to proceed with the transaction or go elsewhere (and would hardly be complaining when the lead time was as expected). Instead, however, Proviation seem determined to run their reputation (further) into the ground by pretending that they can supply items that are actually unavailable.