My credit card company removed both charges and I canceled the one downloaded program I had bought because I didn't know it required a yearly renewal fee.
Posted on 07/16/2010 2:39:37 PM PDT by Sally'sConcerns
I'm physically handicapped so I do some of my shopping (with reputable) companies. I also have my bank account set up to automatically pay my bills in the event I'm in the hospital.
Today I was reviewing my online statement and updating the names of the companies I have done business with.
Imagine my surprise when for the first time since 11/96 I found 3 charges which were unrecognizable. Needless to say I called the bank for more info.
All 3 charges were from an organization I want nothing to do with and didn't know. BTW: I did not lose my debit card nor do I randomly use the card on sites which either don't support ideals I don't believe in or on sites which aren't recognizable.
Two of the charges were done on 06/21/10 (while the other charge is currently pended. Once the charge becomes a debit instead of pending that too will be removed from my account.
The 2 unauthorized charges were made by ACORN and we're reasonably sure the third one is also. I hesitate to list the web addresses as they could have been hacked.
I know on a lot f the bills I get in the mail they are encouraging you to go paperless and have your pyments done automatically and I just can’t do it. I know people who have the auto debt thing and sometimes they get charged twice in the end it all gets worked out but you have to prove they dedcuted twice.
I also use automatic bill pay, but I have it set up that my bank pays amounts that I have previously set (monthly mortgage, budgeted gas and electric). For bills that vary from month to month I use “e-bill”. The bank gets the bill and per my set up instructions pays either the total amount due, minimum due or no more than an amount I set. The bank sends emails when the bill comes in and when it is paid
I am not comfortable with the other process where the company is authorized to debit your account. I feel that if they make a mistake they leave me in a position of possibly having to chase them to get back my own money
The only problems I have had were when countrywide and WAMU failed and were taken over I did not catch the fact that eventually the ebills from them stopped and as a result the new banks did not get paid. I was charged late fees, but the new banks, BoA and Chase graciously waived the fees when I discovered and explained the error
I cannot imagine going back to using snail mail. Too often the checks were late because they were forgotten in my jacket pocket or the visor of the car
Mistakes on auto-debit are never in the user’s favor, IMO.
Something called Greentree data started piling on $8 / month on my Verizon bill. When I called the # on the bill, the guy, sounded like he was from India, told me it was for setting up an 800 number, which I obviously didn’t. I then called Verizon, they were very little concerned, said that this happened “a lot” not with this Greentree necessarily but other companies. He said “they’re usually pretty good’ and refund the money. So clearly, they hope you won’t notice or attribute to something else, keep out of trouble with Verizon by refunding quickly. I think Verizon ought to be a lot more vigilant.
I got a call last year from the credit union about a VISA charge of $.99
evidently they were tipped off and watching- the charge was to purchase a NYT article which is the LAST thing I would ever do
Scammers often try to charge something small- then go for the big time
If I do business with them again I will re-enter the card information as needed.
-PJ
Maybe something having to do with monetary rates of exchange?
I use B of A's online bill-paying application. It's easier and more secure than writing a check. With a check, the payee gets to see your account number. Not so with bill-pay.
Once I got a bill-pay check returned to me by a payee (along with a note that the amount should now be paid to a different payee). The returned check not only had a different account number on it, it was not even drawn on B of A! Rather, it was on JPMorgan Chase! All it had was my name and address, my memo notation (Rent for January
), and an 800 number for the Online Bill Payment Processing Center in Columbus, Ohio.
(BTW getting the returned check credited was simple. I just sent a note to B of A's customer service identifying the check and asking what to do with it. They said, just destroy it. We'll credit your account. And that was that.)
I'll check this out..
Yeah, AX is excellent when there's a situation
. I use them pretty much exclusively.
BTW, I also use a PO box for a billing address. That way, if my wallet gets stolen, the thief won't be able to use the card online, since my wallet only has my street address.
I check out my account once every 24 hours.
Nothing gets by.
I had a company offer me a special deal of only $0.97 to search for someone. I took up the offer and they did find them. They then offered me a membership at a discounted rate of $29.00 which I refused.
The next day I checked and they had debited my bank account for both the $0.97 and $29.95. The bank told me they would remove the charge but only after it had actually posted to my account rather than just pending. They suggested I phone the company and have them remove it first. I did and they did but still a scam.
You can pay bills online without autopay. You save $5-10 a month in stamps that way.
My credit card company removed both charges and I canceled the one downloaded program I had bought because I didn't know it required a yearly renewal fee.
Same here. I had used a debit card. Luckily the washing machine they tried to buy was over the limit. My bank credited me the five overdraft charges within days.
I would definitely file a complaint everywhere I could (local, state and federal) regardless of what the bank chooses to do.
Now I use Google Checkout for most purchases.
___________
Oh that’s Real smart. NOT
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