Posted on 08/26/2022 9:56:38 AM PDT by 4Runner
Three purchases made by spouse on August 18, 2022 for $54.42, 49.04, and 8.65 were double-debited to our checking account by Amazon, resulting in a $126.14 overcharge within one week, which its Customer Care Center assured us, on Saturday, August 20, would be credited back to the checking account within 3-5 days.
However, as of Friday, August 26 seven days later, no such credit had been received. (Spouse orders from Amazon on an almost weekly basis. We spend a lot of money at that site.)
A second call to Amazon just this morning resulted in an hour and fifteen minutes speaking with a male in Myanmar or Bangladesh who kept trying to verify the credentials on the account but claimed he was unable to access the debit card spouse had used for the charges as he could not obtain from me the code number he had sent to her Outlook email account.
I tried to access her email but could not, despite having both the user ID and the password. Microsoft kept telling me the user ID was invalid or too many attempts had been made to access the account. Nonsense.
We never use spouse's Outlook email account, the one we paid $69.00 for just so she could have email without pop-up ads.
Besides, AMAZON had already promised in an email to us last Saturday that the overcharges would be refunded to us. Despite this fact, Amazon apparently has different scripts for the same problem and you don't get the same response two times running.
The first Customer Service Rep last Saturday was an America woman named Chennel. The second one this morning was named David and he couldn't pronounce his own name correctly, living as he does in either Myanmar of Bangladesh.
Bottom line-- even our bank, TRUIST, was unable to access any of the charges made on spouse's debit card which is a different number than mine but both go to the same checking account.
In desperation, I told spouse she needs to stop using her debit card linked to our account at TRUIST, and we will have to open a new checking account for her at a different bank so she can have autonomous access to funds.
This is not the first problem encountered between TRUIST Bank and Amazon. Charges don't show up, items are not delivered, then charges are automatically cancelled and card is suspended and we receive fraud warnings from TRUIST Bank.
The debit card issued to me personally by TRUIST however works perfectly and I told spouse she will need to use mine until further notice. Ironically the checking account at Truist was opened in spouse's name.
This has been a nightmare, and we are now gun shy about having given Amazon access to our debit card numbers on its website.
If it is doing this on even one percent of its accounts on a daily basis that is a lot of cash money being taken from consumers without authorization, and not being refunded because people just don't want to go through this kind of hell to get their money back.
We had to contact the Fraud unit at TRUIST to file a complaint and that in itself was a nightmare call to some far eastern country. We do not know how long it will take TRUIST to get our money credited back to our account from ABSCONDIZON.
If anyone else has experienced these kinds of problems with this online retailer and your bank, please opine below, we would appreciate your suggestions/comments.
To think about: a debit transaction communicates the card holders checking account number and the bank routing number to the merchant.
This presents a huge risk to the cardholder as with those 2 simple numbers, any money in the account can be removed very simply by a miscreant.
It’s not just Amazon either.
BJ’s has twice within the last couple years signed me up for their easy (automatic) renewal and I know I would never have done that. I want the control of my account.
So I let the membership lapse.
There’s a Sam’s nearby I can go to with my son, and we are set with stuff anyways.
Re: 6 - Great points!
I’m done here. This guy posts about his wife/debit card problem. Asking about info, what to do, etc.
He gets several good suggestions of what to do or what not to do.
Rather than thanking people, he argues and/or belittles them.
Some folks just won’t help themselves!
Sure you didn’t click the button twice?
Sure you didn’t click the button twice?
I see what you did there! :)
Well the Packers fans should be jumping on board!
I use debit because I want it paid right away. My credit union has contacted me about suspicious payments and refused to release the money until I let them know if it was me or not.
When someone did commit fraud on me, I had no problem getting my money back.
Every time I tried to get the cash back program with my credit card, I have yet to see a dime.
I have applied for the free cash and never seen a dime of it.
I have my debit card set up at a limit. I can only get $300 a day. If something cost more, I use a credit card.
Also with my debit card, If I travel so far from home, I have to let the bank know beforehand or my card won’t work.
😆😆😆😆
Does Truist Bank have branches? The best place to do this stuff is in person at a branch.
The same is true with most bank debit cards. Since they use the same networks the same rules apply. A decent bank would go through the same fraud process for a debit that they use for credit cards.
That said, a lot of people use lousy, cheap banks because they charge “fees” for things like user mistakes (overdrafts) and they keep meager balances.
Good banks make money for their services. Smart customers don’t mind paying for good service. In situations like I’ve read in this thread a “good bank” will take care of a customer. That’s worth a few dollar maintenance fee every month.
Sorry for attempting to give you some good advice that would make you some money.
But look on the bright side, this way you can one-day point at me (along with all the other commies) and call me one of those greedy rich people (the evil 1%) because I did simple things like this throughout my life to save or make money.
There’s a $3 charge for Utilities here in my area if paid by a charge - they want debit or check which is no charge.
yep, they are most likely a liberal trolling here.
Only liberals detest businesses that make a profit or reject sound financial advice.
They would rather point the finger at anyone who took risks, saved, and or made good decisions and imagines they are all crooks. Surely they think getting rich doesn’t involve something as simple as clipping coupons, not smoking or drinking, cutting the cable, or collecting points on credit cards! They must have inherited it! or stolen it from some poor person right?
*rolls eyes*
Many places will tell you 2 months free. The 2 free months comes off the end if you cancel.
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