| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 12:48:08 PM
I just went to Dollar General to get cat food. Got to the check out and swiped my card. It was declined. I had some cash so used it. I went out to the car and called my bank to see what my balance was. She said I had a -$45 balance. I said WHAT? How did that happen? I know how much I had in there. She looked and told me some of the checks that had come in. And a hold of $100 at Chevron in Chickamauga. I said WHAT again. She said sometimes when a person uses the card at the pump they will put a $100 hold on the bank account for about 5 days. So in the meantime I have a negative balance. I cannot use the account at all because it thinks I am overdrawn. Til it clears then it goes back to normal. I am pissed! I asked when did this start? She said she has this happen all the time. SO I went back in to tell the cashier at DG what I just found out. She couldn't believe it. And there were other people that heard and some said they never use their card. It's the bank debit card and I use it like a credit card because of the convenience. I like using it because I don't like carrying cash.
So then I went across the road to the gas station. He tried to explain it to me but I do not understand at all. And the crazy thing is, I only got $3.08 in a gas can for my mower. And they put a $100 hold on my account! It's just not right. The bank lady said I will have to go inside now every time I get gas to use the card in there. SO why in the heck should I even have this card if I have to go inside TWO times now? TWO times. Once to tell them I am filling up (because I always fill up and I am NOT leaving my card inside with a store cashier) then go back inside to pay. He said since I do come there alot to just come in to tell them I am filling up then come back in to pay. STILL inconvenient. I am mad.
So if this has happened to anyone else and you are good at explaining things, could you explain this to me? Because I am not feeling very good about this whole thing right now. I have had to proof read this for bad spelling too, I am so upset.
Oh, and a few weeks ago I did get an overdraft fee from the bank for $30. They went ahead and paid the check but I still had to pay the fee. I am calling the bank and asking about this because it could be the same thing happened then. I don't know if I want a checking account anymore. And we have had this account for 32 years with the same bank.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 10 2011 : 12:00:53 PM
I have always done the credit key. Always. Never the debit because then I have to remember the number. So I have always done credit.
I had to go all the way to Chickamauga today to hunt no ethinol gas for my mower and a friend's tiller I am going to borrow. And it was $3.77 a gallon. I went inside and told them I had gas cans to fill up. Then went back in to pay. I asked if they do this and she said no. She had never heard of it either. So I guess it is only certain gas stations. It's still not right for them to have control over my account.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Annab |
Posted - May 10 2011 : 03:46:05 AM
I think if you press the credit key instead of the debit it won't take it out, but I could be wrong |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 09 2011 : 04:21:15 AM
Thanks, Alee. I am still a little confused as to why they do it. But this has helped alot. I think I will just ask at the stations I go to the most and see what their policy is. And it may be that deibt is better over the credit or the other way around. I will see next time.
And if I get gas once a week at $75. each time, I am spending $300. a month. Wow. I need a smaller car. Or a horse. My DD went to Atlanta yesterday and she said gas is $4.09 there. When I filled up the other day it was $3.68. So it's coming. And then it will be over $80. to fill up. I told her I'll need to find a job just to buy gas but then I couldn't afford to work for paying for gas. I will just stay home more. (I do "work", if taking care of a wonderful lady a few days a week is work. But she's 20 miles a way.)
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Alee |
Posted - May 08 2011 : 10:03:28 PM
Smiley- Technically the money hasn't left the bank account so you still get the same amount of interest paid by your bank and the gas stations do not earn the interest. I work for a bank so I see these charges all the time. Basically what happens is the as soon as you swipe your card, the company "tests" your bank account for a preset amount. It can be as little as a dollar or as mucha s $125. This is completely up to the merchant and or the card service agreement that the merchant has with Visa or Mastercard. On the bank's end- they only know that the account has been "tested" or "authorized" for a certain amount. Because debit cards are guarenteed funds, the bank puts a temporary hold on those funds (that by federal regulation must expire in 3 business days) or until a matching debit comes through- whichever is first. Ideally- the merchant should be processing the payment immediatly though a continous batch process. However this is slightly more expensive for them so many merchants hold onto their batches until they have reached a large amount to process all at once to save on processing fees.
So basically it all boils down to until that money is actually fully requested by the merchant- the bank only can operate on that intial "test" run that the merchant pinged the account for. If I notice a gas station putting large holds on my funds- I boycott the station. I only gas up at locations that either continous batch so all I see on my card is the actual purchase- or the ones that only test for one dollar. I think the best way to let service stations know that this is unacceptable is to let the manager know and then not give them any more business. It a decision that is made per merchant- so if it is a large chain they might be able to control it at a local level- but usually there are many card service options available that don't require the huge holds.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 08 2011 : 9:05:20 PM
Smiley right there I think is what it is totally! I've thought that for a long time. Cause there is no other advantage to doing that. I think it's all about the "interest" they are collecting on it with out a doubt!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| smiley |
Posted - May 08 2011 : 8:23:39 PM
If they hold $100 for 3 days does that mean they draw interest on your money? Think how many people they do that too that could really add up to some change. |
| Rosemary |
Posted - May 08 2011 : 10:29:46 AM
I read about this new practice a while ago. I think it's ghastly. Many people are paying for their gasoline with cash, in spite of the inconvenience, just to thwart the intent of the Big Guys. Some gas stations have opted out of doing that, though. Shop around. |
| Arctic Flower |
Posted - May 07 2011 : 12:21:29 PM
This situation can make you mad. There is a lot information on the web about this change to debit and credit cards and how businesses can get away with this. This has not happened in Alaska yet but I am sure it will. One thing we can do is start a e-letter bombardment campaign to our senators and representatives requesting hold limits on our cards for the amount of the purchase + the transaction fee only. We also need to talk to our banks and understand the fine print on these cards they sell us with their slick advertising. They act like they are doing us a service by providing us an "easy way" to spend our hard earned dollars, but the bottom line is that electronic money transfers cost the vendor money and make huge amounts of money for the banks. Fifty years ago, very few people had credit cards and there was no such thing as a debit card. We survived on cash. Maybe if we do that again the banks will get the message. We must remember that these are privately owned entities that can basically do what they want. We need to become more cautious with who we trust our money with. After all, if we didn't support the banks, they wouldn't be there.
Farmgirl #2416
Believe in the power of Love! |
| sherrye |
Posted - May 07 2011 : 05:35:18 AM
thanks kris, we use our debit card like a charge card the way you do. i will check this out this am. i am going to get gas. what a hassle. always something. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 06 2011 : 8:23:12 PM
Ok in NYC it's done a bit different, you go and pay the cash first, (hope you are close to it!) the pump shuts off when you get to the amount you paid the person. If you fill up before then you can go up to the guy (in NYC you don't go in, it's a little stand a guy is in-like say at toll booth on the highway!) and argue with him a while till he gives you the difference back. Best to underestimate how much you will need. lol And it illiminates going back and forth! lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 06 2011 : 5:10:31 PM
Ok, I went to the bank this afternoon to get cash for my gas. Went to the station in town because it was just $3.68. It's been cheaper in Tn. but it was higher. So went in to tell them I was filling up and paying cash. They know me there so she said go ahead. So I go back out to the pump and it ain't workin'. So I go back in to tell her it's not working. She said sorry, she had forgotten to turn it on. SO back out to the pump, pump the gas. I was on E so it took awhile to fill up. I had gotten $75. and it was $74. 45. How good was that? So back in to pay and there were about 10 people in line buying their weekend beer stash so that took another 10 minutes til it was my turn. So how much fun did I have? Not. This just ain't right. And when I asked the girl that works there if they put the hold on the account at the pump she didn't know what I was talking about.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 12:14:35 PM
To get around the large amounts of cash to be running around with, especially on vacation (cause some of the places we go do not accept checks), is we have AAA (for our car) and they will issue you travelers checks for free. When I go on vacation I take one emergency Credit Card (have never had to use it yet) and about 2/3 of the cash I think I will need in travelers checks and the rest in actual cash and then we also take our check book for the few restaurants we know for sure accepts checks. Many places we go to no longer accept credit cards though because of what Kris said. For instance Trader Joe's I think only accepts Visa, or something like that, we only use cash there though so can't remember. lol haha Also a restaurant we go to on every vacation only accepts checks or cash, no credit. That's oh.....Lambert's.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 11:35:34 AM
Nini, thank you so much. You have helped me understand a little better. But like you said, the transaction has been approved a few seconds after I swipe the card, so why all this mess later? That's what I don't get. But yeah, you are right. Thanks.
At my little feed store, the new owners are young and just starting out. She would rather be paid with a check because when people use a card, they have to pay 3% of every transaction. So they are losing money when I use my card to pay. So I will pay cash or a check from now on. I didn't realize that either. I am glad she told me. But I wonder what the bigger stores have to pay for card use. I guess when the debit cards first came out it was a good thing but now there are so many new laws it's just gotten out of hand.
Sherrie, I may just have to call one of the news stations that has a consumer awareness segment. It might help alot of people that are not aware of this business.
Oh, and they did say that if I go inside to pay, it does not put the hold on the payment. That's strange. Forgot that.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Ninibini |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 08:05:02 AM
Kris - I feel your pain. I'm so sorry this happened to you. It happened to me about three or four years ago, and I had no idea the service station was going to do that when I paid with my debit mastercard. I was SO humiliated when I went to the store later on that day and my card was declined! I knew I had money in the account, but I had no idea that they were putting a temporary $100 hold in additional funds! How infuriating (1) that they even do it, and (2) that they don't tell you when they do - how irresponsible of them! It ties up your cash, could cause bounced checks, etc., etc.! That is SUCH a rip off - why should anyone ANYONE else have the use of my money like that? Plus, I really wondered why, if the amount at the pump was already approved, they would need to put a hold on more funds - it seemed fishy to me.
The bank explained (as I remember it, anyway) that sometimes when businesses process those payments, instead immediately "closing the deal" electronically, they wait to accumulate a whole bunch of charges and finalize the transactions all at once - it's just a matter of convenience for them. When this happens, though, think of it as when someone writes a check to you: they may pay you on Tuesday, but you don't deposit it until Wednesday, and then, if the check is drawn on a different bank, it takes a day or two longer to clear your account. Well, that's what happens with debit credit card purchases - they're not instantly processed. In light of that fact, some credit card companies insist on a hold of additional funds to ensure their money isn't spent by the consumer in the interim until the original transaction is processed - usually this happens with gasoline purchases, but from what I understand, they really can do this to you with ANY type of debit/credit card purchase. I kind of understand on one hand, but I still think it's a bunch of hoo-ey on the other - they get to hold up our money because they are taking their sweet time to process our payments? That is SO not right! They do everything electronically now - they should process the transaction immediately, take the money out of our account and be done with it!
Since then, we strictly use cash for gas purchases. Using the debit card can be extremely convenient, but we have been trying to make more cash purchases because of that valuable lesson learned. I don't want to ever be embarrassed like that again. I was so mortified! It's not easy to switch back to cash - simply because you never want to really have a lot of money with you - someone could steal it, right? On the other hand, if they take your purse, they get your cards, possibly your check book - and then what a whopper of a problem that could cause if they get access to your bank account - or even the use of your credit cards! Eghads. Nightmare, either way...
I know this doesn't make what you've gone through any easier, but maybe it helps clarify things little. :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
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| MrsRooster |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 07:10:29 AM
After a hurricane, the stations here will only take a credit card. So that is why I have a credit card for gas only.
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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| knitnpickinatune |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 06:49:13 AM
Kristin-
I've never heard of this,but I feel it should be illegal-you may want to contact your local news media about this for a consumer protection segment. I'll warn Dad tho he uses a credit card when he buys gas. I'm so sorry you had to go thru this.
http://www.mandolinbabe.com
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mando pickin,uke strummin, & fiddle sawin' Farmgirl #702 |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 06:09:22 AM
Alee, that's what the bank lady said. They go anywhere from $1.00 to $100.00. I just never ever even heard of this til yesterday. She did say when I called back about the overdraft charge from a few weeks ago, that the gas holds would now affect my initial bank balance. That was my mistake that time. She said I would never have any overdraft fees because of a hold. So I will be going in to ask now at my few favorite stations now to see what they do. And I will be writing checks from now on at stores too. Or using cash only.
I just hope others see this and become aware of what is going on out there that we don't know about til it's too late.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| pnickols |
Posted - May 05 2011 : 04:07:51 AM
that is just crazy, I am trying to use only cash and even went back to band checks and money orders because I swear the math the bank uses and the math I use are not the same and I seriously thought about going without a bank account for a while, just too crazy |
| Alee |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 10:54:44 PM
Kris- yes this is a pretty standard practice. My suggestion is that you should find a gas station in you area that either doesn't memo post or only memo posts for a dollar. That is what we do. Memo posts (the 100 dollar hold) should fall off in 3 business days. It's very frustrating though.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 8:34:07 PM
Yeah we have had that too about the restaurants. I try to use cash as much as possible really. Cause it just made so many problems in over draft charges we barely could dig out of in the past.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| prariehawk |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 6:28:07 PM
Be warned--there are some restaurants that automatically add a tip even if the amount you tip is less (or more). They add the twenty percent tip until the card clears and then the amount you tipped is used. weird.I've heard of them putting a hundred dollar hold on gas but I've never had it happen to me. I get gas from QT or Casey's and have never had a problem. It does mess up your account and it seems like the bank should be willing to understand. I have an account at a credit union and they're pretty understanding. I also have an account at a bank and they suck. I plan on paying off my line of credit and closing the account at the bank. they want to start charging a $7.00 monthly fee just to have a checking account. I guess I just don't trust banks. They're only interested in big accounts. They don't care about the person for whom a twenty-five or thirty dollar fee is a hardship. You might want to consider joining a credit union. They usually know their customers by name. Until we get away from the idea of a "global economy" and return to local economies, the banks are going to continue to stick it to their customers.
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 6:20:33 PM
This happened to us on vacation years ago, we too do not use credit cards only debit, but no more with gas stations, my husband only pays gas with cash. In NYC actually you could get a small discount at some stations for using cash, he always tried to use those stations as well. Some hotels do the same thing (take out more then what the bill was for "in case" you decide to steal from the room!).
Our first vacation together 10 years ago (after we were married) we went from NYC to Mo. When we got to Mo we stopped for some food and our card was declined (debit) there was no way it should of been declined we were only in like day 3 or 4 of vacation and had put all our tax refund in the bank account for this vacation. We called the bank to see what was wrong and every gas station between NYC and Mo had been holding 100 dollars! Each time even though our gas purchases were less then half that each time! And two of the hotels we stayed in did the same thing! When we called about the hotel over charge they said they would return it with in so many weeks had to make sure we hadn't stole anything, I about blew a gasket and was sooooo mad they decided to put it back earlier then that! I just couldn't believe it here we were on vacation should of had thousands of dollars and were in the hole! Oh I was livid! (how I get around the hotel thing with cash, is we make are reservations months in advance and I send a check) some still want a card but I either refuse, or give them my MIL card (she said we could) but I refuse to give them ours any more. Thankfully have never had one problem with Aldi's! ;o)
Since then we pay all hotel and gas with cash only. No more debit card transactions! It's so stupid. I wish they would pass a law against it. I think it should be illegal.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 5:15:45 PM
Kris,Use your card ONLY as a debit card, and you will not have this problem, at least where I live, I can use my visa debit card as a debit card at all gas stations, outside at the pumps, only useing my zip code, no pin number... |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 4:40:14 PM
Erica, it is a Visa debit card that I got from the bank that I can use as credit. Not a credit card. It is for my checking account. I can also use it to make withdrawals from ATM's. It's just easier to use it as credit because I don't have to use the pin #. You know, when you swipe your card at the pump and you get several options. I always press "pay here with credit" option. And it's the only thing I use at the gas pump. I will just have to ask if they have the limit hold on cards or look for the very small sticker on the pump before I pump again.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| LeighErica |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 4:27:15 PM
Dear Kristin, I am so sorry this is happening to you. It is a very frustrating moment to have when you try to use your card and it is denied. I have heard of this happening and it has even happened to us while traveling...very upsetting to say the least. I know you said the card it just a bank debit card, but if it has the Visa or Mastercard logo on it you can use it as a credit card anywhere. Now that does not mean that you will be able to use it past your current account balance, but when you are at the pump, you can use it as a credit card instead of a debit. This may stop the business and bank from instituting a hold for excessivly more money. I always use my debit card as a credit card at the pump and have never had a problem. But, we have also had instances where we would be traveling for moving or fun and after a few fill ups at various stations outside of normal routine...the bank will lock our account and so, everytime we go anywhere outside our normal traveling area we call and let them know. It is also good business to call your bank of 32 yrs and tell them straight up that you are extremely disappointed in the new practise being forced upon you. You have been a faithful customer for many years and you are seriously considering switching to a more user friendly bank where after so many years privileges are bestowed upon you for being a good customer. If they don't offer you a better option....it might be time to look for a new bank. We are actually considering moving our money and investments away from the bank we have been with for 19 yrs because of the way they have started treating us...but that is a different situation. I hope you can find some comfort and peace from all the advice and support you have recieved.....it is a shame it is happening to you. Don't let it get you too down....it just isn't worth it. Take in a walk, watch a funny movie, do something sweet and enjoyable to get your mind off of it. Hugs, ERica |
