For anyone that has had a problem with the H&R Block Emerald Card, I think my problem usurps all! I recently learned there was a fraudulent charge on my card and due to security measures they restricted my card. When I called about the problem I was told a card would be reissued & the current card would be deactivated (keep in mind this was after talking with about 8 different people all telling me that, "another department is handling my problem & they would have to transfer me". This doesn't count the number of times I got disconnected for no apparent reason either).
While I appreciate them protecting my funds, they don't really seems to care when it comes to making sure you have access to the money in a timely manner. Let's not forget, I did not authorize these charges, that is why it's called "FRAUD". The worst part is I (like an idiot) set my pay checks up for direct deposit and now have no way of accessing my funds. It seems as though no one at H&R Block is trained to help you in ANY situation and I went through numerous agents all with less and less ability to help me. When I asked the risk management department about how I was supposed to access my funds, I was told to call customer service & possibly they could transfer my funds into my checking/savings account.
Well, when I finally got an agent I was told they cannot transfer funds to another institution other than H&R Block bank account (no surprise there) and when I became annoyed with the rep and once again had to explain I was only doing what another department at H&R Block had told me to do, she told me I needed to have the card in order to access my funds and then hung up on me. Now I'm not a rocket scientist, but if they just cancelled the card and are reissuing a new one (which may take 5-7 days to receive) how am I supposed to use the cancelled card to access the funds? That is why I called them in the first place! Are these people retarded? I even offered to pay (directly debited from my card) for the Fed-Ex/UPS charges to have the card overnighted and was told I can't do that either. I had (key word "HAD") been using H&R Block tax services for 10 years and will NEVER use this company ever again! Any tax agency that tells you your funds must be deposited on their debit card and you can no longer receive a check, should've been a big red flag for me.
The good news is I did look up the company's main number in Kansas City, MO (not without some searching; they don't make it readily available) and asked to file a complaint about the company, specifically the card. A very nice agent named Rosalyn finally did agree to send the card overnight so I should have it in a couple of days. I am just horrified at how much money this company has gotten from me over the years for doing my taxes and this is how they treat their customers? They seem to have no regard for customer service or the fact that I didn't cause this problem and therefore their first priority should be to remedy the situation in order to keep the PAYING client.
Did any of you even know they are charging you to call customer service now? How is that possible? They charge you to withdraw the money from an ATM, which is just part of life, but to call customer service? I don't know about the rest of you, but I usually only call them if there is a problem and 99.8% of the time, it was a problem they created. Now they charge you $2.00 to talk to an agent that isn't even trained to help you? But what you get for that $2.00 is an chance to jump through firey hoops, just to enhance your phone holding skills and listen to elevator music. This is extortion at it's finest!
This company should be reported to the Better Business Bureau and put out of business. Hopefully with enough complaints, it might happen someday because they certainly won't do anything to resolve them. If anyone has a problem with them, this is the number I called 1-800-472-5625 to file my complaint. I really think I should sue H&R Block for not only stealing my money, but for taking 3 HOURS OF MY LIFE! I hope that my rant helps anyone that encounters problems with this card; I don't wish this stuff on my worst enemy (ok, maybe I do). This is one problem in addition to several others I've had with them in the past. Not to kick a dead horse, but this is also a "Consumers Beware" type of problem: They have a really bad habit of charging you for a purchase and then holding the credit from the merchant for 21 additional days after the purchase has cleared (which is pretty much immediately).
So, if you plan on making a large purchase, say $300.00 and the charge clears, you will also find that they will still hold the $300.00 credit on your card (totaling $600.00). Every time I've called Emerald Card services I've been told I need to have the merchant fax them a notice that the charge has cleared and that the merchant is the one at fault. All the while they can plainly see the charge has cleared (and now I'm $2.00 poorer for calling customer service)!
This company is only out to make money with no regard for the consumer and is probably a significant contributor to the financial issues and the "depression-like" economy that seems to be so prevelant with our Presidential hopefuls. If any of the supposed senate "bail-out" funds go to this company, (my tax dollars) It will a perfect example of how the "little people" are getting robbed by big business. It has been said that for every person you make unhappy, ten people will know about it; I hope this is read by thousands before they make the same stupid mistake I did.
Kim
Apopka, Florida
U.S.A.
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