First, I loaded this card with 145.00 dollars of my hard-earned cash. A few hours later, I attempted to pay for a movers via the UHAUL web site for 135.95. I had made no other purchases so the full 145.00 should have been there for my use. But the transaction was declined. This transaction was decline 4 times. When I called the card they made the statement that the transaction was declined due to the fact that the charge submitted was 156.00 total which was more than the amount placed on my card for an available balance. I at this point told the CSR that the charge was for 135.95 and I had 145.00 on the card. She reported back to me to me that they added a 15% gratuity to the actual charge which made the charge 156.00 which made it decline. So they did this without my knowledge or consent. They felt they could spend my money for me. Even if this had been for a purchase where a gratutity could have been applied isn't that my choice when and where I spend? It damn well should be.
I asked them to wave the gratuity charge because UHAUL is not the sort of business that gets a gratuity. She told me she could not do this and that I would have to wait for the charge to go through —at which point it could take a few weeks for this company to refund the difference of the gratuity which amounted to 14.39. I was outraged by this. I asked her exactly how I was to use the full benefit of my full 145.00 if they were going to tack on a gratuity for every charge? She told me to use my card at a gas station or Walmart and than this issue would not happen... (again I was pissed not only won't they let me have access to MY money but now they are telling me how I can spend it!!!).
So I figured they were pulling this so they could withhold money and make money off my money and maybe they would get to charge me the 2.00 fee or some such crap. This is what made it seem like a rip-off scam to me.
So I thought okay, I will use the remaining balance to buy gas (which she recommended). I took the car down and had the guy swipe it the card so I could pay for 9.00 of gas.in Oregon, we are not allowed by law to pump our own gas, so this guy swipes the card. I wasn't given an option of pre-pay that is not how it is done in this state. After this gas purchase I should have been left with a remaining available balance of 25.00. So I went to Walmart to buy 13.11 cents worth of merchandise and the card was again declined!
When I called to find out what the issue was now... The CSR tells me that with a gas purchase they can hold up to 75.00 dollars off a card until the merchant clears the finalized purchase... Another-words again my money was not available to me and this scam of a company had some 'mc-cheesey' excuse for withholding my money. I am told that sometime in the next few weeks the remaining balance will be returned to my card but they can't tell me when. So there is a little more than 30.00 worth of my cash that I can't even gain access to until this company clears everything which could take weeks!
The worst experience I have ever been through! I will never again use a gift card— especially if it is backed by US BANK. These people have some nerve to dictate how I can spend my own my by assigning rules to the types of purchases that can be assessed. They have no right to withhold my funds period.
0 comments