NCO ePay refused to correct a HUGE bug in their online payment service that allows "unprocessed" transactions to appear on a person's credit card without informing the user at the time of any failed transaction.
I tried to pay my electric bill 6 times online 2 days ago, with my credit card. Each time, I got a screen that said "We are unable to process this transaction at this time. You may Try Again or wait for a more convenient time". The words "Try Again" were a link to try to process again.
Because I kept getting that message, I figured the system was slow so I waited a minute each time, but of course, that didn't work.
Upon the 6th attempt, I was sent back to my original screen info with a message in red that said "You have exceeded the maximum transactions allowed in one day. Please wait 24 hours before making another transaction."
I found that odd as none of my attempted transactions went thru, so I called NCO ePay & was assured nothing would appear on my credit card as I had not made any payments. I was then put thru to phone payments, but they also couldn't not process my payment & had no clue why, but did say several people had the same problem that day & we decided it was a glitch & I should just try again the next day.
The following day, I went online to pay, but the same thing happened!
I called NCO ePay & again they couldn't process my payment, but this rep said I gave the wrong security code number. Sure enough I had the wrong code on a piece of paper. The same paper I used the previous day. I checked the card in my wallet to get the proper number & my payment finally was processed. So now we knew why none of the transactions went thru. She also told me the phone rep from the day before was probably not as "experienced" to know this was the problem.
What bothers me is that their online payment site never gave a message to indicate that I typed in a wrong number.
But it gets worse... Because I had used that incorrect security code to pay my gas bill before I tried to pay the electric, I decided to look at my credit card account to ensure the gas payment was there. For whatever reason, it went thru, BUT SO DID EVERY SINGLE ATTEMPT I MADE ONLINE TO PAY THE ELECTRIC BILL! Remember, I was assured the previous day that no amount would appear on my card for those failed transactions...
Every one of failed & "unprocessed" transaction attempts - a total of SEVEN payments for $500 each, is now on my card as "pending". AND, $3500 of my available credit is now frozen for at least 72 hours, until this is corrected.
I have requested that an NCO ePay supervisor contact me. They will do this in 72 hours. (how timely is that?) I was warned that nothing will be done about this incompetent online billing system (with attitude) and I am just "one of thousands" who complains about this every day. And nothing has been done and likely won't be done about it. She also said "it would cost them too much..." Really?
Remember, at no time during the online processing attempts ("try again") was I informed that I entered an incorrect number AND at no time was I informed that each failed transaction would be put on my credit card.
I can live 72 hours while waiting for my frozen failed attempted transactions to be removed, but others would be in a lot of pain over this. (Imagine paying this bill just before taking a vacation, only to find no available credit for 72 hours due to this mess?)
NCO ePay needs to correct their software & like others, give a warning that an incorrect number has been typed in. They also should be made to inform users that any failed "transaction attempts" will show up on the user's credit card, and that those amounts will be frozen until the credit card company gets word to remove those amounts via NCO ePay.
I was informed that a supervisor will call me in 72 hours. He or she will make a decision whether or not to "elevate" my concerns. Really?
Well, if that supervisor chooses to disregard this matter, I will "elevate" it my own way. I will record each conversation (the attitude is beyond belief). I will get names (I have one, "Kim", who refused her last name/ID # as she knows she's got an attitude... And I wonder if she put in my supervisor request) I will then take this info to my Congressman & Senators, and anyplace that I feel it should go.
Times are troubling enough without something like this to be happening, especially when there is a way to stop it.
Does the word "fraud" come to mind to anyone?
Lynn
Cos Cob, Connecticut
U.S.A.
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