This is not the first time that this incident has happened to me at Wal-Mart stores.
The first incident actually occurred at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in North Platte, Nebraska. When I was in the checkout, my check was "declined" with no reason. I obtained cash from the ATM and completed checkout. I requested the telephone number and reason for the decline. I called the number. The number was for Telecheck. Once a "human" operator came on the phone, he proceded to request my personal information. I would not give anything to him and asked him repeatedly what was the reason for the decline on my check, the slip of paper the Wal-Mart associate gave me had a code on it. I gave that to him. He refused and again requested all banking information as well as personal address, telephone number and driver's license information. I refused to give this information to him, and again asked why my check was declined. He refused to explain the "code", and again demanded my personal information. As I don't write many checks, I knew there were no outstanding "bad" checks for myself. I asked him if I had any in their system. At that time he stated that they did not show anything in their system, and again requested all my personal information. I hung up and called the manager of the North Platte store. The manager stated she knew nothing about the "cashiering" business and passed me to the the cashiering office. The person in the cashiering office checked my name in her system and again verified that there was no outstanding negative information for myself. She couldn't explain why my check was declined. At that time, I stated that I wouldn't be doing any more business with the North Platte Wal-Mart.
I continued shopping at the Lexington Wal-Mart without incident until today. As I was checking out, my check was handed back to me with the good ol' declined, don't know why. This time, I didn't bother to pay for my selections, told the cashier I wouldn't go get cash, and left everything in the checkout. My call to Telecheck proved the same as last, requesting all my personal information without any reason as to why Wal-Mart was now declining my check. This time, after I argued with Telecheck that my payment was to Wal-Mart, and if I had no outstanding bad debt with them, Telecheck has no business with my personal information. The operator then changed tactics and told me she would like to verify my information. I told her that she should wait til I write Wal-Mart or any other merchant a bad check, then she has something to look at to verify and hung-up. I called the Lexington Wal-Mart and reported my experience. The manager pretty much said that if I wanted to shop their stores, I would need to clearup matters with Telecheck.
As I have nothing to "clearup" with Telecheck, it looks like I won't be shopping at Wal-Mart stores any longer.
Isn't what Telecheck doing illegal, and Wal-Mart is facilitating? I realize some people would be embarrassed, I know I was the first time, but the second, Nah! Since the first of the year two local banks have reported compromises to customers banking information. Again, Telecheck is "phishing" and they are being facilitated by Wal-Mart.
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