My case is so similar to many already listed as far back as 2007. Because of that, I am very concerned that our judicial system is still operating. I do not understand how a company can take peoples money and get away with it - especially when we are supposed to have upstanding, intelligent, honest people in office from City, State and US Government.
I lost my job in March. I'm 61 years old and the kind of person who doesn't wish to sit around and get old. I decided to use my talent and passion for cooking and try a catering business. My new bank did not approve my leasing a merchant machine to process payments for the catering and the lady from the 53rd Bank suggested I call Tom with First Data and see if he could help me. The reason the bank couldn't is because I am in the process of a short sale on my home. No job, no way of paying house payment. Even though the government allowed the housing market to become so inflated that banks loaned far and above the appraisal value on homes in I was too naive to understand what was going on and paid $250,000 for my townhome that is now under contract for $120,000. I didn't ask to be let go from my job. I am a hard worker so I decided to step out in Faith and start a business.
I invested around $550 of my severance leaving me less than $1500 and a small pension from a previous job to live on. I told Tom, the local agent that signed me up for the merchant machine that I was only going to try the new business for 30 days so not to contract me for any lenghty time frame and he said he would put me on a 3 tiered program with $20.00 a month fee plus the fees charged by the credit card companies. I had 4 orders totaling a little over $500. I got pre-approval codes on 3 of the orders (at the suggestion of Tom before I received the merchant machine) and entered all 4 of the orders the same day into the machine. I knew I received the first $76 payment because I checked in a day or so after the orders were entered.
With preparing paperwork for 3 contracts on my home before getting to the last one, I didn't even think about checking the business checking account until I get a call from Tom who tells me a fellow by the name of Anthony in the Risk Management office of First Data needed to talk to me about a couple of my order entries. Tom said he didn't know what the problem was but that only Tom's boss could even call this Anthony yet Tom had his telephone for me to call.
I called him first the week of May 18th leaving several messages for at least 2 days before he calls me back. I ask him what the problem was and he didn't explain what the problem was, he just ask if I had copies of the receipts for my orders, which I did. He said I needed to fax them to him and he would look them over and call me back. This was on Thursday, May 21st. I faxed the documents to him on Friday, morning, May 22nd from my bank at 9:30 A.M.By 1:30 P.M. That afternoon, Anthony had not called me so I called him twice and finally he answered. I asked him if he received the fax (which had a cover sheet on it asking him to call me when he received it) and he said he would check. He did and said, yes he received the faxed receipts. I asked him if I could then get my money - $268.07 for the two orders from April. He said it was a short day, employees would be leaving at 4 pm because of the Holiday weekend. He said I would have my money by Tuesday, May 26th (Monday was a Holiday).
I didn't get the money Tuesday, May 26th so I called Anthony on Wednesday morning as well as Tom and told him I really needed the money and what was the hold up. Anthony told me that he would release the money that day, Wednesday, May 27th and that it would take 48 hours and I would have the money in my account - that would be Friday, May 29th. I didn't get the money on Friday, May 29th so I called Anthony in the afternoon on Friday, 5/29 and had to leave a message on his phone asking him where my money was that he promised 4 days ago and did he have the right account number to put it in. I told him in the message that I was surprised that I thought he was a man of his word and that he had promised me the deposited payment a week ago on May 22nd for Tuesday, May 26th. He called back about an hour later and left a message that he had released the funds on the 26th and stated my business checking account number as to where it was going.
It is Monday, June 1 and the money is still not in my account. I called late Friday, May 29th and spoke with a lady in the accounting office who told me she could see where the money was released from reserve but it had not been sent yet. She said they send money on Saturday, so it could come then. I called and left Anthony a message asking him why I don't have the money. His greeting says he is off until June 3rd. I told him in my message that I was going to seek a higher authority if my money isn't deposited this morning but that was before I decided to google the company to see what I could learn about it. Needless to say, I didn't think to do that before I got involved with this company and learned about ALL of these complaints and scams from this company.
How can our legal system be so negligent in allowing this company to take people like me who shortly won't have a home, won't be able to get a loan to get a home, who is struggling not to file bankruptcy and willing to try to start a business not knowing the first thing about doing so and trust the likes of this company. Where are the law abiding attorney's and the truthful, just and caring people??? This company can't do any more harm to me and my credit.
I am losing my home, have no job to pay this company so they might as well give it up, because as many a time I've heard, you can suck blood from a turnip. I am keeping records but I can't see where anyone has come out ahead reporting the damage this company is doing now for at least 2 years. I will file a suit against them if I can find an attorney who is willing to see justice prevail and is willing to take the money First Data is holding of mine ($268.07) as payment. If anyone reading this report finds a way to cause this company to be honest and right the wrong they have done to them, I would sure like to know.
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