Called Discover in March to cancel my company's merchant account because we were being charged $69.90 a month flat rate in addition to percentage of sales fees. I was then told that I would need to call two other companies linked to my merchant account—Legal Club of America and the Merchant Discount Health Plan.
No one at my company could recall ever having heard of them.
One was charging $29.95 monthly and the other $39.95. The total, $69.90, was listed on my bank statements as nothing more than "Discover Network Settlement."
Called Legal Club and spoke with Kelly, who played a recording from May5, in which a co-worker, clearly concentrating on something else, absent-mindedly "authorized" a free 30-day trial from a telemarketer speaking in fast-forward.
Minutes later, I phoned Merchant Discount Health Plan. Kelly AGAIN! Surprise. Saved me from having to give all my information—I was still up on her screen! This recording was from Nov. 14, a part-time secretary giving the authorization during a sales pitch that was nearly indecipherable from its velocity.
The "Welcome Packages" or "Start-up Kits" or whatever they send were presumably discarded immediately as junk mail. That is unfortunate, because it's the last bit of evidence that you are now doing business with these companies. No e-mails, no letters, no statements.
Just a line on the bank statement that says "Discover Network Settlement."
They got me for $1,298.10 over more than a year and a half, but Kelly said I would be refunded the last month's charges. $69.90! Woo-Hoo!
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