posted on October 19, 2002 11:44:12 AM new
So, I go use my paypal card to buy gas. I have a compact car, and rack up a total of $10.21 in charges. Oh, but no..... Texaco, has decided to run a pre-authorization for $75.00, hence tying up that money from my account. Then they proceed to charge $10.21 again, and get this, one more time. Then they try and run a second $75.00 charge again which was denied because they absorbed all my funds in pending transactions.
So, this morning I call Paypal about this, and of course, there is nothing they can do. They send me an email asking me to contact the merchant and have them send them a fax stating that the charge is innaccurate. Yet, Paypal cannot provide me a phone number for the merchant to call. I live in Portland, Oregon. The gas station is in Washington. So, I do my research, and find the station. I call and they tell me it is Texaco who did it, not the gas station. I ask for a supervisors name and they cannot give me his or her name.
So, now I wait... According to Paypal it will take 10 days for them to credit the account once Texaco doesn't present the necessary information for the charge. Paypal in the meantime cannot put a supervisor on the phone as well. I have to wait 24 to 48 hours for them to call me. Of course, they have only my home number, and will wait until I'm not there for them to call. I know they are watching me... and just waiting for me to make a charge (knowing I'm not at home) and then they will call. lol.
posted on October 19, 2002 11:56:59 AM new
Sorry I can't help. However, we need to get the paypal cc provider to require a telephone number with each charge. Most of my CCs print the phone # with the charge that gives a way to call on problems like this.
posted on October 19, 2002 12:25:15 PM new
I've had the same problem before using the Paypal debit card at a gas pump...my gas was $10 but it tried charging $45 for some reason, but I didnt have that much in my account so it was denied. I've never used it at a gas pump again since then.
I've also had problems using the Paypal debit card paying for something online. They double charged my account the full amount of the purchase...finally after 10 days one of the charges was credited back to my account. I have no idea why some merchants do this and Paypal was no help at the time.
posted on October 19, 2002 01:36:10 PM new
I used to have this happen all the time when I lived in the high-tourist-traffic mountains of California. I don't know if stations do it everywhere or only under certain circumstances. It was explained to me (whether or not accurate) that stations do this at the amount they calculate it will take to fill a large capacity auto gas tank. I had $100 ($50 twice when I pumped less than $20 each time) one weekend and that was 3 years ago. I am sure they put a larger hold on cards now. That was when I asked and was given this explanation. I doubt this is PayPal related, I used a gas company card once and a MasterCard once. After that, I used my debit card. Hotels and rental car companies do the same thing. Rent a car for $19.95 and you will probably see a $250 hold placed on your card.
posted on October 19, 2002 01:47:26 PM new
this is not a Paypal problem. this is done with any credit card you use. try reserving a hotel room...many times they preauthorize as much as $350-$400 on your card. this is not cleared until the credit card receives the final bill.
call the 1-800 directory assistance and get the number for Texaco corporate offices...that is who you need to argue with, not Paypal.
posted on October 19, 2002 02:18:39 PM new
i bot something from expo(home depot) and they credited my paypal debit card for 100 dollars but it never show up on paypal account.
there is something different with debit card being used as a credit card,dunno what it is ??
posted on October 19, 2002 03:30:39 PM new
This is not a Pay Pal Problem -- it's an issue with the Vendor first and foremost and secondly just with the Mastercard debit card system. If you had used a credit card from your local bank, Citibank, a debit card from your checking account, etc...the same thing would've happened.
A couple of years back, my girlfriend and I went to Washington D.C. for our anniversary -- I used my debit card to pay for the Hotel Room -- the Hotel proceeded to Bill me 10X for the room while we were there and once more and I checked out.
The only recourse I had, was to call my Bank, alert them of the problem and wait 7 days for the money to be credited back to my account as the excess charges didn't clear.
It's just the way the credit/debit card system works -- it's not Pay Pal.
posted on October 19, 2002 03:40:26 PM new
Most folks don't know about this problem. But there is no reason why a CC company or a debit card company can't remove what is known in the industry as a "pre-auth". How do I know this? Ten plus years in CC management. Most in C/S. Most likely the rep you spoke to doesn't know how to do this. Escalate it to a manager. It's your money.Worst case it will drop off your account tin 10 days.
posted on October 19, 2002 06:03:51 PM new
it will automatically drop after 10 days but if you call Texaco and yell loud enough, they can fax the needed info and clear your account earlier.
posted on October 19, 2002 10:04:30 PM new
I routinely buy gas on my P/P card. It is always a 1.00 Pending charge & goes away when the actual charge comes through..
posted on October 20, 2002 04:25:42 AM new
sanmar, most companies are doing right, just a few don't
i used my card for dinner and they charged not only the dinner, but automatically added on a 20% tip...it took 7 days for them to bill the correct amount and clear the rest on my account
posted on October 20, 2002 06:08:53 PM new
Hello Mr. rustygumbo: the gas station is the culprit...they have a habit of blocking off more than the gas charge...some stations automatically ask authorization of 50 to 75 bucks when you put the card into the slot...another one of those situations that only infuriates more, when you learn of it...i called visa one day; and their customer service advised me of this practise...sam,
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smhoward
posted on October 20, 2002 06:09:59 PM new
rarriffle: This has been a problem with Olive Garden &n Red Lobster, both are owned by the same corporation. We go to both & I found out the best way to curb this is to put a $1.00 tip on the credit card & pay the rest of the tip in cash. They cannot legally raise any existing amount. If they do, it is fraud & you can get a lot of free meals. LOL
posted on October 20, 2002 07:36:15 PM new
I can help on this one as I used to sell credit card terminals and services. Paypal and the Texaco station where you purchased the gas are correct, they cannot help you and putting a supervisor on line would do no good. The only thing the Texaco station can do is send a letter verifying that only one transaction was made and that is it. Also, they wouldn't know a name to give you. If they have a problem,they would probably speak with someone different than you would need. Each merchant can have certain things programmed into their profiles or terminals depending upon their needs. EX: a salon or restaurant would have a tip preauthorization programmed whereas a retail store would not. In other words, your check at the restaurant is $20. When your card is run, it is preauthorized for $24.00 as the average tip is 20%. However, if the average tip at that particular establishment is 30%, then the terminal is programmed to auth. for $26.00. Now, let's say there are a lot of large trucks that go through that station & run an average ticket of $100+. Texaco Corp (not the individual station) would have the terminal programmed to pre-auth. for $75. As for Paypal not giving you the number of the station that is no surprise either. Paypal is not the processor for that particular merchant, therefore they would not have that info in their database. Can you imagine the type of data storage Paypal would need if all such info was transmitted to them with each transaction?! Wow! So as you see, it's not feasible or, for the most part, necessary. As for the double charging? Who knows. It could have been any number of things from a malfunction of the terminal, a boo-boo at Paypal, or a mix-up within Texaco. In any case it should be straightened out in the 10 days.
posted on October 21, 2002 02:00:05 PM new
Sorry, new to community boards and hadn't read down through the "thread." But I guess that was obvious wasn't it? Had started my response thinking that I could "help" and was happy that I could, being so new and all. Only after I posted did I see the line of other responses. Otherwise I would have saved my time, oh, and yours.
