Oh, customers! Oh, people!

[tloonya]

How often do you hear after CC is declined: 'I just used it at another store and it worked!'
and looking at you like if you are guilty of every thing in their lives!

Or when something broke - 'It worked yesterday'...

And my favorite everyday phrase - 'last week it was cheaper!'
and NEVER
'last week it was more expensive'...just ranting

Do you have any of your own like this?

[bean29]

I once had my Debit Card declined at the grocery store. I was very upset b/c I carry quite a large balance in my checking account. I ended up very thankful, b.c my bank detected what they believed was fraud going on with my credit card, and they shut the card down until they heard back from me. They were right it was fraud and I did not lose any $$.

No everyone who has a card declined is a deadbeat.

It happens for varying reasons. More recently my cards were declined b/c I asked for new ones after the Target Data theft, then was not real good about keeping the "old" and "new" cards in the correct order.

[tloonya]

Apr 24, 2015 9:52:16 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I once had my Debit Card declined at the grocery store. I was very upset b/c I carry quite a large balance in my checking account. I ended up very thankful, b.c my bank detected what they believed was fraud going on with my credit card, and they shut the card down until they heard back from me. They were right it was fraud and I did not lose any $$.

No everyone who has a card declined is a deadbeat.

It happens for varying reasons. More recently my cards were declined b/c I asked for new ones after the Target Data theft, then was not real good about keeping the "old" and "new" cards in the correct order.

Who said 'deadbeat'? Where?

[NancysSummerSip]

Apr 24, 2015 9:52:16 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I once had my Debit Card declined at the grocery store. I was very upset b/c I carry quite a large balance in my checking account. I ended up very thankful, b.c my bank detected what they believed was fraud going on with my credit card, and they shut the card down until they heard back from me. They were right it was fraud and I did not lose any $$.

No everyone who has a card declined is a deadbeat.

It happens for varying reasons. More recently my cards were declined b/c I asked for new ones after the Target Data theft, then was not real good about keeping the "old" and "new" cards in the correct order.

Had the same thing happen while on vacation. Somehow, someone in California had tried to use my credit card, and my bank caught it while I was thousands of miles away from California. I had not been shopping at any online sites in California, nor have I been to that state in over forty years.

Before I travel, I call my CC company and let them know I will be traveling, so the card is not declined when I suddenly change cities.

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 24, 2015 10:07:53 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Apr 24, 2015 9:52:16 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I once had my Debit Card declined at the grocery store. I was very upset b/c I carry quite a large balance in my checking account. I ended up very thankful, b.c my bank detected what they believed was fraud going on with my credit card, and they shut the card down until they heard back from me. They were right it was fraud and I did not lose any $$.

No everyone who has a card declined is a deadbeat.

It happens for varying reasons. More recently my cards were declined b/c I asked for new ones after the Target Data theft, then was not real good about keeping the "old" and "new" cards in the correct order.

Had the same thing happen while on vacation. Somehow, someone in California had tried to use my credit card, and my bank caught it while I was thousands of miles away from California. I had not been shopping at any online sites in California, nor have I been to that state in over forty years.

Before I travel, I call my CC company and let them know I will be traveling, so the card is not declined when I suddenly change cities.

I do the same thing when traveling.

[NancysSummerSip]

Apr 24, 2015 10:24:52 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Apr 24, 2015 10:07:53 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Had the same thing happen while on vacation. Somehow, someone in California had tried to use my credit card, and my bank caught it while I was thousands of miles away from California. I had not been shopping at any online sites in California, nor have I been to that state in over forty years.

Before I travel, I call my CC company and let them know I will be traveling, so the card is not declined when I suddenly change cities.

I do the same thing when traveling.

I've always known you and I were related.

As for the people who claim their CC worked at the previous store; sure, they could be deadbeat liars and cheaters. Could also be that the CC company detected an unusual spending pattern and froze the card. Maybe they don't use it hardly at all, and suddenly, it's getting a high amount of activity. To a CC company, even if that activity is local to the cardholder, that could be a sign of fraud. The amounts being charged could be a sign of problems, too. If they typically only use the card for small purchases, and suddenly a $5,000 transaction is attempted, that will get someone's attention.

So there are a few good reasons.

And as for this:

Or when something broke - 'It worked yesterday'...

Heck, I seem to say this about my aging self every other day.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Before I travel, I call my CC company and let them know I will be traveling, so the card is not declined when I suddenly change cities.

TD called his credit card company to let them know he was going to be on the east coast.  We were driving to Myrtle Beach, and along the way visiting some president's homes.  The CC company wanted to know exactly what city he was going to be in, for exactly how long.  They got rather pissed when he told them that he couldn't tell them that.

Most recently, he had one of his CC declined because he tried to use it in Vancouver.  Now, Vancouver is about 70 miles away and we are up there for some reason at least twice each month.  Trips to BC are in his normal buying pattern, but one of them decided to be a pain in the butt.

[mroped]

When we go to Europe, the Missus calls the CC and banks and tell them. Still happens that some CC don't work. Apparently Eastern Europe is some sort of hack heaven and they would rather decline everything than deal with it.
I had once, not to long ago my CC declined at the pump. Went inside, zipped it and still declined. I just about ripped the cashier a new one I was that mad!

Out of the blue, the wife calls to see where I'm at nd I tell her about and she just goes " By the way: don't use that card. There is a stop on it because of some fraud or something. Already talked to them and they are sending new ones!" And she hangs up!
I felt bad and went back inside and apologized to the attendant!

[Deleted]

I've had my card get declined right after using it somewhere else.  I don't know if it just doesn't scan right or it's a snafu in the system or what, but it went right back to working the next day at the gas pump.  Luckily I have lots of extras in my wallet.

[NancysSummerSip]

I had once, not to long ago my CC declined at the pump. Went inside, zipped it and still declined. I just about ripped the cashier a new one I was that mad!

I had that happen when I was on my way to the hospital ER to deal with my mother; she had just had a heart attack. The reason for the decline: the company cancelled my card because I had not used it consistently enough. I ripped the company a new one in written form and have never stopped at another of their stations since then.

[mollyanna58]

tloonya: you might enjoy this website: notalwaysright.com

Full of stories about dumb/crazy/clueless customers.

[andi9899]

Apr 24, 2015 12:09:35 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

tloonya: you might enjoy this website: notalwaysright.com

Full of stories about dumb/crazy/clueless customers.

I just went to this site and some of the stuff was hilarious.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

notalwaysright.com is awesome!  When I worked in retail, I had a lady's card decline.  She had just used it in our store at another register (She bought some stuff at another register and then wandered around and bought something to my register).  She was a little upset but still nice about it (I could see why she would be aggravated... the card worked 20 minutes earlier AT THE SAME STORE).

She ended up stepping outside and calling her bank... turns out the first transaction triggered the fraud freeze (She had just moved to our area) and they froze the card at that point because they didn't think she was there.

The stupidest part?  She had been in the bank's branch located across the street like 2 hours earlier, updating all her accounts.  So, they knew she was in town because she was in their branch but didn't know she could be in town at our store...

[Deleted]

What banks do those of you who get declined all the time use? We have mainstream ones- Chase, Citi, Amex, etc. and rarely have problems. I don't call and tell them when we travel and have had one refused in London and another in St. Petersburg, Russia but nearly always have 2 or 3 on me so it's never a problem.

I WAS saved from a 40 Euro fine for not having a validated ticket on the Paris Metro (I'd thrown it away not realizing they do random checks at transfer points- my error).   My Marriott Visa wouldn't work on their portable machine. They asked if I had cash.  No, I didn't have that much cash because of the pickpockets.  Did I have another card?  No- same reason.  Did DH have anything?  DH, the pickpocket magnet who's had money disappear from his pockets in every respectable European city?  Heck, no.   He's not even allowed to carry video arcade tokens.  Theses were the transit police and they said they'd have to call the Metro police.   Fine, I said, but what could they do?  (We were all being polite.  Heck, I was even speaking mostly French.)  A few minutes later they told me I could go.

And the credit card worked at the grocery store on the way back to our hotel.

Right now we're getting tons of stuff done to put the house on the market and are charging up a storm.  We'll have spent at least $15K over 3 months.  So far the charges are going though!

[whoami]

I use Citi...and had 3 different Citi cards declined in Maine at a Home Depot. I spent about $100.  While I was standing at the register using my debit card to pay, my phone blew up with text fraud alerts from Citi.  Stupid part was I paid a $300 hotel bill that morning...also in Maine.  

I charged $26K on my card last month....including train tickets in Italy. Not one fraud alert. 

[thyme4change]

I once said "But that is a brand new card."  Somehow when they inactivated my old card because I lost it, they also inactivated the replacement card.  Not sure how that would happen, but that is what they said when I called them.  But, the guy looked at me like I had clearly stolen the card and was trying to buy a whole tank of gas with my new stolen card.  

Not that I care what that guy thought.

[973beachbum]

My experience is the same as SDG's.  It used to bother me to no end but most people are pretty calm about it and just pay with a different card.  I now even know to say it may be your are in a different area and the computer did it automatically to stop fraud.  I have had customers go out in the parking lot and call their card company only to find out it was a fraud alert decline.  Once they told them yes we really are here shopping it gets turned back on.

The last one that was a PITA was because the woman insisted she "was fine" so we should just let it go.  The cashier kept saying it was declined and the customer kept insisting it was okay.  She called me over and I repeated she needed to pay another way.  She finally pulled out another credit card and that went through.  I'm sure it is a mix up but that doesn't mean I can let her go without paying.  And decline was pretty self explanatory I thought.

[Shooby]

I have had my card not work at times. And, they swipe it a couple more times and it does. My ccs are paid in full every month. So, yeah, I don't need some cashier peering at me as if I don't have the cash, thanks.

[Shooby]

If it worked yesterday and now it doesn't work today, then it most likely that is a defective piece of merchandise, so absolutely I am going to return it. Don't sell me crap!