when the bank and the "merchant" fail

[LexiaFira]

And by "merchant" as the bank calls it I mean the cell phone company as this is really pissing myself and hubs off.

Went to pay the cell phone bill online no big, lower bill better plan woots.
The site says after attempting to process and all that cannot pay online please see nearest cricket rep. So I think ok let me just check the bank statement online.
Well looky there its a pending charge for the bill, you lie site you lie so no need to go to one other place. About two hours later juuust as we were about to head out hubs goes to do some transferring as paypal funding came in
and oh look there is another charge for the EXACT amount to cricket AGAIN. double charge...hmm. so I call their customer service up while hubs calls the bank. Apparently cricket doesn't see a charge having gone through on their side and our bank cannot do anything as both charges are still "pending" IE even though our account has acted and SAYS the final balance like they already hit since it still says pending not much can be done. We are ok for bills and such but it does set things back....ALOT

Very frustrating, both sides have noted things and once it does hit a refund will be done but it means no shopping today, and also i have to sit and wait.
All is well, we aren't effed over but me being me and used to my routine for the most part don't like it. We aren't lacking in groceries either but again, its just a bee in my bonnet so to speak...
a lesson i suppose to chill out and deal with some things as i can't change it but still grrr. now hubs being hubs is upset with cricket because he really doesn't like issues like this and frustrated with our bank because this isn't the first time they "can't do anything" beyond making a note and giving us a number to call to get it taken care of later

[Andara Bledin]

This is actually a processor failure and there's nothing either Cricket or the bank can do about it.

My company has been the "merchant" in the middle of one of these SNAFUs and it's no fun for anyone involved, and the processor just doesn't care. >_<

When the processor sends out the call for funds, they don't always get an "all clear" back quickly enough, so on the merchant's end, the charge is a failure and they don't get any money. Meanwhile, because the call for funds did go out and wasn't actually refused, the bank has the hold in their system as well, and won't release them without an actual cancellation from the merchant (who can't do it because they have nothing to do it against) or the processor (who just plain won't because it's too much trouble).

But it sucks all around because you don't get to use your money and the merchant doesn't get it, either. Though, the second charge attempt is most likely the merchant's fault.

^-.-^

[HYHYBT]

On the bright side, it ought to clear itself in a couple days...

[LexiaFira]

frustrated but not going to yell at anyone nor have i. and thank you for the explanation Andara.
yeah...like I said things are ok just upset I have to play the waiting game but have kept myself preoccupied just the whole either shop thursday or not get it done as hubs days off are the best time to get shopping done or any other day its rushed and we don't get everything or it just goes bad.
Past that I very much understand that no one really failed but the processor just feel like it is.

Yep HYHYBYT. Just not sure that i'll be able to get out in the next few days...oh well

[insertNameHere]

That is sort of Bs, I see how the system works but it is horribly flawed, like that one commercial says "Its MY MONEY and I want it NOW!!!" Believe me, I hate having to be so indifferent to people who come in and swear they ahve $3000 in their account there is no way it can decline $20, not my fault, call your damn bank, I only do what the POS tells me to do. and the more I get yelled at the less I give a shit.

[LexiaFira]

feel like i am at a spot where i cannot say anything without badmouthing others...well so be it. screw you cricket for your poor website not doing right.
screw you chase for taking forever to get stuff done and screw you processing/pending for taking two to three days to stop from going to pending to its done.
why am i mad? because i Look forward to, no I LIVE for the one or two days i get to GO OUT OF THE HOUSE beyond getting the stupid mail. even if its just getting in the van putting daughter in her seat going out to do one errand that is like 5 minutes long, I GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE

hubs doesn't see it that way or doesn't understand or its like why waste that time if we are only going out for ten minutes why waste the gas. i understand don't waste the gas but, that was supposed to be my freedom gdit.

and yes working on getting a hardship license but with texas they have to make it complicated. effing a. yes its complain day.

[Andara Bledin]

I don't blame you one bit.

I had the same issue with a hotel putting a hold on my card despite having been given a completely different card for the deposit. That essentially screwed my finances for just under two weeks. >_<

Good luck on that license. You deserve a break.

^-.-^

[blas87]

Don't worry, we all feel for you and what this does to you.

Brother and I offered to help pay our "reactivation" fees when those money grubbing buttfucks at AT&T "lost" our payment twice. It certainly was money I could have spent better, but I didn't want to make mom pay the entire thing, and AT&T's lovely customer service reps absolutely refused even documented proof that the payment had gone through.

And while I'm at it, I'd really love that extra $15 back from Dell, too. I'm sure there's a shirt or something I could have gotten for that, instead of their awesome idea of trying to make sure I didn't get the last say in completing paying off my balance.

[LexiaFira]

hubs went to phone rep and they said we may lose service BUT because its going through this we don't have to pay and as its also memorial day weekend we may not lose it immediately etc. we are ok still. but yeah thats funding that was supposed to go to gas and to new baby clothes.

Finally did go shopping and did way better than I expected budget wise but only because i went strict with the list and did not deviate from it, IE extra splurge items and in some cases went with store or cheaper brand, such as instead of oreos, went with store brand or cheaper cookies as daughter seems to like fig newtons and vanilla style oreos. the creme filling doesn't cause a reaction thankfully so yay but still. funds are still held up because of THEIR website glitch. and also the whole memorial day weekend nothing going to happen monday

yesh...texas can be...ass backwards with some things that should be fairly easy to get done. sorry but its true.

[LexiaFira]

I had the same issue with a hotel putting a hold on my card despite having been given a completely different card for the deposit. That essentially screwed my finances for just under two weeks. >_<

I swear its starting to LOOK that way as we have a few other NEW charges processing and they went through in 24-48 hours where last weeks are STILL PROCESSING. And they even shuffled it around some so that if it were processing charges in order last weeks should have gone first, but then hell if i know what the rules are on what goes through first and what doesn't.
I really really want the number to who is in charge of this so i can get it dealt with. WITHOUT yelling, i promise. want to yell but won't

[Andara Bledin]

It's stuck in the "processing" pattern because one side thinks it went through, and the other side doesn't, so there's no cancellation notice from either side, which is required for items to be removed from the pending charges section when they don't actually become charges. So it has to expire, instead, which can take way longer than it should.

^-.-^

[LexiaFira]

it finally expired today, both pending/processing dropped and hubs paid it this morning but due to our payment being four days late we should automatically have to pay two months. He argued and said no, we were four days late and here is why and was very reasonable about it and only pay for the one month.

I added to say that I understand that some people really are behind on bills but its not that reasonable to ask for two months payment for being four days late and if there is a late fee we will pay that too. Of which we did which was three dollars added on. Not bad.
Just frustrating because I feel that I am a jinx because when I try to pay online this happens (not the first time, just first time its happened like this) yet when hubs pays online payment goes through with no problem and I double check everything before clicking send/pay or whatever name assigned to the payment button.

[HYHYBT]

For the last... six years, maybe? I've paid my phone by dialing *729. So far, no problems; it just says, more or less, "You owe x, would you like to pay by the same bank account as last time?" and all's well. Of course, that's open to the same processor error as your way (so far as I know) but nothing's ever happened.

Which is good, because it's AT&T and everybody knows about their stellar customer service! I've still never had a problem, but then I've also still never had anything but the cell phone through them.

[LexiaFira]

well....i won't say anything as you have not had issues with them.
past that I like cricket because i can text as much as i want - within reason i'm not going to sit and text all day. and its still the same amount. however if you are so many days late the phone IS shut off. no questions.
we almost did get shut off but there was a note on the account about the website issue. I had no problem as the late fee was like three dollars as opposed to letting it sit there for months before paying kind of late fee.

But now I won't get on to pay the phone bill anymore. (I used to do so to help save time etc but now as I am apparently a jinx with some of the sites i won't touch it anymore)
geez...its like i'm losing my computer skills