Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 22:32:45 GMT
Could you please help me out? I am looking at recurring monthly fees that are charged to the financial info on file (Credit card or EFT bank account) once per month in an amount below $50 per person.
Do you know what the policy is if your CC/EFT declines? What is the fee you are charged and can you get it taken off? If so, is there a policy on how often?
Would you feel it is fair to offer 1 "free" decline fee refund per rolling 12 months, no matter what reason for the decline? To me that free one is for when you get a new card and forget to update or your card expires and you forget to update the expiration date, etc. Would you expect more than that returned? Are you finding your CC information changing more than that due to fraud, etc? Our contract allows us to charge $20, but we only charge $10.
Unfortunately we have lots of "good" members with "good" reasons and I want to make sure our policy is reasonable but takes into account the fact that we are charged transaction fees for each transaction/decline and the administrative time it takes to call/email/track down those who declined. I've not experienced fraud and needed a totally new number in a while and during the Target/Michaels events we forgave pretty much every decline fee if they even stated they were affected by that. But I haven't heard any big ones lately that would make me think we needed to do that again. |
|
|
|
Post by mrgiedrnkr on Apr 26, 2016 22:42:16 GMT
I had fraud on my card and then my gym dues were going to come out. They said if I didn't call or come in and change the card, I would be charged a $10 late/decline fee. I thought that was kinda crappy since it truly was beyond my control that my card was closed. I like your policy of 1 fee waived per year/rolling year. If it was my fault or not, I think that is fair.
Stacy
|
|
|
|
Post by bigbundt on Apr 26, 2016 22:49:34 GMT
I think your current policy is fair. I would hope after one decline a year, the member would realize they need to change their info with you if they got a new card. I swear we've gotten three new credit cards in the last six month period because we've shopped somewhere was was compromised. And yes, it is a massive PITA to update Amazon, kid lunch accounts, food ordering apps but I now know that when we get a new card I have to take ten minutes and update everything. We don't have our gym membership charged to the credit card for this reason, we tie it to our bank account because our gym has to update payment in person rather than on a website. I know people say that you shouldn't give any company access to your bank account but my BIL is the CFO of this place, I'm not worried about it.  |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 22:55:10 GMT
I think your current policy is fair. I would hope after one decline a year, the member would realize they need to change their info with you if they got a new card. I swear we've gotten three new credit cards in the last six month period because we've shopped somewhere was was compromised. And yes, it is a massive PITA to update Amazon, kid lunch accounts, food ordering apps but I now know that when we get a new card I have to take ten minutes and update everything. We don't have our gym membership charged to the credit card for this reason, we tie it to our bank account because our gym has to update payment in person rather than on a website. I know people say that you shouldn't give any company access to your bank account but my BIL is the CFO of this place, I'm not worried about it.
For ours, they can either stop by (local gym in their neighborhood) or call in. But can't do it online either. I sometimes wish they could, but to get there is very expensive additional software charges that we wouldn't make back in monthly dues.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigbundt on Apr 26, 2016 22:56:59 GMT
That's too bad. I hate talking on the phone! |
|
|
|
Post by lucyg on Apr 26, 2016 23:21:34 GMT
Wow. I've had this happen a lot, between expired cards and cards replaced due to hacking, even a few times charges that wouldn't go through for no good reason at all (I ask them to try again and it goes through fine the second time). I just get an email or phone call -- "please update your credit card info." I've never been charged a fee by anyone.
Virtually all of my bills and a number of monthly and annual subscriptions are on auto-pay.
I don't object to the idea of being charged (it would make me more careful, for sure) but it would be a surprise, that's all. An expensive one, the first time around.
$10 sounds fair, with advance warning. One freebie a year sounds even better.
|
|
quiltz
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,840
Location: CANADA
Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
|
Post by quiltz on Apr 26, 2016 23:28:26 GMT
That's too bad. I hate talking on the phone! What is so difficult in making a phone call? You talk to people every day, don't you? |
|
|
|
Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Apr 26, 2016 23:30:11 GMT
$10 sounds fair, with advance warning. One freebie a year sounds even better. I agree. I have a credit card that I have had for over 20 years with the same number. Well, guess what? With all the new security measures/chips/etc, they changed my account number. I struggled to even remember everything I had linked to it because it had been soooo long. I would have appreciated one pass for an instance like that or some sort of fraud/compromised card situation. Beyond one pass, it's really on me to manage my account with your business better. |
|
RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
Posts: 5,535 
|
Post by RosieKat on Apr 26, 2016 23:32:57 GMT
That's too bad. I hate talking on the phone! What is so difficult in making a phone call? You talk to people every day, don't you? Not the one who said this, but it's a very real thing for a lot of us. For me, it can be hard to hear a person on the phone correctly, and there's just a weird semi-phobia about it. I can do it, but if I can do it online, I'm way happier. |
|
|
|
Post by papercrafteradvocate on Apr 26, 2016 23:33:20 GMT
Reason 1,000,000 + 1 not to use that auto payment option ever.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 23:56:26 GMT
Reason 1,000,000 + 1 not to use that auto payment option ever. And we do have options where the member can prepay 1 year (which actually is the cost of 10 out of 12 months on a month-to-month) or 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 day (those options tend to be more expensive since there is less of a commitment). None of those require financial information on file or auto payment.
eta: and you can also pay with cash/check as long as you pay at the latest the day before your billing date. If you pay the same day, sometimes the way the billing algorithm works it misses especially if you pay WHILE billing is being run.
|
|
|
|
Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 27, 2016 0:05:54 GMT
I can't really remember ever being charged a fee for forgetting to update my expiration date - or when I had two new cards in 6 months due to fraud and missed a company to notify. In addition to the purchase websites, my cable, cellphone, milkman, CSA, wine club are all on monthly auto pay. Even the ballet company that keeps my cc on file didn't charge me and just let me know I needed to update my card. I don't think I would continue to use autopay if I was charged $10 and $20 would probably straight up annoy me.
|
|
|
|
Post by originalvanillabean on Apr 27, 2016 0:53:26 GMT
$10 sounds fair, with advance warning. One freebie a year sounds even better. Beyond one pass, it's really on me to manage my account with your business better. Agree with both! |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 1:07:00 GMT
I have never been charged a fee in that kind of situation, but I've also never had it recur with a single vendor.
I don't know that I would publish the "freebie" policy, but when you contact a customer whose account was declined, I'd notify them that there would be no charge that time, but if it happened again in a rolling 12 months, there would be a fee.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigbundt on Apr 27, 2016 1:13:53 GMT
That's too bad. I hate talking on the phone! What is so difficult in making a phone call? You talk to people every day, don't you? It isn't that it is difficult, it just isn't my preference. I hate extensive phone trees and they are getting more and more ridiculous, I can't be sure that the person I get on the phone *is* the right person and have to spend time on the phone while they figure out where I need to go and I get to explain what I need multiple times, I am not an auditory person so I sometimes need things repeated because my brain simply didn't process what they just said, I hate being asked how to spell my unusual name (which a lot of time CSR *still* don't get right and then I have to make another phone call to correct their mistake) or email address over and over again, I hate having someone spell back everything I just told them, the small talk while their computer is "running slow", there isn't always a paper trail, etc. In an instance like this it is just much more effective to enter that info myself into an online portal. |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 1:22:01 GMT
I have my cell phone and cable on auto pay. They've always sent out an email to update my credit card info when the charge wouldn't go through and thankfully, they've never assessed a fee. I usually get an email/text that my payment didn't process and to update my info and make a manual online payment authorization for that payment period. Do credit card companies charge for rejected transactions?
|
|
Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,702
Location: Kansas City -ish
|
Post by Anita on Apr 27, 2016 1:24:13 GMT
I had my card compromised and changed two months in a row last year, and it was infuriating trying to straighten things out. Honestly, I'd probably be annoyed enough to stop doing business with someone who charged a fee on top of all the headaches that whole fiasco brought about.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 1:59:18 GMT
Agree with a few comments above - I've never been charged, and when the new chipped cards were issued, my cards were declined just because, off and on, for about a month. It was finally straightened out, but I would have been very unhappy if someone had charged me for that.
I've moved and had my change of address trigger declines, also had fraud, card expirations, etc over the years, I've never been charged. OTOH, I didn't know that declines would cause the business to be charged. I would still not be happy - being nickle and dimed like that makes me find another business unless you're offering something I can't get anywhere else.
I'd rather pay more per month to not be bothered with that kind of nonsense. And I know I'm being a little peevish and not very understanding, but that kind of stuff really irritates me. My suggestion would be: depending on who your customer base is, either build the cost into your monthly fees or explain it to your customers (that you are charged) and make it easy for them to fix it quickly without a lot of inconvenience or hassle on their end.
|
|
Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,788
Location: Kentucky
|
Post by Kerri W on Apr 27, 2016 2:13:25 GMT
I have to agree with @mochimochi. Maybe it's being too much of a hardass on my part, but I'd be upset to be charged a fee. I expect businesses to consider some of that kind of stuff the cost of doing business. I have SO many things on auto-pay as well as manage all of my dad's bills on auto-pay and all of my mom's bills on auto-pay. With that many accounts I'm bound to mess it up sooner or later and I have never had a business charge me anything.
|
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Apr 27, 2016 2:48:32 GMT
That's too bad. I hate talking on the phone! What is so difficult in making a phone call? You talk to people every day, don't you? I hate the phone with a passion. It takes a lot for me to make a phone call. I'm not sure what is difficult to understand about some people not liking the phone. |
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Apr 27, 2016 2:49:29 GMT
I have to agree with @mochimochi. Maybe it's being too much of a hardass on my part, but I'd be upset to be charged a fee. I expect businesses to consider some of that kind of stuff the cost of doing business. I have SO many things on auto-pay as well as manage all of my dad's bills on auto-pay and all of my mom's bills on auto-pay. With that many accounts I'm bound to mess it up sooner or later and I have never had a business charge me anything. if you bounce a check, aren't you charged a fee? I haven't been charged either, but I can see why some companies would. |
|
quiltz
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,840
Location: CANADA
Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
|
Post by quiltz on Apr 27, 2016 3:13:55 GMT
What is so difficult in making a phone call? You talk to people every day, don't you? I hate the phone with a passion. It takes a lot for me to make a phone call. I'm not sure what is difficult to understand about some people not liking the phone. I grew up by using the phone (it had a cord attached to the receiver) and am very comfortable using a phone (currently a cell phone) for conversation & for calling a business. So for me, yes it is difficult for me to understand why some people not like the phone. It seems that (general) people want their phone to do everything for them (banking, games, camera) rather than use the phone for well, making phone calls. Each to their own as different people / generations have different backgrounds and use technology in their own way. |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 14:15:54 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 13:15:41 GMT
thanks for all the feedback... I do feel that the 1 free should allow for the situations described by Mochimochi and Kerri W. In all reality those situations are solved the first time and the cc decline fee is forgiven. It's the repeat offenders that we are trying to solve -- for example, one lady had 3 in 4 months...and 6 over a 3 year period.
|
|
