Overcharged credit card help.

I left a detailed (probably too detailed) email to customer service as well.

We'll see how it plays out. Now I have no flex cash at all until it's resolved.

That's the problem with debit cards. You only can use them at the groceries,
gas station and places where you can control the charges - take a Visa/MC
for everything else.

Don't have a credit card. Can't handle one.

Then get to an ATM and get the cash to pay in restaurants and the likes
from now on - don't hand them your debit card!

thats why i only use cash money baby.

f*** banks

F** credit cards.

I don't get charged a transaction fee when using my card as credit, I do when using ATM/check.

Surely, you don't get a transaction fee when using your own bank's ATM?

What does it say on your copy of the receipt? If your friends paid their share, the error may have only been an "authorization" for the $90, which would show up online as being spoken for, but shouldn't result in an overdraft because the extra money hasn't actually left your account. Providing your friends paid their share; your server or cashier should have caught the error while balancing his/her bank… and providing they did; the correction would have been made before the “end of day” report to the bank. If the restaurant actually charged you the $90 as well as charging your friends, then yes, you should expect them to pay any damages.

Whether you use a debit card or a credit card you can control what is put on your tab simply by looking at the receipt, and checking the amount, before you sign it. Even if you are not asked to sign the receipt, you still need to check your copy to be sure about the amount you were charged.

I learned that the hard way. I purchased a $14 item, signed the receipt without looking at it (because I didn't have my glasses on), and several days later discovered that the vendor had made an error and charged me $1400. The vendor apparently also realized his error, but did not correct it on his own. He waited for me to come back to his shop, then he issued a credit for $1400 and entered a new charge of $14.
These transactions were all on my debit card (used as a credit card). Fortunately, because I have about $2600 in overdraft protection on my checking account, the error would not have caused my other checks or purchases to bounce. Even if the overdraft funds had been drawn on, I would not have incurred any additional fees as long as the overdraft was repaid within 30 days.

I could have avoided needless hassle simply by checking the amount before I signed the bill for my original purchase. I now take out my glasses and read before I sign, or I immediately check the amount on the receipt if I am not required to sign.

littlek, if the situation has not been resolved by now, I would go back to the restaurant and speak to the manager. It is better if you can do this in person, rather than on the phone. If the restaurant had corrected their error immediately, a credit for about $60 should either already appear in your account or appear as "pending". If they haven't corrected the error, you can make sure they immediately credit you for the entire amount you were originally charged, and then you can pay them what you actually owed. But, if you do this in person, you will be sure the matter is finally resolved to your satisfaction.

Do you still have the original receipt from the restaurant? Obviously it will be easier if you do, because it will have a transaction number on it. Did you sign for and authorize a $90 charge, or was the amount changed (and increased) after you received your receipt? In other words, was the problem due to the fact that you didn't notice you were being charged $90 when they handed you your receipt, or was it due to possible fraud on the part of the restaurant? For instance, did your friends pay their bill in cash, but the entire $90 still was charged against your debit card, and you just didn't notice that at the time? If that was what happened, it might have been due to honest error on the part of a harried waitor/waitress, or it might have been fraud--they pocket the cash, but charge you anyway.

If there is any question that the restaurant might have done something fraudulent, or even an innocent error which could be misconstrued as fraud, they should be willing to bend over backwards to straighten this situation out for you ASAP, because you can damage them if you start complaining about such things to your bank, the Better Business Bureau, etc. Even if no fraud was involved, most reputable businesses want to keep customers happy, and they should be willing to do whatever they have to--like issuing an immediate credit for the full amount you were charged, and redoing the transaction from scratch. But this will be most easily accomplished if you do this in person. Print out a copy of your checking account transactions that shows the amount that you were debited in the restaurant. Black out your account number, and take the copy to the restaurant with you.

In these kinds of situations I think your bank really does very little. They are really just the middleman, and they generally expect you to work out the problem with the vendor. You should be able to work it out with the vendor.

As to who should pay your overdraft fees, if there are any, that depends who was at fault. If you didn't chack your receipt in the restaurant, you are at fault too, so I'd think you are responsible for incurring those fees.

As OCCOM BILL has mentioned, the restuarant might have put a "hold" on an amount greater than your bill, but this is not the amount you will be finally charged. Some businesses do this, to protect themselves, and it is one downside of using debit cards as credit cards if you do not have a lot of money in your checking account or if you don't have overdraft protection on the account.

I really hope by the time you read this, littlek, that the problem has already been resolved.

I use my debit card as a charge card all of the time. I only use a regular charge card for online purchases, or if I purchase a major item on which I want additional warrenty protection. It's the best way for me to keep track of my spending, and I don't have to carry around a lot of cash.

But always use the debit card as a credit card. Do not use it as a pure debit card, when you make purchases, so that you have to enter your PIN on the vendor's machine. I was the victim of identity theft, and had money withdrawn from my checking account, via an ATM, because hackers broke into a vendor's system and obtained both my account number and my PIN. Fortunately, my bank's security system picked up on the fraudulant ATM withdrawal before I did, and they blocked my checking account to prevent further withdrawals, and they replaced the money I lost. But it took several weeks to straighten out, and it was very aggravating. If someone has only the account number, without the PIN, they can't do that sort of thing. So I still use my debit card while shopping, but I only use it as a credit card, and that does not require my PIN.

If I make more than 10 transactions (ATM, deposit,check) in a month, I am charged a fee per use.

There was definitely enough cash from my friends. The waiter after avoiding our table for quite some time, nabbed the bill before I could explicitly tell him what I wanted to do. My friends assured me it'd be obvious to him. Sure enough, the card came back with a slip indicating the rest of the bill (after the cash was accounted for), I added the full tip and signed for 30.00. The two charges were no bastardization of that total (it wasn't 300.00).

I checked. I always do.

One thing is it appears the charge is pending - I would assume it will remain pending until everything is corrected - but is always best to follow up with your bank and the restaurant as you have.

I had a somewhat similar occurance. When I stayed at hotel for work, I had to leave a credit card at the front desk. Since I didn't have a business card (very little I have to ever charge for business expenses), I left my bank card (like yours can be used be debit or credit).

When I got home I saw a large charge on my card that was pending. I called the hotel and they explained to me that they automatically charge you so much per day, but it stays pending. In a few days, just as they had told me the pending charge was gone.

My husband went through this with ihop about a year ago.
They ( well the employee) over charged for the dinner to begin with.. something like 5 dollars which was obviously an attempt at boosting his tip, THEN he later took the card number and ran up 9,000 worth of internet fees.

The most helpful place? My bank.
The bank stopped the charges. The placed a hold on the account. Ihop Idont think COULD.
go to the bank. have them stop payment. The restaurant can then re-charge for the proper amount..

I doubt then that you'll be charged an overdraft fee... because I doubt this will result in an overdraft. The "authorization" at restaurants is usually higher than the actual charge to allow for the tip, but ultimately only the actual charge is removed from your bank after your check's been closed and the restaurant sends their "end of day" report to the bank. If this is the case; the higher "authorization" will expire after a set number of business days.
Good Luck.

Today the correct amount (30.00) was put through to my account. The incorrect charge is still pending, which makes me feel a bit better. But, the pending charges triggered my over-draft protection. The overdraft protection is 100.00 from an online credit account I don't have a card for. It is also pending, I guess just in case....?

IHOP could reverse the charges almost as easily as the made them (it's just a different sequence of buttons). The catch is; your bank may not credit the refund with the efficiency it debits the charge... and usually doesn't.

For clarification; there is a three-step process when you use your card at dinner:

1. Authorization to see if the card will hold the approximate amount of the charge.
2. Your server/cashier then re-enters the charge with the exact amount after tip (using the same authorization number).
3. After the business day; servers/cashiers balance their tickets, cash bank, and charge receipts against what the machine says. This is a final opportunity to adjust actual charges, before the end of the day report is sent to the bank.

Only after the "end of day" report has taken place, would the restaurant need to reverse any charges. Before that; any and all adjustments are as easy as adding the tip.

That's good news! The authorization will expire on it's own. I couldn't know the details of your over-draft protection, but you won't be needing it anyway.

I'll be charged for the overdraft protection - less than I would for a bounced charge.

So..... this is odd. The overdraft has cleared into my checking account, but is listed as temporary in my credit account.

I don't know what bank you have, but I think it is standard with check cards that any overdraft fees incurred by error are refunded, either by the bank or the vendor but that's not your problem.

I had a problem with a charge at the gas station. I used my check card at the pump and it told me it didn't go through and that I had to pay inside. So, I paid inside, all the while suspecting that it really did go through. Sure enough, it did. I went online and filled out a dispute form right there. The bank credited my account temporarily while it investigated, with the caveat that they'd take it back if it turned out to be correct, which of course it wasn't. If your bank is issuing check cards it should have a mechanism for disputing charges and it should be guaranteeing your balance against mistakes and fraud. That's their responsibility and it's how they sell us on using the damned things in the first place.

Huh? The charge that went through was $30, but the authorization for more triggered overdraft protection?... and they expect you to pay a fee for protection you ultimately didn't need? That sounds like a fee-scam and were it me they would reverse it on the spot or lose my business. Frankly, Fee based overdraft protection sounds like a fee-scam in the first place. Do you really think you need such a thing?