I, on Dec. 13, 2002, made a phone payment to Target for $1000.00. The Target cardholder is not me, the charge is in my life long friends name. I made a phone payment from my checking account. As I monitor my checking account day after a few days I see that there is no debit from my checking account for $1000.00. I recall Target on Dec. 17, 2002, the Cust. Service Rep. indicated he shows not record of my first call.
He suggests I redo the phone payment using the same check number. I give all the necessay info. I see on Dec. 18, 2002 the debit for $1,000.00 has been deducted from my checking account.
Now on Dec. 24, 2002, monitoring my account activity I see that another $1,000.00 using the same check number as I gave Target on Dec. 17, 2002 is debited from my checking account. I immediately contact my bank, since it is Christmas eve day, I speak with a bank representative in the fraud/retail claims dept.
This person tells me she will pull the imaged checks processed after Christmas day, Dec. 26TH, 2002 and call me. I then call Target and try to explain what happened, the Cust. Service Rep. has no conception of what I'm telling him. I tell my story over and over again to Traget Supervisors but they tell me there is nothing they can do. When my bank calls me back on Dec. 26TH, 2002, the Claims Specialist explains to me how Traget has made an error. The same check for $1,000.00 was processed twice, once by Retailers National Bank, then the second check was made payable to a person, my bank representative tells me the name of a person I have never heard of.
My bank immediately freezes my account and returns to Retailers National Bank/Target on of the checks. My bank has spoken to Target numerous times and tried to explain this is an error committed by Target and my friends charge should be credited $1,000.00, however Target is adding $1,000.00 to her account causing her to be over her credit limit incurring penilties. My bank covered me for my loss, but Target has been called many many times both by me and my banks' claims specialist and no one will listen.
I am in the process of contacting Retailers National Bank, and I feel I have been transferred to so many different people at Target "guest Services" when I should be referred to the Fraud Unit or referred to someone at Retailers National that is familar with this credit card/bank fraud. My friend is now suffering because I tried to do something good and we both got ripped off by Target and now Retailers National has registered me with Chex Systems as having a Non Sufficient Funds check, because my bank cancelled out the duplicate check Target tried to pass thru twice and reattached my friends charge card for the $1,000.00.
I've told this story so many times to the Target people so many times and they tell me they cannot do anything about this ripoff.
Patricia
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin