It’s Monday – start of a new business week. I started out getting myself organized for the week, and was doing pretty good. That is, until I visited the website of my favorite paper supplier to purchase more paper stock for some upcoming print work I need to get done. I went through their process of ordering – and then hit the checkout. I figured, in a few minutes, I’d have ordered what I needed – – and then check that off my list so I could move on to the next order of business for the day.
That is – until my card, which is tied to my bank account, was declined. Don’t you hate that feeling? Though, I have to say – it’s much better to have that happen when shopping online, rather than standing in line at the local grocery when there are 20 people waiting in line behind you. Either way, though, it really bites. Problem is. . I know what my balance is in that account, so I knew it wasn’t a balance issue. It had to be something else. I tried the checkout again – making sure I typed all the numbers and information in correctly this time and hit Submit.
Declined. Thanks for playing . . .
I immediately got on the phone with a rep. from Wells Fargo to find out what was going on. They pulled up my account and told me that there have been at least 50 transactions on that card – – all originating from France. All 50 of those transactions were for $0.03 (3 cents). The rep. said that whenever they see transactions like that – – they assume that someone has gotten ahold of my card and are trying different security codes until they find the one that works. Except, Wells Fargo shut down the card after the very FIRST 3 cent transaction from France. They didn’t wait for a second one – – they figured I would call when I found that I was unable to use my card.
Call, I did. Within 5 minutes – the card was cancelled and they are issuing me a new one that I should have in 4-5 days. While having to change all of my accounts that use that card will be a pain in the butt – – I am forever grateful that Wells Fargo is so tight with their banking security.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had that card shut down. The first time was in 2006 when Chris and I were in New York – the week of our wedding. I was using that card to pay for the caterer, tuxedo rentals, wedding cake and other various odds and ends. Because the amount of the purchases were so high, originating from a state I don’t normally use the card in – – it triggered Wells Fargo’s security and they suspended the card. A quick phone call to them was all it took to release it. It happened again when were were out of the country (in Bonaire) on our honeymoon…because the purchases were originating from outside the US – again, it triggered the security and the card got suspended.
Now, in those last two cases – I will admit it was really a pain. Especially during the week of wedding preparation – – we were on very limited time to get ready for the wedding, and running around New York City trying to get everything done wasn’t very easy. So, to have my card declined at the bakery when I had a meeting with the caterer in less than 20 minutes across town….yea, pain in the butt!
However – I would much, much rather Wells Fargo have a very tight secure system. I would much rather they err on the side of caution each and every single time there is a question – – rather than to find out that my account has been drained by some lowlife.
So – thank you, Wells Fargo. Happy Monday!
Up until recently I didn’t have a credit card, but since I do more and more purchases online and the use of Paypal, we decided to get one anyway, and I can already imagine it being a real pain not being able to use the card. On the other hand. I used to work for a webshop, and had to deal with a lot of credit card fraud. I’d rather have to make a phonecall to unblock my card than find out my card has meen used for a few days, and I’ve reached the credit limit.
Happy monday it is 🙂
Yeah, they tend to mother a bit, but in a good way. Last Christmas season, I went shopping. I live across the street from a gas station so that was my first stop. I ended up at Best Buy where I bought a chest freezer (house present!) and an HDTVs for hubby. I handed the salesman my Wells Fargo card to ring up the items, well into four figures. Declined. Like you, I knew there was tons of money on that card. I ended up giving the salesman another card. Meanwhile I whipped out my cell and called 1-800-GOWELLS. The woman explained to me that especially during Christmas season, they are on the alert for fraudulent activity. My first mistake was getting gas. That’s where the thief tries on the card, usually on an under-$10 purchase. Then when I bought the freezer and TV, all their alarm bells went off. I had the fraud alert lifted and asked the salesman to switch back to the Wells card. (Why pay interest on those items?) It’s a good thing.. and a bad thing. The price of using plastic in this day and age.
Well, that absolutely bites the big one. However, I don’t think you’re getting the best customer service. When a similar situation happened to me, Wachovia (AKA “Walk Over Ya”) called me and told me that they were suspicious of some account activity. They refused the fraudulent charges and that was the end of it. No new card needed. I think WF should have contacted you when they shut the card down to save you inconvenience.
Having said that, WF is purchasing Wachovia, so I’ll be interested to see what they’re like.
They should have tight security measures. However, the solution, of pushing off the negative consequences of the solution to the user is poor at best. They need to figure out how to have a secure product that doesn’t require the user to put up with hassles. Maybe some of tens of millions in bonuses to executives should be paid to a group of IT people to find solutions that are customer friendly.
i love wells fargo too. you can design your own credit/debit cards now too!