Amazon preorder for Tomb Raider just being charged on Decemeber 25th, 2013.

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cageymaru

cageymaru

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Well they just charged everyone for it on December 25,2013 for orders that were made in March 2013. Overdrafted my internet only purchases credit card since it was authorized on March 1, 2013. Bank thought it was theft since I didn't have a clue what a $33.74 charge was for. Amazon didn't even have it listed in my recent order history. So I have to buy new checks, new CC, new bank account number.

Called Amazon and they apologized. I did check my account and sure enough I didn't get charged for Tomb Raider preorder until the 25th of December. I'm not angry, but I figured that I'd let you'll know. Check your bank statements to see if you suddenly got charged for a preorder copy of Tomb Raider. The Amazon CS rep told me that they had another rogue game charging your CC also, but he didn't say what the title of that one was.

I don't mind paying for it as I did preorder it. Honestly I was clueless that I was never charged at that time. But damn it overcharged my internet only checking account as I only keep an exact amount for internet purchases in it. And I had to order new checks that I'll never use. It went through even though my account is set to not allow overcharges to occur unless I write a check.

So check your emails from Amazon and bank statements! Ongoing Steam sale and no CC sucks btw. :(
 
Why not just pay the overdraft? I'm a little confused as it sounds like you are closing that account because of this. Just pay the 33$ and sure you can talk the bank out of overdraft fees if you explain the situation
 
Wow, that's out of the ordinary. Usually they are really good about taking your money right away ;)

See if they will issue you a credit.
 
This also happened to me. I actually wrote support a couple of times, that I never was charged for my Tomb Raider preorder even though I downloaded and played through it already. They said it was charged and there was nothing to do. Then a few days ago it finally got charged lol. I don't mind as I was expecting it to be done eventually, but it does feel weird to get charged the preorder price now when the game is $5.
 
Ya, I noticed that on Sunday. Wasn't overdrafted,but I was kinda pissed off they did that. I chatted them and the Amazon Rep while polite was fairly stuck up and kept saying it was a preorder and I would get my purchase soon. I eventually just ended the chat with him.
 
H-street said:
Why not just pay the overdraft? I'm a little confused as it sounds like you are closing that account because of this. Just pay the 33$ and sure you can talk the bank out of overdraft fees if you explain the situation
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I guess you can blame me, but this is the order that I took when I woke up.

Checked my bank account like I always do when I awake up.
Saw -70 overdraft from charge due to a company called Digital Srvc.
Was like WHO IN THE F IS THAT!
Called bank. Was very polite. They are pretty cool when I have issues.
Bank said it was Amazon and asked me to check my purchase history with Amazon to verify charges.
Read off all my purchases to them for the month of December. All verified but this random $33.74.
Bank grilled me with 4 different customer reps asking me if I gave my CC number out or pin number which of course I denied since I didn't.
They said to continue I have to be willing to prosecute whomever used my CC.
They closed my accounts. All of them. They are mailing me new materials and I have all new numbers.

So now I'm off the phone with the bank. I call Amazon and...
They don't know what I'm talking about at first. I keep telling them I got charged $33.74. I look and they look. Neither of us see where I bought anything for $33.74 recently.
I happen to peruse my email while on hold the phone as the matter was being escalated. Amazon rep transfers me to Amazon Digital Services.
They start apologizing. Tell me to call my bank as they are sorry that my CC has a $-70 account balance due to the overdraft and the $33.74 charge. I still have to pay for checks mind you.

Lastly I made this thread to warn others that they were charging people for purchases in March. Hate to see people having overdrafts or missing money from their accounts. Amazon was really nice about the whole thing and so was my bank. Since I made the post my bank has reversed the charge, but my CC and checks are still canceled. I have to wait for new ones.

Like I said I'm not angry. Digital age and digital mess ups occur. I just didn't want my credit rating to be affected by a bogus overdraft. So I called my bank to see what was going on. :)
 
cageymaru said:
Well they just charged everyone for it on December 25,2013 for orders that were made in March 2013. Overdrafted my internet only purchases credit card since it was authorized on March 1, 2013. Bank thought it was theft since I didn't have a clue what a $33.74 charge was for. Amazon didn't even have it listed in my recent order history. So I have to buy new checks, new CC, new bank account number.

Called Amazon and they apologized. I did check my account and sure enough I didn't get charged for Tomb Raider preorder until the 25th of December. I'm not angry, but I figured that I'd let you'll know. Check your bank statements to see if you suddenly got charged for a preorder copy of Tomb Raider. The Amazon CS rep told me that they had another rogue game charging your CC also, but he didn't say what the title of that one was.

I don't mind paying for it as I did preorder it. Honestly I was clueless that I was never charged at that time. But damn it overcharged my internet only checking account as I only keep an exact amount for internet purchases in it. And I had to order new checks that I'll never use. It went through even though my account is set to not allow overcharges to occur unless I write a check.

So check your emails from Amazon and bank statements! Ongoing Steam sale and no CC sucks btw. :(
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cageymaru said:
I guess you can blame me, but this is the order that I took when I woke up.

Checked my bank account like I always do when I awake up.
Saw -70 overdraft from charge due to a company called Digital Srvc.
Was like WHO IN THE F IS THAT!
Called bank. Was very polite. They are pretty cool when I have issues.
Bank said it was Amazon and asked me to check my purchase history with Amazon to verify charges.
Read off all my purchases to them for the month of December. All verified but this random $33.74.
Bank grilled me with 4 different customer reps asking me if I gave my CC number out or pin number which of course I denied since I didn't.
They said to continue I have to be willing to prosecute whomever used my CC.
They closed my accounts. All of them. They are mailing me new materials and I have all new numbers.

So now I'm off the phone with the bank. I call Amazon and...
They don't know what I'm talking about at first. I keep telling them I got charged $33.74. I look and they look. Neither of us see where I bought anything for $33.74 recently.
I happen to peruse my email while on hold the phone as the matter was being escalated. Amazon rep transfers me to Amazon Digital Services.
They start apologizing. Tell me to call my bank as they are sorry that my CC has a $-70 account balance due to the overdraft and the $33.74 charge. I still have to pay for checks mind you.

Lastly I made this thread to warn others that they were charging people for purchases in March. Hate to see people having overdrafts or missing money from their accounts. Amazon was really nice about the whole thing and so was my bank. Since I made the post my bank has reversed the charge, but my CC and checks are still canceled. I have to wait for new ones.

Like I said I'm not angry. Digital age and digital mess ups occur. I just didn't want my credit rating to be affected by a bogus overdraft. So I called my bank to see what was going on. :)
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Why would you close the checking account? Either you or your bank fouled up big time. I understand why you would close the debit card if this is where the charge was and I can certainly see how you might think it was fraudulent. However, if your debit card number was compromised, your checking account number is not. That's the whole point of a debit card to mask the checking account number so you don't have to close everything down. The number is processed by Visa or MC then the charge sent to your bank who then has the check account number. The checking account number is never seen by the card processor or the merchant. If fraud happens, yes the funds may leave your checking account, but your bank and the card company are responsible for returning it. The card is simply another doorway into your checking account and you are changing the lock since someone had the key (card number). Just because they had that key doesn't mean they had the master key (check account number).

FWIW, I am currently employed at a bank and work with credit/debit card fraud daily.
 
And this is why I use a credit card for all online purchases. Solid protection and I'm not on the hook for any real money while problems are sorted out.
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
Why would you close the checking account? Either you or your bank fouled up big time. I understand why you would close the debit card if this is where the charge was and I can certainly see how you might think it was fraudulent. However, if your debit card number was compromised, your checking account number is not. That's the whole point of a debit card to mask the checking account number so you don't have to close everything down. The number is processed by Visa or MC then the charge sent to your bank who then has the check account number. The checking account number is never seen by the card processor or the merchant. If fraud happens, yes the funds may leave your checking account, but your bank and the card company are responsible for returning it. The card is simply another doorway into your checking account and you are changing the lock since someone had the key (card number). Just because they had that key doesn't mean they had the master key (check account number).

FWIW, I am currently employed at a bank and work with credit/debit card fraud daily.
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Bank suggested and basically said that was for the best. No idea why. Best I can think is that they thought that maybe someone had my account information :)
 
reminds me of the time i ordered a 680 gtx classified for evga. got the card and they never charged me for 2 weeks. i always wondered what would of happened if i wold of closed my account. since i had card in hand.
 
Ouch. In the future, consider using a credit card that allows you to set per-day or one-time limits. My Citi cards support this through virtual numbers.

Also, stop pre-ordering games :)
 
wonderfield said:
Ouch. In the future, consider using a credit card that allows you to set per-day or one-time limits. My Citi cards support this through virtual numbers.

Also, stop pre-ordering games :)
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He he. My card can't be overdrafted. I only stick enough on it to cover what I'm buying to boot. The thing is that the purchase was approved March 1, 2013. It just was never finished until December 25, 2013. So the bank said that since it was approved previously and never paid then it could overdraft my account. Yes, that explanation sounded mighty lame. :)
 
Mike211 said:
Amazon charged my debit card.:confused:
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Call them and ask for the sale price of $7.99 or the lowest price from a few days ago of $4.99. Don't use the live chat for this one. The guy tried to do that today for me, but I didn't have a bank account I could access to pay that price.
 
cageymaru said:
Bank suggested and basically said that was for the best. No idea why. Best I can think is that they thought that maybe someone had my account information :)
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Oh lordy. I wish I could smack the customer service rep that handled your call. Sorry you had to deal with that. Cancelling the checking account also when it should have easily been determined that the source of entry was only the debit card is a big no no due to the sheer amount of hassle for customers. If there was something coming through on the checking account then they would have done the right thing, but what they did to you was a bit overboard.
 
yeah that is retarded. What bank are you using?

I got a call from Bank of America saying that a bunch of numbers had been compromised and so they locked my account and needed to send me a new card which I said yes, they sent me a new card, account remained the same. This is the second time has happened, you dont need to change account number, only CC #. What idiot told you that, it sucks cuz now you have to change so much more stuff and is a much bigger PITA
 
FYI, Amazon just wrote me again about this debacle and gave me a $5 credit for my troubles. The number I used for that preorder was long gone (it was a virtual CC# after all), but they happily charged one of the other Virtual CC# I had on file.
 
cageymaru said:
Call them and ask for the sale price of $7.99 or the lowest price from a few days ago of $4.99. Don't use the live chat for this one. The guy tried to do that today for me, but I didn't have a bank account I could access to pay that price.
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He got the game on release date. He isn't entitled to a new price lol.
 
Yeah should get price match. If not charged earlier, it is their mistake but price has gone down now.
 
Dion said:
He got the game on release date. He isn't entitled to a new price lol.
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Tell that to Amazon then. They were the ones that wanted to do it for me. I didn't even suggest it. Maybe it was because I was so calm on the phone with them. :)
 
cageymaru said:
Tell that to Amazon then. They were the ones that wanted to do it for me. I didn't even suggest it. Maybe it was because I was so calm on the phone with them. :)
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There is also the other side of that, it was something the person has technically have obtained without paying... and should have had it reported. Just because the store didn't know you had it, doesn't really entitle you to it without payment.
 
I got the email.

Went into chat to ask them if I was charged for it (wasn't able to check my balance at the time).

CS said I was not charged and the email was an error (I ordered in Feb, not March).

Get an email this morning stating they had technical problems and just recently charged for the order....
 
pothb said:
There is also the other side of that, it was something the person has technically have obtained without paying... and should have had it reported. Just because the store didn't know you had it, doesn't really entitle you to it without payment.
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So you're actually blaming me for this. It's my fault that they waited to charge me nearly a full year later. Some banks don't even allow you to dispute charges from 3 months ago. Yet Amazon is allowed to overdraft my account for something they botched a year earlier. They have my phone number and address. They could have called, written, emailed an explanation, etc. But you blame me. I respect your right to an opinion, but that doesn't mean that I agree.

Where did I say that I felt as if I shouldn't pay them. They got my accounts locked because my bank thought someone had stolen my information. I can't make my bank mail me a CC any faster than they wish to. I'm not driving 90 miles round trip to my bank to pick up a temporary CC. Amazon offered to only charge me the current price because of the mess up. I didn't tell them to discount it for me. Obviously it might be in their customer rep's powers to try and make things right. That's why I love Amazon. :D

Why do people always try to make someone look like the bad guy? I'm not mad at Amazon and I doubt that they are mad at me. If they do, then they can deduct the rest of my Amazon Prime membership time to pay for the game if they can't wait for my bank to handle it's end. I think that would be fair if they are that cash strapped.

:)
 
Not at all, but if you look at the situation one way, it's better to find other angles to look at it as well.
 
Stiler said:
I got the email.

Went into chat to ask them if I was charged for it (wasn't able to check my balance at the time).

CS said I was not charged and the email was an error (I ordered in Feb, not March).

Get an email this morning stating they had technical problems and just recently charged for the order....
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Yea, see what I mean? One division of Amazon doesn't know what the other division is doing. They do need to fix this issue where you talk to one person and they are clueless to what's going on because they don't work in the proper division. The customer service reps should always know what is going on and be able to see what has been charged to your account. It's bad business practice when the people that you call for help, don't know that you got charged for services.
 
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This was in my email this morning
Hello,

We recently identified a technical issue that caused a significant delay with the payment processing for your order, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. We wanted to let you know that we have now charged your payment method for this order. We really apologize for any inconvenience this delay may have caused.

To help make it up to you, we've issued you a $5.00 promotional certificate, which you can use the next time you order an item shipped and sold by Amazon.com. This balance will automatically apply to your next qualifying order--you won't need to enter a claim code. You'll see your available promotional balance at checkout when placing an order through your Shopping Cart.

For more information about promotional certificates, including the terms and conditions of use, go to:

http://www.amazon.com/promos/

If you have any questions about the payment for your order, you can contact us by phone, chat or e-mail 24/7 at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html

We hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely,
Customer Service
Amazon.com
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As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
pothb said:
There is also the other side of that, it was something the person has technically have obtained without paying... and should have had it reported. Just because the store didn't know you had it, doesn't really entitle you to it without payment.
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I order about 20k worth of items from Amazon every year. Sometime things get overlooked, as I did in this case since TR was ordered around the same time as several other items. Yes, I failed to notice the funds for a small order weren't removed from my account at the time and yes I often noticed Tomb Raider still sitting in my open orders list, but didn't think much of it because I also received a book and music of the game as well and I never redeemed the code for the book.

I assumed something I "pre-ordered" and shown as shipped and paid for (yes it showed as paid) on Amazons site was paid for. Amazon screwed up despite me having evidence of something wrong and they have attempted to make it right. That is what good companies do. So do us all a favor and stop playing the devil's advocate like we're in the wrong here.
 
Clearly, you don't read very well. Never have I said anyone was in the wrong before, but you know what? If you got something you didn't pay for, then in accordance to the law, you're probably in the wrong. If Amazon is good about it, then awesome for them. Doesn't change anything.
 
No he's not in the wrong. They had his payment info and other details, it's on them to bill in a timely manner.

pothb said:
Never have I said anyone was in the wrong before, but you know what? If you got something you didn't pay for, then in accordance to the law, you're probably in the wrong.
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And you are in the wrong, let me say that. For example, if a company sends you something in the mail (that you didn't ask for) it becomes yours and they CANNOT request payment. It is considered a gift and any payment or return is entirely at your discretion, legally.

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/gifts-in-the-mail.html
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchandise

You are the one posting in ignorance here.
 
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pothb said:
Clearly, you don't read very well. Never have I said anyone was in the wrong before, but you know what? If you got something you didn't pay for, then in accordance to the law, you're probably in the wrong. If Amazon is good about it, then awesome for them. Doesn't change anything.
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Dude, stop.
 
It's their accounts receivables department trying to collect before the end of the year. Everything that doesn't get collected gets written off at the end of the year. Normal practice for a lot of businesses this time of year, but they should have sent out e-mails prior to doing so.
 
Ryom said:
No he's not in the wrong. They had his payment info and other details, it's on them to bill in a timely manner.



And you are in the wrong, let me say that. For example, if a company sends you something in the mail (that you didn't ask for) it becomes yours and they CANNOT request payment. It is considered a gift and any payment or return is entirely at your discretion, legally.

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/gifts-in-the-mail.html
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchandise

You are the one posting in ignorance here.
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Do you even read your own links? Hell, you even said it in your post.

That's unordered merchandise. Whereas, this was ordered but charged late. They can show proof that the item was ordered.

Tudz said:
Mmk :p
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Notice the before. And that being after.:cool:

BTW, I specifically put before in there because I knew that would happen.
 
pothb said:
Notice the before. And that being after.:cool:

BTW, I specifically put before in there because I knew that would happen.
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Oh I noticed the "before", I still found it amusing though. "I wasn't saying you're to blame... but I was just strongly implying it and frankly... you're probably to blame" :p lol

I don't think you can place a lot of blame on the consumer for this. It's easy to not notice you haven't been charged for something. I regularly check my online statements, but I check them for things I DIDN'T do, I don't go checking it after each and every purchase that it's gone through.

Amazon really should have notified people before making the charges. Especially at this time of year when peoples' accounts are often much tighter and the chance of being overdrawn at an inconvenient time is higher, though really any time of year they should have notified them. I would have no problem with someone chasing Amazon for overdraft fees or even just trying to get a discount for the inconvenience of it all. My Dad taught me to always chase a discount when you've been inconvenienced, after all you're the one given them the money for some service or product and they are the ones who SHOULD be trying to please their customer.
 
pothb said:
Clearly, you don't read very well. Never have I said anyone was in the wrong before, but you know what? If you got something you didn't pay for, then in accordance to the law, you're probably in the wrong. If Amazon is good about it, then awesome for them. Doesn't change anything.
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Clearly, you don't read very well. I just said stop playing the devil's advocate like we're in the wrong. If you even were a smidgen involved with this you would understand that on the Amazon accounts page it shows as being paid for. It was an easy mistake to have received the purchase, i.e. download, and assume it was paid for.

Amazon has admitted it was a mistake on their part and are attempting to rectify it. I have zero problems with them charging my account; however, it would have been nice to receive an email prior to this explaining what had happened and what they were going to do. This would have cleared up a lot of confusion and allowed those in cagey's situation to make sure funds were available in the account to cover the charge.
 
pothb said:
Do you even read your own links? Hell, you even said it in your post.

That's unordered merchandise.
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Since I outlined that fact in my post, it's clear I did "read my own links".

Let's look at your post again:

If you got something you didn't pay for, then in accordance to the law, you're probably in the wrong.
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You didn't feel the need to expand on that so that's what we are discussing. I posted an example counter to what you said and backed it up. Another relevant point is that Amazon has already admitted fault here by crediting him. They had his billing info, they are responsible for billing in a timely manner. If they make a habit of this, they are going to have some explaining to do to state AG's from angry customer complaints. I think we can all agree it's not reasonable to charge 6+ months later with nary a heads up.
 
So, you chose to comment on my comment on it's own but not in the scope and context of the conversation?

Never said it was reasonable, but they charged what the order was for. Late, sure. But they did what the transaction said that they would.
 
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