You see the ads on TV for Greendot Visa helping people with bad credit, but read this guy’s harrowing account of what happened when he tried to get $10.00 worth of gasoline with his Green Dot card. Here is his letter in its entirety. This is just one letter of many from an army of angry customers. When you pop up on RipOff Reports as often as this thing does, there’s a problem. Cards like GreenDot feed on the poor and if you have poor credit, you should go with a name brand pre-paid credit card and try to rebuild your credit without having to face the kind of idignities you will read about below.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
I purchased a “GreenDot” Visa Premier card some four months ago and had deposited funds periodically through out. Two months ago I pulled into a “Hess” gas station to put just $10.00 of fuel in Our car and was going to “pay at the pump” with the “Greendot Visa”, however, there was a sign on the pump that stated that the card reader was un-available and to please come inside.
I went inside and asked the clerk to please put $10.00 in fuel at pump #2 on “Debit”…the clerk ran the “Greendot Visa” and stated that it did not go through. I asked if they would please check it again, as I knew that We had at least $35.00 on the card. The Manager came over and checked the transaction and realized that the clerk actually punched “Credit” rather than “Debit”…which I did not know, automatically captures $75.00 until the transaction clears…which can take two to three weeks.
Now there I sit with still no gas and a “Credit” hold for $75.00 on my “Greendot Visa” for two to three weeks, I called “Greendot Visa” and they explained that they could NOT and would NOT release the hold until the transaction cleared…I tried to explian that NO transaction had occurred…yet that point to them was “Mute”.
I returned to the “Hess” gas station and spoke with the manager that I had spoken with the day of the incident and explained the situation in full. I told the manager that “Greendot Visa” had put a hold on my account in the amount of $75.00 and would be accessing a service charge to my account for $20.00, due to insufficient funds for a transaction that never actually occured.
The manager was very apologenic and stated that because it was his employee that had initially caused this situation, asked if he could “Credit” my “Greendot Visa” for the amount that was to be held, as well as the service charge fee, so as not to lose us as customers and in good faith. I explained that I did not want anything more than what was mine and the manager again stated that due to his employee’s error and the time that I would not be able to access any of my monies on the card, as well as the service fee, that he felt that it was “Good Business” in doing this. (Kudos to the “Hess” gas station!)
The manager asked for my “Greendot Visa” so that he could apply a credit to my card in the amount of $95.00. I gave the manager my “Greendot Visa” and he swiped the card and gave me a receipt which stated that a credit in the amount of $95.00 had been added to the card. I thanked the manager and he again apologized for any inconvenience that I may have incurred.
So, now I leave the store in thought that all is cleared up and that the “Hold” will be lifted and the “Insufficient Funds” fee would be taken care of as well…WRONG! Now it gets worse.
“Greendot Visa” did not release the “Hold”…in fact they had “Flagged” my account for “Fraud” and suspended my card. I called the “Greendot Visa” account line and asked what was going on? and explained what had transpired since the last time that I had called. They stated that I needed to Fax them the receipt from the store, as they believed that I had “Fraudulantly” placed funds on my card!(What!) Anyway, I did fax them the receipt and they stated that they could not read the receipt…so I faxed them again.( I do not have a fax machine at home, in fact I had to go to a store and pay for the store to fax it, not once…yet, twice)
“Greendot Visa” still stated that they could not read the receipt, so I asked if they could just call the “hess” gas station and gave them the managers name that they could speak with to clear this up? They stated that they would not do that and that it was my responsibility!
I again returned to the store and spoke to the manager that I had initially and explained the situation to him in full. He stated that he would call because he was a “Greendot” vendor and that he could clear this up. He called the number that he retrieved from the office for his “Greendot” account and called them. However after several times explaining the situation to enumerous transfers, the manager looked at me and verbatim said “I am so sorry, I see now what you have been going through!”
Finally the manager had spoke with a Supervisor with “Greendot Visa” and they had stated to the manager that all he needed to do was to run my “Greendot Visa” card again and reverse the “Credit” and pay me out in cash…UH, what part of “We have tried that”, but “Greendot Visa” has suspended the card and account, so that now nothing can be done to or with the card and account?
“Greendot Visa”s” response was “That is all that we can tell you”. The manager hung up with “Greendot Visa” and stated that he was cancelling the vendor account with them as he felt that it was truly a SCAM! As now “Greendot Visa” not only had my initial $35.00 that was in my account, yet now they also have an additional $95.00 that he personally had put on the card, totaling $130.00. He said that he could only imagine how many people that “Greendot Visa” was doing this to and using their legal loopholes to sustain their business.
I could not believe this! I called “Greendot Visa’ to ask what I needed to do now? They stated that I needed to “mail” them the receipt because they could not read the receiptand that in two weeks the error would be taken care of..I did so. I waited for two weeks in hopes that the situation was taken care of and just yesterday I treid to use my card at the grocery store for formula for my son and STILL nothing. I called “Greendot Visa” and spoke with a Customer Service Supervisor nammed “Candy” and explained the situation once again. Her response was that I needed to Fax the receipt, I explained that I mailed it as asked…then she started to act rude and all but called me a liar by saying that I did not mail the receipt and that no-one there had received it.
I guess that she was pushing my buttons to enact a response in an attempt to confuse the situation. Well, folks…I had it…I cussed her out and told her that I would be seeking an Attorney and her response to me was very subtle…in fact almost like it had been rehearsed “Go ahead, you don’t have an address for Us other than a P.O box and that litigation can not be served on P.O boxes…You also have to have a name, because a Corporation is an entity in itself, I told you that my name was “Candy” or was it “Mandy” or was it “Sandy”…come on do you really think that we give out our names…but go ahead call an Attorney” and with that she hung up. I have tried several times to call back and get the address and in order for you to be put through to a human, you must enter your account number and every time that I do get through, the only thing that is stated over and over repeated to me is ” I can not discuss this issue with you, the account states that an Attorney is involved” and then they hang up on me!
If ANYONE out there,is even thinking about purchasing a “Greendot Visa” account…all I have to say is “Don’t”, unless that is, that you have any amount of money to throw away…I myself do not have that luxury.
Thank-you All for taking time to read this and I hope that I may have helped anyone that might have been contemplating the purchase of a “Greendot Visa or Mastercard”.
God Bless.
Mr. FSP
Frank
Clearwater, Florida
Le sigh…
The same thing would have happened if they had that amount on any credit or debit card. When you pay at the pump for fuel, the gas station will preauthorize a charge for a large amount, generally 50 or 75 dollars, to make sure that you have enough to pay for whatever gas you might get. After you fill up, they will report the final amount and the merchant bank should alter the pre-auth in a timely fashion.
If you do not have a sufficient balance/ line of credit to pay for that amount, it will decline the transaction. If will do this regardless of if it is a prepaid debit card or an AmEx black card (though it’s very unlikely you would be within $75,000 of the limit on the later, much less $75).
The piece was prompted by the unsavory business practices of GreenDot — Sorry but I think they are shady. The very nature of why they are in business and why certain people NEED them is ample testament to write them off as exploiters of the poor.
I bought a Green dot card and put $350.00 on. Went home to register the card and the card says invalid number. Now Green dot act like they know nothing and I do not feel I will get my money back.
Apparently Joss is nothing more than a schill for GreenDot.
He either works there, or is working forany one of the PR companies available to “clean up” messes for companies like GreenDot.
Paid liars is what they are, and Joss along with them. He may not be paid, but is a liar. He must have been raised that way, because lying is a learned behavior. It actually speaks to the moraility of his parents, or lack thereof to be precise.
I confront liars like this all the time, every opportunity I get.
stay away far away with dealing with greendot ripoff. I had a account with them with direct deposit. I checked my balance one day and found out it was 2500.00 short. I immediately called greendot, and the girl said she would block the account. well guess, two days later my account is still open. some hack’s remove an additional 7500.00 thanks to mrs lax at green dot. they finally block it and refund what was left of mine. now they will not return my money because I have to fill out three dispute files.in other words even though they know who stole my number and money they will not return one dime until they have their team look into the situation. in other words the 2500.00 taken during the period the card was supposed to be blocked will also not be returned even though there employee had failed to do her duty and block my card. now I fight with them everyday wanting my money that was taken, and the amount their lackey employee. now two week’s later they still haven’t come to a decision if they will return my hard earned money. is someone or a good attorney reading this that could clear this insane ripoff of my large amount of funds. I have had bill’s bounce, my credit numbers lowered and im frustrated and pissed beyond. god forbid they bs. me out of 6500.00.if anyone from greendot is reading this I suggest you return my hard earned money, because I will sue for multiple issues. believe me…..I want my money….S.B.