Prepaid Visas

I bought prepaid Visas for my two older kids for Christmas.

I'm so ticked off!

I bought them around the 17th of December, and paid the activation fee when I purchased them at Walgreens ($9.95).
I tried to activate the cards via telephone, just after I purchased them so that would be 'out of the way', but was told if the recipients were over 18, that *they* had to activate them, personally.

So, I give them to the kids on December 24th.

They do the activation thing online, and choose the option of having an actual 'card' mailed to them (that way, they can use the card at a store, rather than just online)
To receive this 'mailed' card took almost 2 weeks.

So my son attempts to make a purchase around the 2nd week of January (about a week after he got his card) and the stinkin' thing was declined!
Why? Because Greendot corporation deducted a monthly fee of $4.95 from the card for the month of January!

In my humble opinion...they could have at least waited until the END of the month of January to deduct that fee....as if they had, the card would have been 'spent'.

This really ticks me off!
What do you think?

That is not the only "gift card" doing that. If you get one, use it immediately. WalMart seems pretty good about theirs, and any cashier can check the balance for you.

I can understand why you are upset with the fee that was deducted. That would be the last business I would do with them and I would write a letter and let them know it. People will run all over you, if you let them. Hope that he ended up with something good. LIZ

nan, i'm in the dark here. i don't understand why it was declined. even if they deducted a fee, why would the user be unable to use it whenever he/she wanted?

Thats why you need to read the small print on the card.

Congress needs to pass a law making companies like that print the restrictions in print large enough to read.

I heard on the news that over 60 billiion in gift cards were purchased last Christmas they estimate that only 60% will be used for their full amounts.
Thats alot of money left going to the large corps for nothing.

Paul

I don't know about that card versus a "gift card" but there are laws prohibiting some gift card fees in some states. See:

http://www.consumersunion.org/pdf/gift-factsheet.pdf

On gift cards, be careful where you get them. There's a scam where people write down the numbers on the back of cards that are openly displayed in stores. Then they keep checking to see if the cards are activated. Once a card is activated it is common for these crooks to be able to use the number online to purchase merchandise, draining the value of the card. Some may not need any acitvation other than purchase. Ideally, a gift card should only be available from the store cashiers or sales people and should have something like a PIN number under a scratch-off strip. And only call and activate a card just before using it.

Liz...that *is*, indeed, the last business I'll do with them.

Considering it takes approximately 2 weeks to get your actual 'card' in the mail...I feel they had no right to deduct that fee (at least not that soon!)...though I'm sure they've 'covered' themselves.

I did go to their website, and of course, you can't email them, you have to call or write. So I am in the process of writing my complaint.

Deb...sorry I didn't make that clear.
He was making a purchase that was $50.00 (which was also the amount of his card).
The card was 'declined' because it no longer was 'worth' $50.00, but $45.05 instead.

With the prepaid Visa, you *have to* activate it before they'll send you an actual card that can be used at stores, yet it takes about 2 weeks to receive it, so that 2 week delay shouldn't count in my opinion.

Interesting about that 'scam', Linda...I guess most of those openly displayed cards should have 'scratch off' numbers!

Thanks for letting me vent! I am going to at least write and express my opinion...even though it likely won't do any good!!

ah, ok, gotcha. yes, that does stink! it stunk before you explained it and it still stinks! what a rip-off.