# Wrong Charge on Credit Card, BOI unhelpful



## roxy (19 Sep 2006)

God I am terrible at putting titles on my threads! 

Ok, my credit card statement came with a charge on it for UCI Cinemas on it, 19 odd euros. I haven't been to the said cinema in a long time, certaintly not last month anyway. So called up BOI Card Services and they told me that it was done using my card (duh) but they couldn't give me anymore info that that and I would have to contact UCI myself and find out what it was for. The only number I can get for UCI is the automated ticket line, and cannot understand why I have to find out anyway, surely the banks can do the disputing for you? I'm wondering if they are being unhelpful because I'm switching cards, or am I just being paronoid? Where do I go from here with it?


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## momomo (19 Sep 2006)

This happened to my dad, but it was from ebay (which my father doesnt use)
BOI refunded him the money and when it happened again, he cancelled his card and hasnt had any problems since.
My dad didnt have to follow up anything from his side, I would have thought that BOI have to follow up false transactions


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## HotdogsFolks (19 Sep 2006)

There should be a way you can contact the UCI. Write them a letter?

I know in Cineworld you need your CC to collect the tickets. Is UCI similar? Did you lend you card to someone? Could this be an old charge only coming through now?


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## roxy (19 Sep 2006)

HotdogsFolks said:


> There should be a way you can contact the UCI. Write them a letter?
> 
> I know in Cineworld you need your CC to collect the tickets. Is UCI similar? Did you lend you card to someone? Could this be an old charge only coming through now?


 
Thanks for reply.

I'm sure I could go to UCI and speak to someone or write a letter but why should I have to, it wasn't my mistake.

I know you need to have the card for Liffey Valley as this is where I normally go, not sure on UCI. Haven't lent the card to anyone either. I know it's only 19 euro but it's my 19 euro! I really don't think it could be an old charge, but if I could get through to someone and find out what film it was for, I'd have a better idea.


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## CCOVICH (19 Sep 2006)

You can contact UCI Customer Services through their website.

The credit card company won't know what the charge is for-only UCI can tell you this.  If they can't/won't, you can then demand that BoI refund you the money.


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## Humpback (19 Sep 2006)

You shouldn't have to go to UCI. Dispute the payment with Bank of Ireland and let them sort it out.


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## roxy (19 Sep 2006)

ronan_d_john said:


> You shouldn't have to go to UCI. Dispute the payment with Bank of Ireland and let them sort it out.


 
How though, what will I say to them?


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## CCOVICH (19 Sep 2006)

Regardless, I would contact UCI and see what they say.

If there is an 'innocent' explanation, i.e. a billing error, fair enough, get your money back and hopefully that's that.

However, if someone has been using your card details fraudulently, or has cloned your card, then you need to have the card cancelled ASAP.

Lest anyone think I'm defending BoI Card Services, I left them because of their incompetence and actually threatened them with the Financial Regulator.


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## Humpback (19 Sep 2006)

roxy said:


> How though, what will I say to them?


 
They have authorised a transaction on your account that you did not initiate. As the provider of the credit card service, they have provided safeguards to ensure that only you can initiate such transactions - signatures, and chip & pin. Bank of Ireland have failed in their duty.

The relationship that is of concern here is between you and Bank of Ireland. Where the transaction came from is nothing to do with you - it is for them to find out how their process failed and how they didn't hold up their end of the agreement for you to have a credit card.

I would strongly advise that you don't speak to UCI at all. If you start, it will only muddy the water (as happened with the lady who had a cheque cashed fraudulently at a credit union here recently).

Again, the only relationship relevant to you in this issue is between you and BOI. It is up to BOI to see how UCI were able to pass them a bogus credit card transaction - not your problem.


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## Danmo (19 Sep 2006)

My husband and I bought bathroom fittings and my hubbie paid in full with his visa. We went back to the shop half an hour later to add another item worth 500 euro to the order. The salesgirl said a 100euro deposit would do and we could pay the rest COD. However the company debited the 400e owed a week before the delivery with no pin or signature. We only found this out when my husband got a letter from BOI saying he was over his limit and demanding the 400e. He contacted BOI and they didn't give a toss that the transaction was done without his consent. We didn't make a big issue with the bathroom co since we owed them the money anyway but I was really annoyed about it....


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## CCOVICH (19 Sep 2006)

ronan_d_john said:
			
		

> As the provider of the credit card service, they have provided safeguards to ensure that only you can initiate such transactions - signatures, and chip & pin. Bank of Ireland have failed in their duty.


 
What about 'cardholder not present' transactions? For example, last time I looked, you did not need either a signature or a PIN to buy goods/services online.



			
				ronan_d_john said:
			
		

> It is up to BOI to see how UCI were able to pass them a bogus credit card transaction - not your problem.


 

Don't hold your breath that they will-it may not be worth their while to query the €19 with UCI. 

If it was me, I would want to find out myself what happened, if only to ensure that I don't need to cancel the card.


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## Danmo (19 Sep 2006)

CCOVICH said:


> What about 'cardholder not present' transactions? For example, last time I looked, you did not need either a signature or a PIN to buy goods/services online


 
But you need a CCV no......


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## CCOVICH (19 Sep 2006)

Danmo said:


> But you need a CCV no......


 

Not always, and you don't need to be present to enter a CCV number.


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## MugsGame (19 Sep 2006)

The merchant accepts liability for fraudulent CNP (cardholder not present) transactions. Hence the push for Verified by Visa/Mastercard SecureCode.


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## RainyDay (20 Sep 2006)

I think you need to push BOI - Tell the operator that you need the supervisor. Tell the supervisor that you won't be paying this charge, and if they don't support you in the dispute, you'll be closing your account (without paying the UCI fee). I had to push BOI hard to dispute an Amex transaction last year, but once I got through the frontline staff, the dispute team were actually very helpful.


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## Horatio (20 Sep 2006)

don't bother with UCI, contest the charge with your service provider & thats that, keep it simple, why would you bother chasing UCI on behalf of the bank, I don't get it ?


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## CCOVICH (20 Sep 2006)

If UCI made the charge in error, they are liable to refund the money to you.  If there is a dispute, then go to the credit card company.

If it was a fraudulent transaction carried out at UCI using your card, the credit card company will refund the money.

Who is to say it isn't a vaild charge, i.e. the OP could have gone to the cinema 6 months ago and the transaction may not have been billed at the time. It is unusual, but not an unheard of occurence for transactions to take a long time to process.

I honestly don't see the big deal with asking UCI.

If someone took money from my account, I would in the first instance query it with them, not the card company.


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## Crunchie (20 Sep 2006)

Horatio said:


> don't bother with UCI, contest the charge with your service provider & thats that, keep it simple, why would you bother chasing UCI on behalf of the bank, I don't get it ?



I'm inclined to agree with Horatio. I've experienced this problem and the company concerned would not admit or even check if they were wrong.

I then reported it to AIB Visa who sent me a form to complete and they dealt with it from there. I have to say though that unlike the OP's experience with BOI I had no difficulty in getting AIB to deal with it.


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## roxy (20 Sep 2006)

Thanks guys for all your help and suggestions. 




CCOVICH said:


> I honestly don't see the big deal with asking UCI.


 
CCOVICH, Thanks for the advice, I appreciate what you are saying but I did try call UCI in the first place and got the automated thing. I can't find another number anywhere. I'm not going to go all the way over to Blanchardstown about it. I would like to know though what film it was supposed to be for, just in case it was 6 months ago or whatever.


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## CCOVICH (20 Sep 2006)

Fair point indeed _roxy_, they do have a 'contact us' form in their website you could use, but I know how frustrating it is not to be able to talk to someone.


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## roxy (20 Sep 2006)

CCOVICH said:


> Fair point indeed _roxy_, they do have a 'contact us' form in their website you could use, but I know how frustrating it is not to be able to talk to someone.


 
I did try that too but it wouldn't let me submit it. Kept saying 'the page cannot be displayed'. It really is terrible that you can't speak to a real person these days, I hate those automated voices, don't start me on Eircoms' 1901 man!


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## CCOVICH (20 Sep 2006)

At least with 1901 you do get to speak to someone, I have done it twice in the last few days with no problems.

Could you actually call the cinema in question and get contact details from them?


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## roxy (20 Sep 2006)

CCOVICH said:


> At least with 1901 you do get to speak to someone, I have done it twice in the last few days with no problems.
> 
> Really, you used to have to say AGENT really loudly to get someone.
> 
> Could you actually call the cinema in question and get contact details from them?


 
You get me the number for the cinema that isn't the automated voicemail and I'll speak to them no probs!   That's my point, I can't get a number for them!


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## Perplexed (21 Sep 2006)

I've never been to the cinema on a Cr Card booking when they didn't ask for my card when collecting the tickets (or use the automatic dispenser where you have to put your card in the slot) 

I'm inclined to think that in this case it's a matter of it being late going through.

Ok, maybe I'm a bit biased as I do work in banking but you'd be amazed at the number of people who come in claiming they didn't take money out of their a/c .....until you show them a copy of the withdrawal with their signature on it & it suddenly jogs a memory .....which leaves them rather shamefaced. 

In defence of my organisation anyone who's ATM card was skimmed was refunded immediately. Unfortunately we also did have a few trying us on .......amazing how some people can hop on a bandwagon... which in turn means that genuine people were questioned more closely. Do they forget we have CCTV's on ATM's ?

I really would try to check up on which film it was. If someone was trying to misuse your card I think they'd do it for more than €19 !


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## liteweight (21 Sep 2006)

Perplexed said:


> If someone was trying to misuse your card I think they'd do it for more than €19 !



This happened to my daughter last year. She supposedly withdrew 20 euro at an ATM in Dublin. The bank refunded her money.......she had proof that she wasn't in the country at the time. Perhaps some of these skimmers go for small amounts in the hope that one won't notice. In this way they can withdraw small amounts from various accounts over a long time??????? They picked the wrong girl, she's a student and every euro is counted.


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## CCOVICH (21 Sep 2006)

Perplexed said:


> If someone was trying to misuse your card I think they'd do it for more than €19 !


 
Not necessarily-my gf's cc was used for several small (<€5) transactions-the company on the bill was a Spanish owned toll road operator.


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## Perplexed (22 Sep 2006)

Oops. I stand corrected. 
From my experience of skimming the MO has been thus.  Card was skimmed about 2 wks before misuse.
Operation to clean out a/c then began on a Fri evening. Max taken out ie €700. Then Sat €700 & on Sun €700. Possible again on Monday before the skimming is noticed.

Skimmers are clever as all ATM transactions at w/ends don't actually get debited out till Monday so they'll get over €2k normally before it's noticed.

Student a/c may not have had a lot of funds available ??

CCovich ...was your gf's reported stolen when these toll road charges occured ? Happened with an ex of mine. CC was hotcarded as his wallet was stolen.  Phone calls were made all over Europe as public phones were not set up to recognise stolen cards. These thieves seem to know exactly what works .....which is the scary thing


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## CCOVICH (22 Sep 2006)

Perplexed said:


> CCovich ...was your gf's reported stolen when these toll road charges occured ?


 

Pretty much-it was a new card however.

Even though the transactions were suspicious, the bank in question admitted that transactions under a certain value are always processed-this could be why scammers go for low value amounts, as shown by liteweight's post above,


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## liteweight (22 Sep 2006)

Perplexed said:


> Student a/c may not have had a lot of funds available ??



She had about 100 in her account and went to ATM upon arrival in Dublin Airport. It wasn't rocket science to figure out that she'd been skimmed. Even then, she wondered was it a transaction coming through late. Once she arrived at the house and told me what had happened, I assured her that ATM transactions do not take 2 weeks to appear on statement. The card was only ever used to take cash out.


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## roxy (22 Sep 2006)

Well, just to let you know that I've been onto BOI again about this and got someone nicer on the phone who just refunded it there and then. So maybe it just depends who you get in the Call Centre.


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## RainyDay (22 Sep 2006)

Perplexed said:


> Skimmers are clever as all ATM transactions at w/ends don't actually get debited out till Monday so they'll get over €2k normally before it's noticed.


Not necessarily true - I've seen details of ATM transactions available on internet banking almost immediately, at weekends and mid-week.


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## Perplexed (23 Sep 2006)

Yes, you can see them online immediately but check out your statement. They all technically get debited on the Monday, with the dates of usage in the narrative.


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