A Penny?

[meme]

A customer booked and prepaid for his car rental on Priceline. Since he didn't take any extras, the charge from us should have been $0. Some glitch in the computer ended up charging him a penny.

This supposedly put him over his credit card limit. Yes, 1 cent put him over his limit.

The agent he initially spoke to took it off (another glitch made the credit $2).

This time, he was calling back wanting us to pay for his overdraft fee of $35.

$35 for $0.01? Not from me you're not. I'm not a money genius, but if you're riding your credit card so hard that a penny puts you over the limit, you shouldn't be renting a car. I gave him the "sorry, we can't be responsible for your overdraft fees" lecture, but due to disbelief and premonition, and in my effort not to burst into hysterical laughter, my heart wasn't in it.

As I suspected, he pitched a fit and wanted a supervisor so I transferred him.

He got a $25.00 coupon.

[CrazedClerk]

He got a $25.00 coupon.

Actually that's not too bad, he's still stuck with the overdraft fee anyway.

[justZu]

Now I have heard everything. Don't blame the massive unrestrained spending that brought him right up to the edge of his limit...no, it must be your evil company and their one penny charge. Typical SC mindset. If he had this he wouldn't have gotten in trouble.

[kibbles]

I can understand and totally agree that he should have gotten the coupon. Yes, he should be more careful with his credit card limit but it was a computer glitch that caused all this in the first place right? JMO of course

[WHShit]

This is the first time, and probably the last, that I will EVER agree with a customer....but, it doesn't matter how low the amount was, fact is, it wasn't his fault that he went over his limit. It was a glitch that cost him alot more that a penny, and I think that he should have had the $35.00 paid by the company.

Yes, he seems very irresponsible to have let his card come so close to the limit, but that is his business.

Sorry, I know I am going to get hell for this, but there you go. If you know me then you know I am the Number One Customer Hater of All Time....haha

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

$35 for $0.01? Not from me you're not.

Yes. From you.

That is the risk he took when he got so close to his credit card limit, but it was your computer glitch that put him over the limit, and as such he should get some kind of compensation.

I hate SCs just as much as the next guy, but when it's the business that screws up, they should try to set things right. It's not good to say "Yeah, we screwed up. Life's tough. Deal with it."

[BookstoreEscapee]

I can't help but think that he should have taken it up with his credit card company, first. I'm sure he could have had some kind of verification from your company that that penny wasn't supposed to be charged in the first place and therefore they credt card should have been able to reverse the overage charge. But I do tend to agree, if the credit card company insisted on the charge, the company that made the mistake and triggered it should compensate him.

[Andara Bledin]

Just an FYI, but if you (as the agency that overcharged) and the bank talk, the overdraft fees will be removed by the bank itself and nobody is out any money. I've been in this position before, myself.

As a sign of good faith, you would also send the customer a coupon (which would be claimed as promotional expenses), and not only would it not cost you much, but you would also have one very happy customer who would talk you up to his coleagues.

^-.-^

[Tria]

You are actually assuming the customer isn't lying....

[kibbles]

Why would we assume the customer was lying when the OP mentioned that a computer glitch caused the error?

[powerboy]

It was your company's fault for the glitch. So your company should should pay the bank does not take off the fee. I would be doing the samething if I was him.

[Sliceanddice]

I think he was right too. I mean it was your glitch that caused him to get that fee... i think you should have payed the fee.

[Tria]

Why would we assume the customer was lying when the OP mentioned that a computer glitch caused the error?

Maybe, but how do we know he really had late fees or didn't use the credit card after and is just looking for an easy scapegoat....

[kibbles]

Maybe, but how do we know he really had late fees or didn't use the credit card after and is just looking for an easy scapegoat....

JMO but it does sound like the OP knew for certain that it was a mistake on their end since they stated the exact amount that put him over his credit limit. As well as the fact that it hapened twice, the second time it was $2.00 over.

Sometimes honest computer mistakes are make and not every customer is just trying to scam a company. IMO, this honestly sounds like a case of a computer glitch.

JMO of course

[Andara Bledin]

It was your company's fault for the glitch. So your company should should pay the bank does not take off the fee. I would be doing the samething if I was him.

No, actually, bank fees are to punish customers who cannot stay within their budgets.

If a company overcharges and causes the customer to overdraft, the bank will remove the fees if the company that overcharged contacts them about what happened. Overdraft fees are only for when a customer overdrafts their account. When a company causes it by their error, the overdraft fees are not appropriate.

Still, the company that did the overcharge should be responsible for making the customer "whole."

^-.-^