At this point, screw your money! Just shut up and hang up! (probably epically long)

[phantasy]

These problems are all from my call center pharmacy job. I get at least 5 calls like this per day. A little background: when a customer pays with a credit card, the information must match what their card company/bank have.
A credit card will only be denied if there are insufficient funds, wrong zip code, wrong billing address or wrong CCV number from the back of the card. When the card is denied, the customer must call their bank.

Only problem is that sometimes, when a card is denied, the customer may see a "charge" on their account, but it's only pending. The charge will drop off at midnight of the day card was declined. I understand if you get freaked out when theres a charge on your account and we say theirs no order, but please trust me when I say your money will be back into your account! Don't attack me with your stupidity!

Me:
SC:stupid ass people that call me


Me: Good morning *opening crap*

SC: Yeah, you guys charged my account, but I have no order number.

Me: (thinking-great, I already know whats coming) OK, let me pull up your account. *Takes phone number attached to account**Sees no recent order*
Sir, you have no pending order with us. It sounds like your payment method was denied--

SC: Um...NO! I have more than <insert ridiculously huge amount of money here> in my account. Also, theres a charge from you guys, so give me my order number.

Me: I understand, sir. However, it was probably <insert reasons for denial, leaving out the insuffient funds part>. You need to call your bank and see what information is wrong, or what happened. Also, our system will reject your money at midnight, and that money goes back to your bank. It takes the bank a few days usually to put the funds back to your account.
(I know this sounds confusing, bear with me)

SC: I am NOT calling my bank! YOU charged MY account, and if you won't process my order, then I want that money back NOW!

Me:*repeats everything I just said*

Customer hangs up and calls bank. At this point, they call me back.

SC: They said that they need a fax from you to release the funds.

Me: We don't send faxes until the funds have been captured for at least 3 days. You will have to let the process take it's course. Until then, you can either use a different card, or wait.

SC: But I need this money NOW! That's all the money I had! (After they just told me that they had a ridiculously huge amount in there) I expect my package to be delivered tomorrow, then. Humph! *haughtily hungs up phone*

At this point theres nothing I can do. Just rinse, lather and repeat.

Also, this pharmacy does not sell time sensitive things, such as insulin or anything. We sell medications to help with headaches, pain and muscle relaxants. As such, we get some people who abuse these medications, and will do anything to get discounts, free shipments and stuff. But thats for another thread. Those stories are slightly more fun.

[Andara Bledin]

It always baffles me when A) pending charges don't automatically clear that night when the charge isn't made and B) people don't understand how he hell credit card charges work when made through a third party.

Although, in the case of A, they're getting a lot faster at clearing those. There was a time when a pending charge could linger on your account for up to a month. >.< Until the billing cycle reset.

^-.-^

[phantasy]

Ours clear from the company the same night that the charge is made. But, the funds don't go straight back to the account, as we don't have access for that. Instead, it goes back to the bank that the account is from, and the bank puts the money back into it's customers account accordingly. Sometimes, if the customer has bad credit, they'll make it harder for the customer to get the money back. Also, the bank makes money on those funds in limbo. I don't know how, some kind of interest thing, so they like to keep it out of the customers account for as long as possible, which is out of our hands. Customer doesn't understand this, and of course the bank just says "oh, well they have the money. talk to them."

[eltf177]

SC: Um...NO! I have more than <insert ridiculously huge amount of money here> in my account. Also, theres a charge from you guys, so give me my order number.

SC: But I need this money NOW! That's all the money I had! (After they just told me that they had a ridiculously huge amount in there) I expect my package to be delivered tomorrow, then. Humph! *haughtily hungs up phone*

So, just _how_ much was this 'ridiculously huge amount of money' and where did it go between phone calls?

Buddy, if you're going to lie at least stick with the same one!

[phantasy]

Usually they say around $10,000 or so, I don't remember exactly what his amount was. But I had one customer tell me that he was a millionaire. I almost laughed into the microphone, because he was pestering me for discounts and freebies for this inconvenience.

It sounds ridiculously huge to me at the moment becuase we're talking about a charge for usually no more than $200.

[Andara Bledin]

Usually they say around $10,000 or so, I don't remember exactly what his amount was. But I had one customer tell me that he was a millionaire. I almost laughed into the microphone, because he was pestering me for discounts and freebies for this inconvenience.

Don't laugh. Being incredibly cheap and miserly is how some people get to be millionaires.

I had a friend in high school whose father made plenty of money, but would turn into a raging ass in restaurants so he could get thrown out and not have to pay for the food.

^-.-^

[sirwired]

I took muscle relaxants a couple of times, and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why anybody would want to abuse them. Speaking for myself, they made me feel limp and useless. I can't say they were unpleasant, and they did work, but I'm just not understanding why you would want to take them for the hell of it.

I'm just about as likely to pick up a Pepto Bismol addiction as I am those relaxants.

SirWired

[Andara Bledin]

My mother tried something (not legal) once when she was younger, and spent the next several hours on the couch doing absolutely nothing. She, too, could not figure out why anybody would want to do that.

However, if the person in question is dealing with chronic pain, I can absolutely see why they would prefer the inability to feel or do anything to hurting.

^-.-^

[Magpie]

However, if the person in question is dealing with chronic pain, I can absolutely see why they would prefer the inability to feel or do anything to hurting.

My mother and sister have both had to have narcotics prescribed at different points. While my mom kept it up, my sister decided that it wasn't worth it. Her pain was intermittent, and one day she was feeling well enough to not take anything and had withdrawal symptoms. At that point she decided that she wasn't going to take any more of the pills. Both of them, however, hated the medication and how it made them feel, even though it was for some pretty bad pain.

[draco664]

But I had one customer tell me that he was a millionaire. I almost laughed into the microphone, because he was pestering me for discounts and freebies for this inconvenience.

Meh, when I worked as a CSR at a big bank's phone banking division, it was the wealthy people who were most insistent in getting things for free. (That's not to say they got them, any more than anyone else. This bank was quite firm about not refunding fees when not at fault.)

There's a saying, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Generally, it's because the rich keep doing things that made them rich. Ditto the poor.

[sirwired]

My mother tried something (not legal) once when she was younger, and spent the next several hours on the couch doing absolutely nothing. She, too, could not figure out why anybody would want to do that.

However, if the person in question is dealing with chronic pain, I can absolutely see why they would prefer the inability to feel or do anything to hurting.

^-.-^

Hey, I understand that muscle relaxants can be very useful. When I took them, they outright fixed a back problem that had been bothering me for days in a matter of hours! It was certainly worth the side effects.

What I don't understand is why somebody would want to take them when not needed... why do they have any black market value at all?

SirWired

[phantasy]

The ones we sell are all generics, but they are strong. People try to buy them more often then they're supposed to, then get mad when the order was placed on hold for a few days. They also try to use fake information and get mad when they are blacklisted.

There is a blackmarket value to them, but I can't imagine it being so profitable, seeing as they're generic.

Still, people will make up stories "FedEx just left of on my door, and my neighbor stole it" (LIE becuase our shipments are marked "Adult Signature required") or will actually do stuff like call and say "My package is totally crushed. All of the pills are powder!"
These pills are not going to be powdered unless you attack them with a spoon. I tell them that I need pictures and they get huffy, and then send me pictures of a slightly cracked bottle and about 5 pills spoon crushed on a paper plate and spread around to look like at 180 pills.

[Andara Bledin]

Still, people will make up stories "FedEx just left of on my door, and my neighbor stole it" (LIE becuase our shipments are marked "Adult Signature required")

*looks up tracking on FedEx site*
I'm sorry, SC, but it appears that the package was signed for by a Mr/Mrs/Ms SC at your address. Have you spoken to Mr/Mrs/Ms SC regarding where they put it?

Bonus points when the name is the same as the person complaining.

or will actually do stuff like call and say "My package is totally crushed. All of the pills are powder!"

Ok, let me just submit a damaged package claim with [shipper] and since the package was damaged on delivery, they can confirm the package condition on delivery and pick up the package for insurance re-imbursement.

Yeah, both situations are so very, very easy to shut down in only moments.

Idiots.

^-.-^