Posted: 1/23/2010 5:01:59 PM EDT
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Hey y'all,
Not too long ago I wanted to sell a pistol on Gunbroker and had to update my account with my current Visa/Mastercard. I entered in my checkcard info which works everywhere I use it and Gunbroker denied me 3+ times. I rechecked and rechecked the info which was spot on. It turns out they charge me a dollar each time the card info comes up invalid. I exchanged many emails with Gunbrokers CS and was told to keep trying. They also told me that my bank is charging me the dollar for each incorrect attempt and the credit card company is claiming my card is invalid. I contacted my bank and my bank contacted Mastercard. They both said the card is good to go and my info is spot on. My banker also told me that Gunbroker is charging the dollar for each wrong attempt not them. Got in touch with GB again and was told to keep trying and that I would get credits on my GB account for each charge. So here I am, out $3 or more and can't sell my item. Heres the thing that really gets to me, GB is telling me my card is invalid yet i'm being charged by GB for each attempt. Invalid card, but i'm being charged 
I told them I would contact the BBB about this, but haven't got around to it yet. What is your opinion on the matter? Thanks for your time 
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A couple of thoughts from someone who accepts CCs online:
- I suspect that what they're doing is a $1 pre-auth to check that the card is good to go. There are two stages to a transaction: pre-auth and capture. You haven't technically been charged anything until the funds are captured (which I doubt GB are doing) and the pre-auth generally drops off in 3-5 business days if the funds aren't captured. - Is the address information that you're entering a 100% match for the card billing address? If GB are using "Address Verification Service" (AVS) and the house number and zip don't match then, depending on their preferences, GB via their payment gateway may show the card as declined even though it was pre-authed on amount, number, expiry date etc. The most common culprits in my experiences are: 1) cards billed to PO boxes, 2) apartments, and 3) some klutz at the card issuer with fat fingers. Worth cross-checking the billing address with the issuer if this continues to be an issue. ETA: It should be child's play for GB to verify if the card is being declined on either an AVS or CVV2 (the 3 digit code on the signature strip) mismatch since it's clearly being pre-authed ok on amount, number, and expiry date. |
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This happened about 2 weeks ago so the money is definately captured. As I said, all the information was 100% correct. I checked it over, and over again. I use the same card for all my internet purchases and i've never had a problem. I remember the validation page telling me my CVV2 code was wrong, but it's a simple 3-digit code on the back that I made sure was right each time.
I think it's all a scam if you ask me 
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