Online Transactions

Fud

Hi,

Today I attempted to make (or actually made - I'll come back to this in a moment) an online payment using a debit card using a merchant service from a well known provider on a site belonging to a client of said provider.

First attempt: Payment system stated billing address incorrect. Payment not processed.
Second attempt: Payment system stated billing address incorrect. Payment not processed.
Third attempt: Card declined
Fourth attempt: Card declined
Fifth attempt: Card declined

Intrigued, as the funds were available and the information entered was correct I contacted my bank. The bank confirmed that each payment was authorised and was awaiting collection, therefore resulting in 5 transactions being earmarked for payment on the account in question. (We are talking of £1,000's here btw).

I explained to the bank that the providers system had stated the payments were declined as noted above. The bank provided me with the full details of each transaction along with a cancellation auth code for each transaction - which they said I should provide to the payment processing company and that they would then be able to cancel.

The processing company informed me that for the bank in question (Nat West) they were unable to cancel the transactions, even with the cancellation auth codes.

Obviously there was a disaster in progress with the payment processing system (which became evident on the 5th and final attempt when I encountered a particularly poorly handled server error). It was continually stated that payment could not be collected and yet the bank confirmed that payment was acknowledged and earmarked.

The company that I was attempting to pay contacted their payment provider and rang me back stating that they had been informed that 'there was some development work ongoing'. Gobsmacked by that particular reply I tracked down the actual payment provider (they are owned by WorldPay).

When I stated that their system was apparently declining payment and yet was actually processing payment (the bank confirming that the transaction should have not been declined and that the funds had been earmarked 5 time) they were completely uninterested.

Obviously my 'beef' is with the payment transaction provider. Other than on technical grounds, do I have any particular 'chapter and verse' I can throw their way?

Many thanks!

Fud

Perhaps more immediate than the above mess is the issue of debit card pre-authorisations.

The bank informs me that the payment processor should be the party responsible for cancelling the erroneous and multiple pre-authorisations and provided me with the necessary cancellation references. The payment processor states the polar opposite.

Surely they can't both be right? Is either party definitively responsible for cancellation here?

It wouldn't be so bad, but it's not a small sum involved.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

brendon

Why are you talking to the payment provider? I doubt they will do anything -- you are not their customer. Your complaint should be with the bank and the retailer. The retailer is normally able to cancel authorisations from their payment provider account -- they will only take instructions from their client (retailer), not from you. You should try pressing the retailer to cancel the authorisation.

Fud

Hi Brendon,

Thanks for the reply.

The reason that I am talking to the payment provider is that the company I was attempting to pay are unable to cancel the pre-auths and have been remarkably helpful in trying to assist. They have spoken to the provider in question, and the provider has stated that they cannot remove the pre-auths.

It would seem that a live system operated by the payment provider was undergoing 'some development work' at the time. It was their system that stated payment was refused - whilst my bank states that payment was not refused - hence the pre-auths being placed.

According to my bank, pre-auths cannot be placed on funds unless payment is accepted (i.e. the funds are available in this case). The payment provider acknowledges that there were 'issues' with their system yesterday, but refuse to assist.

Regards.

dalesrider

Fud wrote: »

The reason that I am talking to the payment provider is that the company I was attempting to pay are unable to cancel the pre-auths and have been remarkably helpful in trying to assist. They have spoken to the provider in question, and the provider has stated that they cannot remove the pre-auths.

Only retailer can instruct their merchant provider to remove the auths.
If that provider says they cannot. Then the yare out and out lieing.

I think you need to get you helpful retailer to put more pressure on their merchant provider to get rid of the auths.

Or they could sit there for 14 days or worse still ALL debit.