asda overcharged on visa refuse to refund

sassysessy1

I made a purchase at an asda automated petrol pump yesterday. I have a Spanish banking account as i used to live there and my parents had paid money in to help out with their granddaughters Christmas. As I had to take her on a 100 mile round trip to the hospital for treatment i filled up with the card. I put in the card and filled up with £40 worth of fuel and got a receipt. When i tried to use the card later in the day it was declined for lack of funds. When i got a print of the transactions it shows a transaction from asda at same time with the exact same authorization code for €100. I have been into store today with all the paperwork and both they and head office refuse to refund the difference as receipt say £40 and their merchant Company say they only requested €47.49. They blame the Spanish bank and just say these foreign banks are funny they could be bank charges.(i know they are not). I have spoken to my spa ks bank who insist they cannot alter the amount. The request is made and if ffunds are there will be released. Am i wrote into thinking that surely i should be refunded and this be sorted internally. I am a single mother who is now short of money at Christmas. Any ideas how i can take this further?

Hominu

Is it an actual transaction or a pending transaction?

If the later, then you need to wait for it to be processed before disputing it.

The pump may have simply reserved E100, but only charged E47, in which case the E53 will return in time.

sassysessy1

The whole €100 has been taken and my account is empty

stclair

It's very common for a retailer to pre authorise more than the actual transaction it's self.

I'm assuming the funds have not phyiscally left the account and is just a pre authorisation at this stage.

Buzby

You don't say if this is a credit or debit card account, but if by 'empty ' you mean there is no funds, I assume the latter. Pay at Pump with debit cards automatically authorises £100 as a shadow charge to cover the fuel that could be taken. When the pump closes the transaction it reports the actual amount, BUT some banks delay releasing the shadowed amount - sometimes by up to 3 days.

The fact this is a foreign bank may also add an additional delay. Why do you thing there will be no charges for spending Sterling on a € denominated card? Only a very few will not add 2.5% to the transaction.

The shadow amount will lapse, and the remaining funds will become available. ASDA do have a warning on their pumps that some debit card may be rejected because of this.

sassysessy1

Thanks buzby. I regularly use the card over here and understand the charges applied they are least say for a debit card transaction than a cash withdrawal but i have never been charged €50 for a transaction so know the discrepancy isn't charges. My concern is that the merchant company for asda are not aware of any mount being reserves against the card only the one request for €46. Surely if this were standard practice they would be aware and advised me as you have that the difference would appear in a few days. I would just like some advice as tp where to go next if this isn't resolved and my mobe is still missing.

Gromitt

The merchant company might not be able to 'see' the reservation of funds, only the amount taken.

Considering they have said only E46 was taken, then I'd say the rest will appear back in your account in a few days.

You can't do any more until that happens.

Once it's a proper transaction, you can argue it.

jonesMUFCforever

................next time go and pay inside - then only the petrol bought would have been charged.

sassysessy1

Thanks evanyone for the input will be speaking again to the Spanish bank and waiting a couple of days I can ill afford tp wait but seems i have no choice. Unfortunately i needed fuel and this is an unmanned automated filling station with no option to pay inside. Certainly won't be using it or asda again.

Atidi

sassysessy1 wrote: »

I made a purchase at an asda automated petrol pump yesterday. I have a Spanish banking account as i used to live there and my parents had paid money in to help out with their granddaughters Christmas. As I had to take her on a 100 mile round trip to the hospital for treatment i filled up with the card. I put in the card and filled up with £40 worth of fuel and got a receipt. When i tried to use the card later in the day it was declined for lack of funds. When i got a print of the transactions it shows a transaction from asda at same time with the exact same authorization code for €100. I have been into store today with all the paperwork and both they and head office refuse to refund the difference as receipt say £40 and their merchant Company say they only requested €47.49. They blame the Spanish bank and just say these foreign banks are funny they could be bank charges.(i know they are not). I have spoken to my spa ks bank who insist they cannot alter the amount. The request is made and if ffunds are there will be released. Am i wrote into thinking that surely i should be refunded and this be sorted internally. I am a single mother who is now short of money at Christmas. Any ideas how i can take this further?

Did you read the warning on the Asda pumps that with some debit cards a reserve may be made against the card which will fall off eventually (but will affect your available balance in the meantime)

Maybe time to get yourself a UK bank account if you are now living in the UK. (but it will still affect debit card transactions even on a UK bank account)

Atidi

sassysessy1 wrote: »

The whole €100 has been taken and my account is empty

You only made the transaction yesterday in the UK and you've already received your Spanish bank account statement with that transaction on it?

Cor that was quick! :cool:

I'm not sure what the rules are in Spain, but here in the UK we should immediately report unidentified or unauthorised transactions we see on our account to the bank/card company. Probably the same in Spain, but you would probably know better about that.

Nothing to do with Asda, especially as they deny taking the funds in the first place.