'Ghost' Transaction on Credit Card

AnnieMags

Hello everyone, i would be interested to hear if anyone has any experience with the following situation.

I have just checked my MBNA Visa card on-line, and there is a substantial entry in 'pending transactions' (£309.99). I have not bought anything on the card recently and certainly not for that amount. On speaking to MBNA customer service, they told me that it was a charge originated from Whirlpool. I bought a dishwasher from Whirlpool online in December, paid £310 for it with this credit card, and paid the December statement in full on 16/01/14.

I told MBNA I had not bought anything further from Whirlpool and to please dispute this charge, which they said they could not yet do - that can only be done once the transaction has gone through. (That makes no sense to me).

Moreover, they said that it had been 'pending' for 4 days now and that most genuine transactions went through within a day or two and that after five days in 'pending' they just 'disappear'. (Makes even less sense!) They suggested waiting until Monday to see if this happened, or to speak to Whirlpool "if I was worried in the meantime". What???? I should say I'm worried! Whirlpool customer services are of course closed until tomorrow morning. I am (irrationally?) worried now that there has been some sort of fraudulent activity and that I will struggle to sort it. MBNA were not helpful at all - quite brusque and impatient.

Has anything similar happened to anyone? I also thought that when you buy something on-line your card details are not actually kept on their files - how have they been able to use them again, if that is what has happened? Any reassuring input would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

forgotmyname

If it were a company you had not dealt with then yes i would also be worried. But as you had a transaction recently i would put it down to an error in the system somewhere.

Either billing you twice or a charge for some warranty you didnt purchase.

Nothing to worry about, But not to be ignored. A quick call should have it sorted in no time.

grumbler

AnnieMags wrote: »

... I also thought that when you buy something on-line your card details are not actually kept on their files

You were mistaken. Many companies do this, e.g. Amazon.

Any reassuring input would be much appreciated!

Calm down.

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amandajc

I've had several entries listed in "pending transactions" on my MBNA card over the years which have puzzled me at the time but which have never actually been debited. I shouldn't worry unless it appears in the transactions proper. Hope all turns out OK.