Do you control your account after pay in foreign countries?
I experienced couple times double or higher charge on my account after paying by card. The problem always happened in foreign countries. The most recently case was after payment at car rentals Hertz in Italy. After return home, I checked on internet that there was amount 130 Euros instead of right 60 Euros on my Czech Crown account eKonto at Raifeisenbank in Prague (former eBanka).
I call to bank and the banker promises he would check the problem. The other day he calls me the amount is out and the payment is already in order. E.g. in amount of 60 Euros only. Two days later I learned that the same payment is charged again. Second time, 2 days later, the car rental charged for another 60 Euros. I call to my banker again and he begun to prepar complaint procedure. After another 2 days banker call me back that the money balance is OK, because the the Hertz company returned the second amount the same day back but to my account in Euros which I had never used before. So no claim had not gone out in the end.
Doubled payment on the account in EBanka (RB), Prague
I remember similar situations before twice more. On last summer we took gasoline in a hypermarket Carrefoure in Lyon, France and then instead of amount some 40 Euros they charged me about 150 euros. With the receipt of the 40 euros payment at the Carrefoure tank self service I went to bank to claim the wrongly charged amount. After some days banker called me back that the amount is in the end charged correct. That the France partner corrected it itself, earlier than the compleint procedure in Prague begun.
And the third case, last year I was on business trip to UK on Google Zeitgeist conference and we overnighted in luxury hotel next to London. The accommodation was payed by the host. The desk girl asked me for paying card at checking in. Perhaps for some potential spendings from minibar :)? After two days I check out in order and was assured I did not owe them anything. And home I learned that the hotel charged me over 10.000 CZK amount in GBP. After calling to hotel they promised me they would the operation cancel and it had realy happened in the other day.
The question is, what would have happen, if I would had not urged the desribed cases. What is your experience with card payments?
By: Standa - Posted:
Monday December 29th, 2008 at 11:34 PM Category: Travel.
Tags: Travel, France, Internet, Italy
Comments: 181
Comment from Miki
Time Thursday January 1st, 2009 at 05:23 PM
Good notice. I have same bank account eKonto at Raifeisenbank and I have never had problems with payments in foreign countries, but I gonna to check it more after my returns from abroad.