Complaint Review: 1st National Card Service

1st National Card Services called my husband to offer a "credit card". Being a natural skeptic, I got on the phone to ensure the offer was legit. I asked the caller (Sherry) in clear, precise English - "Is this a Mastercard or Visa"? To which Sherry responded "Which do you prefer? I show that it's listed as a Mastercard." I then asked about the APR and associated fees. It sounded fine - $200.00 to establish an unsecured Mastercard with a limit of $4,500.00. My husband finished up the call, and yes they did record his authorization to debit $200.00 from our checking account. Today he received the packet - in it was a CD, 4 Xeroxed $50.00 payment vouchers, and a Xeroxed Terms and Conditions agreement, along with a 1st National Card Service card - good for catalogue purchases only. With all the money they've fraudulently obtained, you would think they would splurge on a professional printer. At any rate, I promptly called the company to request a refund, and was told that the $20000 fee was non-refundable, and that my husband had authorized it. I then called my bank, who did agree to return the check to this company, but went on to advise that I would probably want to change my checking account number as well, because the company could attempt to debit my account again. I then did a conference call back to 1st National Card Service, and after several failed attempts to speak with a manager, finally reached a "supervisor" named Heidi who advised that they will likely attempt to debit my checking account again - regardless of whether or not I place a stop payment request on the funds. I've filed a complaint with the Florida State Attorney General, and I encourage anyone with a similar situation to do the same. Maybe if enough people report this fraud, something will be done to stop this blatantly criminal activity. Yes, they have a voice authorization (as they are careful to list in the memo section of the check) - the authorization to debit funds for a Mastercard or Visa - not this useless catalogue card. This is fraud - a crime has been committed and this company should be held accountable.

Scammed
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.