Complaint Review: ONLINE DATA CORP

I am another victim of Online Data Corps. I am beginning to wonder if this company simply does this to EVERY customer, hoping only a few will notice, thereby making millions of $$ in "free" profit?

When I opened my business I signed up with this company as my credit card processor. After a year of slow transactions, money taking a week or more to get into my account, service fees that I could never quite pin down, and poor customer service I decided to change vendors. It was only when I called them to cancel that I was directed to the "fine print" on the BACK of the third page or the contract in about six point type that stated not only had I signed a three year contract, but if I cancelled at anytime prior to within a 30 day window of the actual cancellation date, I would be charged a $350 cancellation fee. (This fee even if I sent a letter a several months early requesting that I be cancelled ON the actual cancellation date!)

Not only that, but if I FAILED to cancel, in writing, within that 30 day window, I would be automatically renewed!

Being a small business, I couldn't afford that $350 hit. So I simply started asking my customers to pay by check and waited out the long contract. When I reached my 30 day cancellation period, I sent a registered letter explaining that I was canceling my contract according to the terms of our agreement, and I expected there to be NO cancellation fee or automatic renewal. I keep very good records. Once I received my return receipt, proving that the company had received my cancellation within the 30 day period, I called to confirm they had handled the cancellation properly. And the fun begins:

First, they claimed they didn't receive my letter. I let them know I had a registered mail return receipt.

Then, they claimed that the wrong person in the company requested the cancellation, not the owner of record. I let them know I had fax receipt proofs that they had processed my married name change more than a month earlier.

Then they claimed that the time period had expired for the cancellation, and there was nothing they could do. I redirected them to the return receipt dated letter.

Finally, they relented and closed my account. But oh, no, the fun is not over yet!

They then proceeded to, several weeks later, take the $350 cancellation fee out of my business checking account! Now, if I was not such a small business who checked my account regularly, that fee might have slipped by unnoticed. But I called them the day after they withdrew the funds, obviously livid.

We went back through the whole list above AGAIN. I was put on hold for 23 minutes, waiting for someone who could do something about the situation. When the young man finally picked up, he definitely had an irritated attitude. He informed me there had been a mistake and the money would be refunded to my account within 14-21 business days. I don't THINK so!

I informed him I wanted the money replaced the next business day and I wanted to speak to a supervisor. The next person picked up after another 15 minutes of muzak on hold, and proceeded to explain with an air of superiority that they are doing me the courtesy of rushing the refund, it will only take 3 business days. COURTESY? COURTESY he says?? They take my money without cause or authorization, and it is a COURTESY to give it back to me in three days? I let him know in no uncertain terms that Online Data Corp was doing me no courtesy, and to get it done.

But oh, no, I sadly report we were not done yet! Three days later, no refund. More phone calls, more hold patterns, more upline supervisors. Latest information said it had been processed (the paperwork not even begun until the promised three days had passed), and should have been in my account within two more days.

Yup, you guessed it, two more days, no refund. Another round of exasperated calls, and TADA! I am promised it will be there tomorrow! We shall see, we shall see. I think what galls me more than the actual act of taking my money, is the arrogant attitude with which they are dealing with me.

One last little tidbit! I asked them if they were going to refund the overdraft fees that are now accruing on my account due to them taking the unauthorized transaction out of my account their response? That's not our policy. Borrowing a term from one of the credit cards they process PRICELESS!

Margaret
Westminster, Maryland
U.S.A.

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