Complaint Review: AAFES - Army Air Force Exchange - Dallsa Texas

I am a 100% Disabled Veteran, while at a VA Hospital, I was told to go to the Canteen to order glasses. As I was paying for my cough drops, the salesperson, says these catalogs only cost $5, and there's $30 worth of coupons in it.

Big mistake. Each $10 coupon required a separate, $50 order. I actually needed a few things. After spending some time, I choose 4 items to make up three orders, over $430. I had already noticed bathroom wicker baskets, I had bought at KMart, for $27, being sold for $54! So I was under no delusions, that I would get any 'great' deals!

To start with, several first choose items (baby toys) weren't available. We finally got everything ordered, the sales person 'Kerry' had asked multiple intrusive questions, and said she verified my eligiblity, via a Veterans Database. I used a debit card to pay for the order, and was told a copy would be sent to my e-mail. (Lie #1)

This all occured on Monday, Jan 4th. I receivied, an e-mail it said it was a notification, with a number on it, the first of many. It said click here to see your order, when you did, it required you to enter your name, date of birth, and last four. Okay, getting nervous but I do it. It comes back and says it requires your Full SSAN! No Way! My full SSAN, and date of birth, on a non-secure site over the Internet, just to see a copy of my receipt/order? 

I tried twice on Monday, and twice more on Tuesday, thinking it was in error, the verifying system was down, or something. Remember, 'Kerry' had already verified my status over the phone, before placing the order. I went to my account online, and sure enough the money had been taken out but it was for the wrong amount! Working backwards, I figured out the amount in error, and thus the item not ordered.

Call Aafes back. The item for $13.90, was out-of-stock, so I ordered the same type of item, just more expensive, $28. To do this there would have to be a new order, and since it was under $50, there would be a $5 shipping charge!! I am NOT a happy camper. I then explain my difficulty trying to see my orders, and it continually requiring my full SSAN. She then says:(Lie #2) that it's because someone else has the same last 4, even if that's so, do they have the same last name and date of birth? Her response was, you only have to do it once! (You only have to be shot once to be dead, you only have to have unprotected sex once to have herpies or aids for life).

We, (my husband handles most phone calls), asks for a Supervisor. He informs her as of approx. noon Tuesday, to cancel everything, and return all funds to my account, and shred &/or delete any and all information concerning me, or my account. "We can't do that, it takes 3 to 5 days". I then explicitly told her do not take any more money Out of my account. (Remember earlier that day, the replacement item.) 

On Wednesday morning, the 'out-of-stock' item for 13.90 had been put back on my account, except they put 13.99 back on. Now they had taken another $33.90 out of my account, after being told explicitly, Not To. In the process of trying to cancel the orders, the 'supervisor' couldn't find one item, the order clerk had used the name of my street, as my last name!  Now, I'm getting really scaried, 2 out-right lies, and two known errors on orders I can even get to see! And they 'think' they can access my bank account to take out money even after being told not to!!

As of Thursday, none of the rest of monies, has been put back on my account. Call again, get another (supposed) supervisor (lie #3) all their phone clerks are called 'supervisors', she says that everything except one item had already been shipped by the vendors (?), and the money wouldn't be put back on my account until the 'Vendor' notified them (Aafes in Texas) that they had the item back.

These, ----, have not only my full name, my veteran status, my full ssan, and my bank account information! They think I'm so stupid that I don't know that No One, would ship Hundreds of dollars worth of stuff, without insurance and a tracking number??? By now I've started calling the VA Canteen in-state, and then national hdqts. asking for HELP! I get "we're not affiliated with Aafes", then stop selling their catalogs!! Your putting Disabled Veterans at risk of having their idenity and money stolen!! (Just Once) During a confrence call, between a national level VA Canteen manager, and an Aafes (for real)manager; Afees promises to return all monies to my account except for the two items that had actually been shipped, right away! Then assures, the VA person that all of my information will be shreded.

I now have to drive over 900 miles, to close that bank account, in person! Destroy all of my checks, and open a new one. I have my disablity check direct deposited into that bank, for over 14 years! I went to my local bank, Thursday afternoon, to withdraw cash to make the trip, and transfer as much money as possible out of the account Aafes has access to, which I will close as soon as my checks clear, and I get how ever much money they decide to give me back.

In the mean time, when we got home there were two large boxes, one valued over $200 dollars sitting outside in the snow! Aafes when called, wouldn't even make the call to Fed Ex to come get it! We had to (long distance). Aafes, with the Fed Ex tracking number, could have saved Fed Ex, and us a lot of time, effort, expense, by simply canceling delivery!

It's now Sat. the 9th, None of the money has been returned to my account, except for the $13.99, which was the wrong amount for the out-of-stock number. I'm still out the $5 I paid the VA Cateen, for the Aafes catalog, four days time effort and aggrivation, (and still counting) not to mention the hundreds it will cost to make the 900 mile trip, in winter in poor health!

Any Veteran anywhere, if the VA Canteen tries to sell you a catalog to Aafes, don't take do it!!!