Complaint Review: HMS BLUE - California

I discovered a charge for $8.95 listed on my checking account listed as a "check card purchase". Fortunately my bank provides complete information for each transaction, and it listed what appeared to be a website "E-MRC.NET" and what looked to be a phone number of "866-HMSBLUE". I keep each and every receipt for each and every transaction ever made using my check card. I knew for fact that I had not authorized any purchase for the amount listed.

I checked out the website listed, and the first thing I was presented with was a method to dispute the charge. RED FLAG!! I concluded they were in the business of handling complaints, and I am guessing they are willing to do so because enough people DON'T catch this scam, and HMS Blue gets to keep the money.

I called the phone number. The first question I was asked was, "How much was the charge?"... not my name, not any reference info... just the amount. I guess that's how they keep track of which scam is which. I was asked to hold. The next representative would not talk loud enough for me to hear her. I am not hearing impaired in any way. She asked me for my credit card number. I asked why she needed that and got some run-around... but I figured they already have it anyway as evidenced by their billing it, so I gave it hoping to get some information.

The person was very rude, would not speak up, and ultimately, cut me off and passed me to voice mail for a supposed supervisor, where I was told to leave a message and they would call back. They didn't. I called them again, and this time I was already livid.

The first person asked "How much was the charged?" I told her then was once again passed to another rep who began the same routine. I was out of patience by then and I told the rep that I did not want to do this same dance again, and demanded that I speak to a LIVE supervisor and that I was going to settle for nothing less. I told her that if she does not give me a live supervisor to speak with, or if she hangs up on me, my next phone call was going to be to the Attorney General's office.

I had to take their word for it that the next person was a supervisor... the "supervisor" once again asked me for my credit card information. She informs me that the charge was shipping and handling charges for vacation package that I was sent. "What vacation package?" "The one you were sent and should have receieved in the mail." she answered. "Sent from WHO?!?" I pleaded. "From HMS Blue," she answered. I said I never asked for any vacation package; I never authorized any charge for a vacation package; I never went looking for any vacation package...

I asked her "Why would anyone send me a vacation package I didn't ask for, and that I didn't authorize any charge for?" She said, "It's a promotion." "Promotion from who?" "From HMS Blue" she answered as if it all made perfect sense. "Who is HMS Blue?!?!!" "We are." She said. I thought I was stuck in some Abbott & Costello movie.

She asked me if I wanted her to credit the money back to my card, and I said "Yes! Immediately!" I admit, I was livid, and I sounded like it. She told me it would take up to 10 days to get it credited back to my account.

This just made me angrier, and I informed the

"supervisor" I was talking to that my next call was still going to be to the Attorney General, and then to any other agency or law enforcement official that would listen. She said, "go right ahead" and hung up on me.

I will be watching my account very closely to see if any more charges occur.

The woman did tell me that they "handle transactions of all kinds" and "...some companies or affiliates share information with them. The promotion could be associated with a purchase that was made, but we have no way of knowing what purchase that was." I took this to mean, that these people believe it is legal, and ethical to go ahead and charge my account for something I didn't ask for, shop for, search for, or authorize, because I bought something else. I think I know what "purchase" led to this occurance. I recently took a trip across country, and since then I have received several "promotional" phone calls for free "resort stays" just like the one described to me by HMS Blue.

I hung up on all of them. Perhaps one of those calls was HMS Blue. The ONLY time I used my check card was to cover a rental car while travelling. I subsequently paid cash for the rental when I turned it in, but in the meantime, the rental company had charged my checking account, then credited it back once I paid cash. I believe the car rental agency was the company to share the information. It makes sense since the rental car showed me to be a traveller, and since every OTHER aspect of my trip was all under a company name, not mine, that would be the only place that could have share my info.

I'm sure HMS Blue pays for lists that apply to what they are supposedly trying to give away... free travel, and free "resort stays", etc. I am going to stop short of naming the rental car agency, but I will say it's a major national chain, and their colors are green, white and black. Apparently they are very free with the information of their customers.

My next step is to report HMS Blue just as I had threatened to do. Then I will call the car rental agency and complain loudly about their sharing of information and the results. I am also getting a new card with a different number tomorrow. It's a pain, but it's more productive than trying to get my money back from fraudulant charges. BUYER BEWARE!! Take the time to read those "privacy policy" statements when you do business that requires you to give out your credit card, or check card, or any other personal information.

This information won't due much good to warn people before they get scammed in this way, but hopefully it will warn people to watch their bank and credit card statements very closely.

Good luck!

Murray

Dell Rapids, South Dakota

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