Complaint Review: JailATM.com - Arkansaw Jonesboro

I was given express permission by my fiance to put money on another inmate's commissary. I accidentally put it on the wrong person's account, and because the transfer of money is instantaneous there is no window of opportunity to correct a mistake if the transaction is given to the wrong person. And the company itself does not offer any opportunity for a refund or to correct transaction errors. Instead, they leave it to jail or prison facilities to resolve these issues for them and if the assigned person responsible does not feel compelled to help resolve the issue (and it is not always clear who exactly is responsible) then you are completely out of luck.

There is also a lack of transparency in being able to contact this business directly. I had to jump through hoops in order to find any sort of direct email address, physical address, etc. It is not clear that they are a part of Tech Friends, Inc. I am not stating that I can't find contact information regarding this company, but they are not transparent about it on their own web site. I've heard of an address in Tennessee, in Georgia, and in Arkansaw. Where is this company's direct physical address, exactly? Where is a fax number listed? Where is a direct email address listed on JailATM.com in order to contact the business directly?

I find this company's policy to leave it to correctional officers to fix transaction errors unacceptable since it is so easy to make a transaction error to begin with (as was the case with me) and the men and women who enter law enforcement do not do so with the intent of working in the business of monetary transactions. They typically do not feel compelled to involve themselves with these sorts of issues, as was the case here. When contacted, they do not offer solutions to this sort of problem besides telling the customer to "contact the correctional facility" and I find that absurd.

Customer services does not try to ask probing questions into the nature of the complaint, ask for information regarding the person calling or using a credit or debit card online, or other things that a standard company that handles money transfers would typically ask for. My case is not a case of fraud, but they are ripe and open to having cases of it with this lack of oversight. I had my fiance's express permission to use her debit card, in writing, but what if I were someone using a stolen credit card to make a transaction?

The person with the stolen card would be left at the mercy of someone at a local correctional facility (who, again, may or may not care) in order to resolve the issue. My complain is basically as follows: lack of adequate customer service, a lack of oversight when it comes to transactions, an inability for this company to resolve issues on its own or to even file a grievance, and no transparency regarding having its address at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive at Savannah, Georgia....or is it in Tennessee? Arkansas? Where, exactly?

My fiance is unable to use a phone herself to get the bank to try to fix this error (and it IS an error) and to get her money back. I feel scammed, she feels scammed, and this company has no integrity when it comes to taking responsibility for customer complaints. It is a predatory business that preys on the feelings of those who missed their loved ones, plain and simple. I live in a small town where people are wary of using technology, transferring money, etc. to begin with and I will be more than happy to suggest alternatives and to discuss the issues I have had with this company should anyone ask about it or mention using it. Because quite frankly, this issue I've had is not just going to cost the company any further profit from me but from others who would have used the service as well. I feel that a refund is in order.