So Walmart calls you up and tells you they'd like to charge you $100 more for that microwave you bought last month, and b/c they notified you, it's all good?? That's bizarre credit card protection. As you say, I'd dump Discover.

Anyway, as I've been advocating for some time, do not consider that a conclusion. Keep e-mailing Amazon directly. All it takes is one CS rep to bite, and issue the refund. I and several others have had success this route. You may get 5 FU responses from Amazon CS, but the 6th one may issue the refund. There's nothing to lose except 5 minutes of your time for each e-mail. Good luck.

I have a bad feeling that I'm in the same boat as MovieExchange. It has now been 10 days since the refund was requested and I still haven't received jack. I'll give it to the end of this week to appear on my credit card before I fire off yet another email.

Discover - "Discover" you can't use it anywhere because merchants get charged out the ass with fees when someone uses it.

Jeffrey is right. Also, I'd consider telling Amazon that you have direct contact with people that have received a different response than what you are getting, and you demand to know why. Tell them that those of us that have kept our records of this incident will gladly forward them to you for use in any legal case of credit card fraud you choose to bring against Amazon.

Try talking to someone at Discover again, because that response is just not right, and it sounds like someone there isn't understanding the situation.

I just wrote Discover the following email. They'll probably ignore it but at least I laid it all out for them...

"I wanted to write to let you know how disappointed I am in Discover Card. I have always reached into my wallet for my Discover Card first while shopping due to the excellent service I’ve always received. I felt protected knowing that Discover “had my back” should unauthorized charges occur. This changed today. As a result, I will be cutting up my Discover Card and canceling my account.

I purchased some DVD sets from Amazon.com back in December. The prices were excellent. In fact, it turned out to be “too good to be true”. Amazon’s own policies state that if Amazon has a price mistake on their site, they will notify the customer before shipping and ask the customer if they wish to pay the higher price or that they will cancel the order.

Instead, for this particular mistake, Amazon shipped the merchandise, waited more than a week, then sent emails to customers claiming they had to return the merchandise (unopened) or would be charged a second time. Even though I never authorized these additional charges, Amazon did just that. Unauthorized charges appeared on my last billing statement.

I wrote Discover disputing the charges. I haven’t heard anything more from Discover since they put a temporary hold on the charges. Today, I checked the site and saw the charges were back on my account – no other communication. I called and spoke with someone in dispute services.

She stated that Amazon has the right to charge after the sale is complete. I asked “So you mean that Wal-Mart could call me today and say we’re going to charge you another $50 for that microwave you bought last week because it should have cost more?” She replied, “Yes.” She also told me that there was nothing more that Discover would do for me on this case.

This is the complete opposite of consumer protection. This is protecting the business, even when they err, against the consumer. I no longer can trust using your card for online or offline purchases. I never know when further unauthorized charges could be applied. It’s scary that you allow that as long as I’m notified first. Notification shouldn’t apply. AUTHORIZATION should.

I have read others’ “adventures” regarding Amazon.com and this particular fiasco. Nearly without exception, the credit card company has sided with the consumer in this mess. These were unauthorized charges applied to my account. Period. I should be protected from such a thing. Even Amazon’s own credit card is offering more protection!

You lost a very loyal customer today and I hope you lose many more until you realize who pays your bills and who is being wronged in these scenarios. My card will be cut-up today and I will not be re-applying for one of your credit cards in the future."

^

Good email.

I just read your situation MovieMan and went to check my discover card online statment to find that I was in fact refunded the money today from Amazon. I never had to send any information or fill out any sort of form. I made one call and waited 2 and a half weeks. Sorry about your luck but I am sure it will get fixed with that email.

I hope I hear some news this week on my dispute case. I'm still waiting for my credit card company (Amazon Visa) to come to decision on this matter. However since someone else with the same card had a favorable decision I'm optimistic my outcome will be the same. While the situation is in the hands of my credit card I see no point in contacting Amazon again since they keep giving me basically the FU response everytime I have written them or called.

LASERMOVIES, I'm in the same boat as you (same card). I sent my paperwork off a few days ago, so I'll probably hear back after you do. Please let us know how your situation turned out!!!

I will when I hear anything.

4 months later and we're still truckin', I see.

march 23 would be 3 months

Feels like 6 monthes the way it has dragged on with no closure yet.

I had not heard from Certegy Payment Recovery Services since I sent them the information disputing the debt so I called them today and asked them what the status was. I was told I had not been contacted because they were no longer trying to collect. So it looks like it's over for me now. Score one more for the little guy!

OK, then you are a lucky sucker.

My bad. I thought it started around Thanksgiving.

As a matter of fact, they gave me $30 extra it seems... I went to buy today's deal of the 4 James Bond ultimate editions, and the entire thing was paid for by a "promotional discount." I added another one to the cart to see what would happen, and it said that I had $150 in credit.

Hmmm. Had any bad experiences lately taking advantage of Amazon.com promotions that erroneously worked out in your favor?

To be honest, I'm waiting for the e-mail that says they mistakenly gave me $30 too much, and they'll be charging my credit card appropriatey.

:-)

I haven't placed any new orders with Amazon.com since those B1G1F from last december,
instead I ordered the items I want (DVDs) from DeepDiscount.
I really could not convince myself to go with Amazon, I don't feel I can trust them anymore,
even though I got my money back. It's sad, considering my long history with them, but true.
As of now I will stick with other online sites, maybe it needs time to heal that "wound" and the distrust....

Only speaking for myself:
their behaviour backfired at least in my case, they allready lost more (business) than they could have gained with that attempted charges.
kind regards
Warrior

Just in case..does anyone have an email address that has been successful in communication..maybe something different then the tedious one on website

Here's Discover's reply to my email:

"Thank you for your reply. I can understand your concern and frustration about how the dispute with Amazon.com was handled.

Discover Card plays a limited role in the dispute process by acting only as a mediator between you and the merchant. This means that we contact the merchant on your behalf with the dispute request information. The merchant will respond to us regarding the investigation, and we will then pass this information along to you. We do not make the decision about who is right or wrong, and do not "side" with one party or the other.

If after this process is completed, you still disagree with the charge, you must contact the merchant for further resolution. If you are unable to resolve it further with the merchant, you may wish to pursue the matter through your local services.

I apologize for any inconvenience you feel this has caused. If I may be of further assistance, please contact me again. Thank you for choosing to use Discover Card."

I told them I found it very hard to believe that they allow unauthorized charges to appear on someone's credit card and are okay with that and that I would be sure to let others know about their "protection policies". Scary stuff.

That's the most F'ed up thing I've heard in awhile. What kind of protection is that?!?!? I would only file a dispute AFTER I contacted the merchant anyway, so they would just be doing what I already did. I knew there was a reason I always throw out those Discover card solicitation letters. Now I know... I will NEVER own a Discover card after hearing that.

Holy shite... I don't have a Discover card (as I said, "Discover" that hardly anyone accepts it), but I'll be warning friends & family about this one.

It makes me wonder if all your communications with Discover have been routed to the same person, who made a unilateral decision that would be over-ruled if anyone else in the organization were to evaluate the situation. Have you tried calling them and bitching in person? You'd probably be sure to get a brand new set of eyes and ears that way...