Fraud Problems with Handango

[karinatwork]

Hi!

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate. I am having some problems with Handango. A couple of weeks ago I realized that Handango had charged my credit card for over $ 60 for a purchase I have never made, and that does not show up at my member account.
I had of course immediately my credit card cancelled, just to avoid further problems.

I contacted Handango via their support form (in lack of any other option), explaining my problem. They replied, asking for my credit card number. After that, nothing. I have been trying to contact Handango for over a week now, but no answers, other than the automated ones. I keep sending emails asking for a phone number to call, and I get no reply. This morning I finally received an email reply, asking me to explain my problem, because they have LOST MY ORIGINAL MESSAGE??? 8O

I also tried to phone Handango in Texas, but I can't get through to anyone. When I call the person who sent me the email, I cannot even leave a message because his voice mail box is full. He didn't leave a reply email address on his email, I have to keep sending emails through the generic "support" email address.

I am really getting upset here. My credit card company hasn't cancelled the charges yet because I can't prove that this isn't a true purchase of mine. They of course saw that I regularly buy from Handango, so they are only filing a complaint for now.

Did anyone have a problem like that with Handango? How did you solve it? Any information would be helpful.

Thank you!

Karin

[Thinkingmandavid]

Handango, that is poor customer service! Bottom line! I am wondering who you could file a complaint with so that you could send them an email informing them of your complaint. Are they based in TExas? IF so, you can possibley report them to the BBB concerning this. Ok, I just visited the site and I see they are based in DAllas. I would call again, fax, and still report them to whomever has a watchful eye on thier site if anyone. I would also inform them that you have read their CUSTOMER BILL OF RIGHTS! Also, keep track of all correspondence you are having with them. And please keep us informed.

[Jason Dunn]

I've forwarded this thread to Laura Rippy, the CEO of Handango, so I'm confident she'll get involved immediately.

[karinatwork]

Thanks Jason!

[Kristin_Edwards]

Hello Karina!

My most sincere apologies for your recent problems with Handango. This is, of course, not the way we are looking to handle our customers and would like to immediately correct the problems you have encountered as well as your recent unpleasant experience with Handango. Please contact me directly at [email protected] so that I may resolve your issues today.

Kindest Regards,

Kristin Edwards
Customer Service Supervisor - PDA Market
Handango, Inc.

[Kati Compton]

That was quick. :)

[szamot]

WOW it is good to know people in high places. Jason you really rock - this truly shows how much you care about your readers.

[Jason Dunn]

WOW it is good to know people in high places. Jason you really rock - this truly shows how much you care about your readers.

Thanks. And look, she's not even a subscriber! :lol: (I really resent the implication by some people recently that I somehow favour subscribers over non-subscribers)

[karinatwork]

Well, thanks to Jason now I can say that I will most likely get my money back. A very friendly lady from Handango contacted me on the phone and told me that someone from Portland, OR had used my and other peoples' credit cards to purchase stuff from Handango. I hope they will talk to the police and make sure that guy gets in trouble. They gave me his name, address and phone number and the address of the District Attorney in Portland. I am not sure what to do now but I guess I am going to have a talk with my local RCMP. :evil:

They are currently working on recrediting my card. I am very impressed with Handango, how fast they fixed the problem. Thanks again also to Jason, for his quick intervention.

And, Jason, I am going to stick to my word. :)

Karin

[Jason Dunn]

Glad to hear it will work out ok Karen! :way to go:

[szamot]

WOW it is good to know people in high places. Jason you really rock - this truly shows how much you care about your readers.

Thanks. And look, she's not even a subscriber! :lol: (I really resent the implication by some people recently that I somehow favour subscribers over non-subscribers)

“Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people”. - Unknown

I don't think I even need to comment on this....and I would certainly not even give a second thought to the few that are most likely "jealous" of your success. Keep it up.

[Kati Compton]

Any idea if the credit card information was obtained through Handango, or through other channels?

[shindullin]

As a non-subscriber, I can say that I' ve felt more than welcome in these forums. If anyone is complaining about disparate treatment it's probably motivated by guilt over not subscribing themselves. I have felt some pangs myself and am working on my wife to slowly getting her to agree to pony up the money. :wink:
Jason, I think that it's great that you were able to help out in this situation and glad that Handango was able to pull through in the end. (esp since they have my credit info too)...

[Steven Cedrone]

I guess I should really start checking my credit card statements a little better than I have in the past...

Odds are, I wouldn't have even noticed a $60 charge on my card (or I would have assumed it was my wife making the purchase)...

Steve

[Jeff Rutledge]

This was a great thread to read on a dismal rainy day (although we need it). It's great to see such a fast and positive resolution to a problem as a result of this community.

[JustinGTP]

I know, JR, the weather in Calgary sucks. It was so nice the day before tho! We were in the high 20's and low 30's! No fair, winter is on its way.

-Justin.

[shawnc]

WOW it is good to know people in high places. Jason you really rock - this truly shows how much you care about your readers.

Thanks. And look, she's not even a subscriber! :lol: (I really resent the implication by some people recently that I somehow favour subscribers over non-subscribers)

Jason,

I haven't been around much lately so I haven't seen the implications that you speak of, but I will offer my opinion. Subscribers are paying customers, the rest of us are freebies. You SHOULD favor the subscribers. That's simply good business. I understand it and gotta believe that most non-subscribers understand it as well. Don't forget about us, but there's nothing wrong with giving a little extra for the paying clientle.

[maximus]

WOW it is good to know people in high places. Jason you really rock - this truly shows how much you care about your readers.

Thanks. And look, she's not even a subscriber! :lol: (I really resent the implication by some people recently that I somehow favour subscribers over non-subscribers)

One more selling point of the site. :D

Now I know the fastest way to solve a fraudulent billing from an online store.

I guess I should really start checking my credit card statements a little better than I have in the past...

Odds are, I wouldn't have even noticed a $60 charge on my card (or I would have assumed it was my wife making the purchase)...

Hum, THAT is actually a very good idea. When checking my card billing statement, usually I only browse through the merchant's name. If all the names are known to me, I usually declare the billing statement to be OK.

Doh. One more petty thing to do.

[maximus]

They gave me his name, address and phone number and the address of the District Attorney in Portland. I am not sure what to do now but I guess I am going to have a talk with my local RCMP. :evil:

I don't quite understand, why did handango give you the information about the fraudster ? So they are not going to do anything about it ?

[Jason Dunn]

Subscribers are paying customers, the rest of us are freebies. You SHOULD favor the subscribers. That's simply good business. I understand it and gotta believe that most non-subscribers understand it as well. Don't forget about us, but there's nothing wrong with giving a little extra for the paying clientle.

Thanks, I agree. Subscribers get access to free software, discounts on hardware and software, and other goodies. EVERYONE, subscribers and non-subscribers, get access to all parts of these forums and the great community we have! :way to go:

[karinatwork]

Well, I haven't found out yet where this guy (his name apparently is Daniel Pate) has gotten a hold of my credit card, but he charged not only Handango but also other companies, none of which I ever heard of (even someone in Perth, Australia.)
I am actually pretty sure someone intercepted an email I sent to another online merchant for a credit of a return. VERY DUMB. But then again, in that SAME email I also wrote down my address (DOUBLE DUMB), but the thief didn't use this address for his purchase of downloadable software. I always thought that as a safety measurement you needed to state a billing address which had to be the same as the address with which your credit card is registered, but apparently that isn't so. Anyway, the guy didn't use my address with the credit card, so he might have not intercepted my email. He might have gotten a hold of my card through somewhere else. This is the card that I use mostly for online purchases.

Today I got my new card. I reduced the credit limit from $ 4500 to $ 1000, at least if something like that happens again and I wont notice it, the damage cannot be bigger than that. I still think credit cards are great for purchasing online, because when something happens, they usually recredit your card right away. Except for - like in this case - if the thief charges companies you have bought from before.

About the question why they communicated the name and address of the guy to me, maybe they told me because my credit card company wanted to know. They didn't. I asked them if they would lay charges, and I guess they will. I'm just going to mail the Attorney General my statement and all. Maybe it helps.

Well, I haven't received the credit yet, but I am sure its going to work out. It usually takes quite some time for a credit to go through, sometimes up to two weeks. Handango sent me a fax with a statement where they write that these charges are fraudulent and that they are re-crediting my card. So its only going to be a matter of time (I hope :))

For everyone else out there, I do believe that purchasing online with a credit card is safe. So don't worry. Just a couple of hints:

First, Check your online statement AT LEAST once a week. Even if $ 60 is not a big amount for you, make sure that you are ahead of your expenses. Software like MS Money or others can be helpful just for these reasons. My husband and I have two different cards, so he cannot charge mine and I cannot charge his (handy for birthdays and such), plus so we wont get confused about illegit charges.

Second, don't use every credit card you have for online purchases. Use only one. As safe as online purchases are, they are still the biggest possibility for fraudulent use (other than having them stolen, of course).

Third, for the credit card you use for online purchases, lower your credit limit to as low as you can. Just try to pay off the card at every statement, so you wont need a bigger limit. If you apply for a card, you automatically get the max of your possible credit allowance, but that does not mean you also need that much. I didn't, so I reduced it.

Fourth: NEVER EVER give your credit card information to anyone via email or fax. If you can avoid it, don't even on the phone. I learned the hard way!
Well, I hope what happened to me could help some of you.

Thanks for your interest, your support and your help. :)

Karin

[famousdavis]

I know, JR, the weather in Calgary sucks. It was so nice the day before tho! We were in the high 20's and low 30's! No fair, winter is on its way.

-Justin.


You-u-u-u were referring to Celsius, yes? 8O

Ah, down here in South Florida, it's going to another six weeks before we get our first breath of cool -- that is, in the 70s -- degree weather... :lol:

Very interesting thread. Now, Jason, about the problem I've been having with our building contractor....

[Jeff Rutledge]

Today I got my new card. I reduced the credit limit from $ 4500 to $ 1000, at least if something like that happens again and I wont notice it, the damage cannot be bigger than that.

Great idea. I used to have two credit cards with the same bank. One was my normal card with my normal limit and the other was for online purchases and had a $500 limit.

[maximus]

Down here, disputing an internet charge is as easy as flipping your palm. The bank will only ask you to make a written statement, and they will immediately reverse the charge (of course you will be in trouble if the merchant can prove that the charge is legitimate). All MOTO transactions (Money Order, Telephone Order, Internet Order) in my experience, are easily reversed.

[maximus]

Don't forget about us, but there's nothing wrong with giving a little extra for the paying clientle.

Well, some of the clientele like myself don't want any kind of special treatment. I just enjoy being here. That's it.

Reading threads about birds (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17750&highlight=) and peanut butter and jelly (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17441) and super deceiving subject line (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16369&highlight=travelling+jornada+hotel) and being able to laugh (giggle) during an otherwise sucky day at office, is more than enough for me. All the other details (information transfers, problem solvings, rants, raves, reviews, what's new, cheap SD cards at .... , etc. etc.) are just bonuses.