Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 8, 2015/05/29) */ ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller typesWe enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of paymentWe charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover)ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting paymentsThe customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand cornerChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s)We do not use the logos, trademarks or characteristic markings of any of the billers to whom we remit paymentsThese measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service Our customer, Ms [redacted] , visited our site on 5/and submitted an auto payment to Santander using her debit cardAs is the standard practice when making a payment with a debit card, we immediately authorized the charge with the customer's issuing bank and scheduled the payment to her auto loan servicing company, which was stated to post within 2-business daysAt the point of payment, the customer also opted into an automatic payment schedule that was set to remit her auto loan payment on a regular basis each month on the date of her choosingParticipation in this automatic payment schedule is optional, and can be canceled at any time by the customer with no penalty or further obligation The three emails we sent Ms [redacted] on 5/were to serve as a receipt for her payment to Santander, a confirmation of her automatic payment schedule, and a welcome message that we provide to each new customerThis welcome email contains a link that can be used to access her newly created ChargeSmart accountWhen the link is followed, we ask that our customers authenticate access to the account by providing us with the phone number that was entered when the payment was made Upon receipt of this complaint, we canceled the customer's automatic payment schedule, as it is clear that she did not intend to honor the terms of payment schedule, and intended to dispute the charge with her bank, despite it having been authorized at the point of paymentBy the time we received this complaint, the customer's payment had already been remitted to and accepted by her auto loan servicing company, as was requested at the point of purchase We regret that the customer did not fully understand the nature of our business and the terms and conditions of using our bill payment serviceAt no point was her personal or payment information transmitted in an unencrypted fashion, and at no point has her information been shared with an unauthorized agency, nor will it beWe have also closed the customer's ChargeSmart account, so as to further secure her customer information Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services precisely as requested by the customer Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 10, 2015/06/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They are lyingI have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-payWhy would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's websiteAs I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every monthI suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking accountWhen I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their siteThere is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my accountMy payment was late for the first time because it is due on the firstI can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with themI called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my cardI am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviewsThe reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to themThey sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrongI want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was lateWouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car PaymentI believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web siteWell, they probably know how to also create thatOne more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checkingThey did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do soThank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (2000, 15, 2015/07/02) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They are lyingI have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-payWhy would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's websiteAs I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every monthI suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking accountWhen I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their siteThere is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my accountMy payment was late for the first time because it is due on the firstI can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with themI called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my cardI am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviewsThe reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to themThey sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrongI want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was lateWouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car PaymentI believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web siteWell, they probably know how to also create thatOne more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checkingThey did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do soThank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 14, 2015/07/02) */ The information provided in our original response was succinct and truthfulWe regret that our customer is having such a difficult time understanding the nature of our businessWe also stand by the belief that our original response directly explains and refutes any and all claims made by the customerWe consider the matter to be resolved
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/05/29) */
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit...
card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). We do not use the logos, trademarks or characteristic markings of any of the billers to whom we remit payments. These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service.
Our customer, Ms. [redacted], visited our site on 5/1 and submitted an auto payment to Santander using her debit card. As is the standard practice when making a payment with a debit card, we immediately authorized the charge with the customer's issuing bank and scheduled the payment to her auto loan servicing company, which was stated to post within 2-3 business days. At the point of payment, the customer also opted into an automatic payment schedule that was set to remit her auto loan payment on a regular basis each month on the date of her choosing. Participation in this automatic payment schedule is optional, and can be canceled at any time by the customer with no penalty or further obligation.
The three emails we sent Ms. [redacted] on 5/1 were to serve as a receipt for her payment to Santander, a confirmation of her automatic payment schedule, and a welcome message that we provide to each new customer. This welcome email contains a link that can be used to access her newly created ChargeSmart account. When the link is followed, we ask that our customers authenticate access to the account by providing us with the phone number that was entered when the payment was made.
Upon receipt of this complaint, we canceled the customer's automatic payment schedule, as it is clear that she did not intend to honor the terms of payment schedule, and intended to dispute the charge with her bank, despite it having been authorized at the point of payment. By the time we received this complaint, the customer's payment had already been remitted to and accepted by her auto loan servicing company, as was requested at the point of purchase.
We regret that the customer did not fully understand the nature of our business and the terms and conditions of using our bill payment service. At no point was her personal or payment information transmitted in an unencrypted fashion, and at no point has her information been shared with an unauthorized agency, nor will it be. We have also closed the customer's ChargeSmart account, so as to further secure her customer information.
Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services precisely as requested by the customer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/06/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They are lying. I have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-pay. Why would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's website. As I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every month. I suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking account. When I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their site. There is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my account. My payment was late for the first time because it is due on the first. I can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with them. I called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my card. I am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviews. The reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to them. They sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrong. I want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was late. Wouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car Payment. I believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web site. Well, they probably know how to also create that. One more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checking. They did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do so. Thank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They are lying. I have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-pay. Why would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's website. As I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every month. I suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking account. When I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their site. There is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my account. My payment was late for the first time because it is due on the first. I can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with them. I called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my card. I am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviews. The reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to them. They sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrong. I want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was late. Wouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car Payment. I believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web site. Well, they probably know how to also create that. One more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checking. They did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do so. Thank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2015/07/02) */
The information provided in our original response was succinct and truthful. We regret that our customer is having such a difficult time understanding the nature of our business. We also stand by the belief that our original response directly explains and refutes any and all claims made by the customer. We consider the matter to be resolved.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/30) */
Hello,
We have used the provided customer information to check our records and unfortunately have no record of a ChargeSmart customer with the name, phone number, address, or email address provided. Additionally, we are unable to locate a...
Toyota Finance customer with the same last name or zip code. We take these matters very seriously and would be happy to investigate this customer's claim, should their grievance truly be with ChargeSmart and not another bill payment service. If the customer believes their account to be with ChargeSmart, we will require the name and/or phone number or email address on the ChargeSmart account.
Thank you
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The account is under my wife's name, [redacted]. Email address for the account is [redacted]@gmail.com
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/26) */
Thank you for providing the information that matches our records. The customer has used the ChargeSmart system to successfully make automated monthly auto loan payments since October of 2011. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller. In June of 2012 we see that a new card was added to the ChargeSmart account and was associated with the payment schedule with the assistance of one of our agents. At this time it was made clear that the payments were being handled by ChargeSmart, and not by the customer's loan servicer directly, had it not been known previously. All communications made to the customer via email and phone were done so as ChargeSmart in an effort to prevent confusion that we are directly affiliated with the billers to whom we submit payment.
While we do provide the tools necessary for our customers to independently add new payment cards and adjust payment schedules, it is common for customers to reach out to our support team for the peace of mind and confirmation that they can let their bills to be paid automatically without further effort. It appears that when the payment card associated with the automatic payment schedule expired in March of 2015, it was not replaced before the April payment attempt. When our system recognized that the chosen payment card had expired when attempting to make April's payment, we froze the automatic payment schedule and sent an email notice to prompt the addition of a new payment card.
After reviewing the customer's logs on our website, which are not made readily available to all support staff, as was the case on 6/29, we have uncovered the following information: When the new payment card was added to the ChargeSmart account, it was selected to be the default card, as the customer stated accurately. The status of default card simply designates that payment card to be the one that is presented by default when making new payments on a one-at-a-time basis. Our records indicate that our customer had also deleted the previously used card before setting the payment schedule to run using the new payment method. When the expired payment card was attempted to be deleted, we presented an on-screen pop-up message that reads:
"This payment method has a recurring payment associated with it. Please update the recurring payment before deleting this payment method."
This warning was not heeded and the card was deleted. The customer then visited the automatic payment schedule and saw that the automatic payment schedule was presenting the one and only payment card as the available funding source, as it was the only funding method. The next payment date was presenting the next day's date, as that was the next available payment date. This information would have needed to be saved in order for the payment schedule to be updated and unfrozen. This requirement for deliberate action on behalf of the customer is to prevent to the processing of payments unwantedly. No such action was taken, and the automatic payment schedule was left in its frozen state and no payments were scheduled to be made.
We understand that it may be confusing to follow a specific order of operations when manipulating an automatic payment schedule. Our support team is made available to assist a customer when needed, and to correct these mistakes before they result in payments not being made. We also understand that the customer feels it is our responsibility to reimburse three months of late fees, though it would have been evident after just one day that the payment schedule was not updated correctly. Simply reaching out to support or revisiting ChargeSmart would have shown that no payment had been scheduled or otherwise made. No payment confirmation emails would have been sent while the payment schedule was still in a frozen state, and no funds were withdrawn from the customer's payment account. The lack of evidence that payments are being made along with a surplus of funds in a bank account is often evidence enough for one of our customers to recognize that their payments have not been made. Prior to the bill not having been paid for three months, no communication was made to ChargeSmart to investigate the matter.
We truly regret that our customer, after having successfully used the system for such a long period of time, unsuccessfully updated their automatic payment schedule and failed to recognize or correct the matter for several months, accruing the previously mentioned late fees. Unfortunately we are unable to refund these late fees to the customer, as they were not charged by ChargeSmart, but by the customer's auto loan servicer. While ChargeSmart's tools make it easy and convenient for its customers to pay their bills automatically using a debit or credit card, it is the customer's responsibility to ensure that the service is used correctly and that payments are made to their biller(s) as required by any financing agreement. We regret that this matter was not recognized by the customer sooner, and that we were not given an opportunity to correct the matter sooner and prevent the accrual of three months of late fees. Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services without fail when used correctly by the customer.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/07/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
As you can see in ChargeSmart's response, they recognized that I received the email about my credit card being set to expire, and that I added a new credit card and set it as my default card, as well as deleting the expired card. They then admit:
"We understand that it may be confusing to follow a specific order of operations when manipulating an automatic payment schedule."
This is my overall complaint. I did my very best to put in my new credit card and set it up as the card that makes the automatic payments. I did receive the warning that "This payment method has a recurring payment associated with it. Please update the recurring payment before deleting this payment method." When I put in my new credit card, I selected the bullet that made the new card the one that is used for the recurring payment, but it clearly did not work. That's a website malfunction. When I called ChargeSmart, as the person in the prior message suggested that I never did (and he also mentioned how friendly and helpful their customer assistance team is), the "supervisor" told me that it was my fault and it must have been some issue with MY web browser. His tone was basically the same as the previous message above: everything is my fault (and really, the tone in the message above tries to pain me as incompetent, which I surely am not when it comes to computers and using online service; I currently use many online service with automatic payments, and this is the only one I've ever had trouble with).
Thus, I do not accept ChargeSmart's response, and I am even more put off with them now after this response. The fact that they continued to "regret" that I was unable to act probably (or, "navigate" their system) shows an unnecessary stubbornness. And blaming me for not noticing right away that the payment didn't go through does not answer the problem of their malfunctioning, confusing website, which they themselves even admit is confusing.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2015/12/24) */
ChargeSmart has successfully reversed these payments from Duke Power and has issued a refund to the customer for both. Email refund confirmations have been provided to the customer for both payments. Please advise if further information is...
needed to show that ChargeSmart has fully reimbursed the customer for these unpostable payments.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 13, 2016/01/12) */
Ms. [redacted]
Am just now finding and reading the e-mail you sent on January 5, 2016.
I would like to advise you that ChargeSmart has returned all the money sent to Duke Energy in October, 2015 HAS BEEN RETURNED to me. I received the funds on December 24, 2015. I received the $140.00, $300.00 and both charge fees.
I want to thank you for handeling this and getting my funds returned to me.
You do not know how much I appreciate you and your assistance.
Again, the money has been returned to me and I am very grateful for all you have done to make sure this was taken care of.
As far as I know, this case can be close. Closed as successful.
Thank you and sincerely,
[redacted] A [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/11/04) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service. While it is true that are not directly affiliated with WE Energies, they do have the ability to contact us, should they choose to do so. It seems as though the WE Energies support agent with whom our customer spoke had not heard of our bill payment service before.
To address our customer's specific claims, we do not advertise a 24 hour service number. Our support hours are M-F between the hours of 8am and 6pm Pacific Standard Time. It is also clear that our customer incorrectly dialed our phone number, as it is a verifiable fact that we do not offer Caribbean cruises, nor do we solicit the age of our customers, nor do we offer free medical alert bracelets.
We show no record of our customer reaching our actual support number of XXX-XXX-XXXX, though we did receive an email request to cancel the payment on 10/13 after our business hours. Upon receipt of this email on 10/14, we promptly voided the customer's charge, as requested. No payment was received and no service was rendered. The ChargeSmart account has been closed, so that no further charges can be made.
We're truly puzzled by the customer's claim that our toll free number led to an offer for a Caribbean cruise or a medic alert bracelet. Anyone can, at any time, call our toll free number and verify that it leads to ChargeSmart and ChargeSmart only. Additionally, having fulfilled our customer's request to cancel the payment, we consider this matter to be resolved.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/19) */
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit...
card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service. While it is true that we are not directly affiliated with Sheffield Financial, they do have the ability to contact us, should they choose to do so.
The customer visited our website on Saturday, August 8th and submitted a payment to Sheffield Financial in the amount of $225.00 with a service fee of $6.99. Also presented was the information that it takes 2-3 business days for a payment to post, which was noted on-screen and in our email receipt.
On Monday 8/10, our Risk team was motivated to cancel the customer's transaction, as its characteristics and the risks associated with accepting and remitting the transaction were deemed unacceptably high. We voided the transaction before it settled out of the customer's bank. We sent an email notice of the payment's cancellation, just as we had sent the payment's original receipt. When a payment is voided, the pending authorization will simply drop off anywhere between 1-5 business days, depending on the bank. The funds that were on hold with the bank would have been released to the balance of funds, or available credit within this time frame. We see that this void was accepted by the customer's issuing bank, that no funds were taken by ChargeSmart, and that no service was rendered. As such, there is no credit to be issued to the customer.
Feel free to reach out if further clarification is needed to show that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms of service. We apologize if there was any lack of clarity that the payment has long since been canceled, despite our best efforts to inform the customer of this information.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
On 8/18, after I submitted this compliant a company representative called me to let me know the funds were never withhold from my account as an email canceling the transaction was sent following the receipt. On the same day, I alerted my bank and requested that a hold be placed on the transaction; since, I never received the alleged cancellation email. I allowed ample time (10 days) for the transaction to clear my account before I called the biller to inquire the payment. This is the first and last time, I'll pay any biller indirectly.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 9, 2016/02/04) */
The payment did post, albeit 9 business days after payment was submitted and the day after the complaint was filed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/14) */
It's unfortunate that we did not have the opportunity to speak with this customer before the complaint was submitted. We did have the pleasure of speaking with her on 4/10 and believe the customer's problem to be with a different business...
altogether.
While the customer did use ChargeSmart on 4/7 to make a payment to Highland County Water, the charge descriptor that appears on her bank statement does not read "Seattle Washington" or anything similar. The charge for this payment reads "SGS*Highland County Water" and also provides our customer support toll-free number. This payment was delivered to Highland County Water on 4/8 and was applied to the customer's provided account number.
ChargeSmart's support team received a call from the customer on 4/10, before our receipt of this complaint. One of our customer support representatives reviewed the details of the payment, confirmed the biller and account number to be the ones the customer intended, and that the payment had arrived at its destination as expected. To further research the matter with our customer, he then conference called a support representative from Highland County Water. The representative from the biller confirmed that the payment of $74.80 was received and had applied to the proper account, as originally requested, and within the anticipated timeframe of 2-3 business days.
It would appear that the customer made another payment to another company the same day, which appears to be experiencing a posting delay or has been directed to an incorrect biller altogether. It seems that the customer will be resolving that matter with her bank, as the offending payment does not have clear customer support contact information included on the statement.
We trust that this matter is resolved, as it pertains to ChargeSmart's delivery of services rendered, and look forward to our customer confirming that her grievance with ChargeSmart was reported in error. Additionally, we look forward to serving her in the future.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/30) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
Our customer, Mr. [redacted] submitted his payment to Sheffield Financial on 12/11, and was advised that his payment would post in 2-3 business days. His payment was confirmed to have been received by the biller on 12/14, the following business day. The date this case was opened was the second business day after submission, and likely the date the payment posted.
We spoke to Mr. [redacted] on 12/18 and confirmed the account number provided to have been correct. We believe this matter to have been prematurely reported, and also resolved. Please advise if further information is needed to show that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/17) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
Our customer submitted a payment on Monday November 2nd and shortly thereafter tried to contact our customer support team by phone. We were experiencing a heavier-than-usual call volume on this Monday morning, within our first hour of the business day, and were unable to field this customer's call within a reasonable amount of holding time. When we have a heavy call volume, we ask that our customers provide us a number for a callback, or to leave a voicemail, both of which would be received and handled within the business day. We show that our customer did not choose one of these two options and was disconnected as a result, after approximately 10 minutes of holding. We also see that the customer called back and hung up almost immediately twice. We regret the inconvenience caused by this heavy call volume, but feel that our alternative contact methods provide a fair avenue to resolve customer issues in these cases.
We did not call the customer back, as no voicemail or callback request was made, and we did not receive any email request to cancel payment. As such, the payment was submitted to the biller as had been originally requested. Upon receipt of this complaint, we contact the customer's biller and reversed the payment. The payment was refunded in full, as was requested. We consider the matter to be resolved, as all customer requests have been fulfilled. Please let us know if any further clarification is needed to show that all requests were met as received.
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 8, 2015/05/29) */ ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller typesWe enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of paymentWe charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover)ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting paymentsThe customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand cornerChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s)We do not use the logos, trademarks or characteristic markings of any of the billers to whom we remit paymentsThese measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service Our customer, Ms [redacted] , visited our site on 5/and submitted an auto payment to Santander using her debit cardAs is the standard practice when making a payment with a debit card, we immediately authorized the charge with the customer's issuing bank and scheduled the payment to her auto loan servicing company, which was stated to post within 2-business daysAt the point of payment, the customer also opted into an automatic payment schedule that was set to remit her auto loan payment on a regular basis each month on the date of her choosingParticipation in this automatic payment schedule is optional, and can be canceled at any time by the customer with no penalty or further obligation The three emails we sent Ms [redacted] on 5/were to serve as a receipt for her payment to Santander, a confirmation of her automatic payment schedule, and a welcome message that we provide to each new customerThis welcome email contains a link that can be used to access her newly created ChargeSmart accountWhen the link is followed, we ask that our customers authenticate access to the account by providing us with the phone number that was entered when the payment was made Upon receipt of this complaint, we canceled the customer's automatic payment schedule, as it is clear that she did not intend to honor the terms of payment schedule, and intended to dispute the charge with her bank, despite it having been authorized at the point of paymentBy the time we received this complaint, the customer's payment had already been remitted to and accepted by her auto loan servicing company, as was requested at the point of purchase We regret that the customer did not fully understand the nature of our business and the terms and conditions of using our bill payment serviceAt no point was her personal or payment information transmitted in an unencrypted fashion, and at no point has her information been shared with an unauthorized agency, nor will it beWe have also closed the customer's ChargeSmart account, so as to further secure her customer information Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services precisely as requested by the customer Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 10, 2015/06/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They are lyingI have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-payWhy would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's websiteAs I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every monthI suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking accountWhen I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their siteThere is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my accountMy payment was late for the first time because it is due on the firstI can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with themI called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my cardI am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviewsThe reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to themThey sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrongI want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was lateWouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car PaymentI believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web siteWell, they probably know how to also create thatOne more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checkingThey did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do soThank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (2000, 15, 2015/07/02) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They are lyingI have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-payWhy would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's websiteAs I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every monthI suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking accountWhen I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their siteThere is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my accountMy payment was late for the first time because it is due on the firstI can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with themI called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my cardI am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviewsThe reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to themThey sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrongI want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was lateWouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car PaymentI believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web siteWell, they probably know how to also create thatOne more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checkingThey did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do soThank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 14, 2015/07/02) */ The information provided in our original response was succinct and truthfulWe regret that our customer is having such a difficult time understanding the nature of our businessWe also stand by the belief that our original response directly explains and refutes any and all claims made by the customerWe consider the matter to be resolved
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/05/29) */
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit...
card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). We do not use the logos, trademarks or characteristic markings of any of the billers to whom we remit payments. These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service.
Our customer, Ms. [redacted], visited our site on 5/1 and submitted an auto payment to Santander using her debit card. As is the standard practice when making a payment with a debit card, we immediately authorized the charge with the customer's issuing bank and scheduled the payment to her auto loan servicing company, which was stated to post within 2-3 business days. At the point of payment, the customer also opted into an automatic payment schedule that was set to remit her auto loan payment on a regular basis each month on the date of her choosing. Participation in this automatic payment schedule is optional, and can be canceled at any time by the customer with no penalty or further obligation.
The three emails we sent Ms. [redacted] on 5/1 were to serve as a receipt for her payment to Santander, a confirmation of her automatic payment schedule, and a welcome message that we provide to each new customer. This welcome email contains a link that can be used to access her newly created ChargeSmart account. When the link is followed, we ask that our customers authenticate access to the account by providing us with the phone number that was entered when the payment was made.
Upon receipt of this complaint, we canceled the customer's automatic payment schedule, as it is clear that she did not intend to honor the terms of payment schedule, and intended to dispute the charge with her bank, despite it having been authorized at the point of payment. By the time we received this complaint, the customer's payment had already been remitted to and accepted by her auto loan servicing company, as was requested at the point of purchase.
We regret that the customer did not fully understand the nature of our business and the terms and conditions of using our bill payment service. At no point was her personal or payment information transmitted in an unencrypted fashion, and at no point has her information been shared with an unauthorized agency, nor will it be. We have also closed the customer's ChargeSmart account, so as to further secure her customer information.
Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services precisely as requested by the customer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/06/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They are lying. I have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-pay. Why would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's website. As I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every month. I suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking account. When I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their site. There is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my account. My payment was late for the first time because it is due on the first. I can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with them. I called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my card. I am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviews. The reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to them. They sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrong. I want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was late. Wouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car Payment. I believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web site. Well, they probably know how to also create that. One more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checking. They did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do so. Thank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They are lying. I have told you I never went to their site and NEVER have I requested a 3rd party to pay my bills and I rarely authorize auto-pay. Why would I go to a website I never heard of and ask them to pay my car payment when I have always paid on my car payment's website. As I have told you, the site appeared to be the one I do business with every month. I suspected something was wrong because the site that financed my car always notes my car payment made on the date I make it, even though it takes a couple of days to clear my checking account. When I called my finance company, they told me they had not received payment and had no record I was on their site. There is no way I would have gone to ChargeSmart's site, much less authorize a business I never heard of to automatically deduct money from my account. My payment was late for the first time because it is due on the first. I can't prove it, but I believe someone spoofed my finance company's website and I called my finance company and discussed this with them. I called my bank and requested a stop payment, but it was too late and so I cancelled my card. I am extremely careful and I when I later read reviews about ChargeSmart, there are many negative reviews. The reason they didn't have my phone number was because I never gave it to them. They sent me an e-mail requesting it and I already knew something was wrong. I want ChargeSmart to honestly explain how they received my information and notify my finance company why my payment was late. Wouldn't you think they would have asked for my address and other identifying information if I contacted them? I certainly wouldn't have provided it because my finance company has all of that information and I don't have to complete it when I make my car Payment. I believe ChargeSmart should have to show proof that I visited their web site. Well, they probably know how to also create that. One more thing, I never talked to them and didn't ask them to terminate auto-pay because I cancelled that card and was satisfied they couldn't wipe out my checking. They did send me an e-mail advising me they had cancelled auto-pay, but I believe Revdex.com's inquiry prompted them to do so. Thank you for being so prompt in handling this from my 1st contact with you.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2015/07/02) */
The information provided in our original response was succinct and truthful. We regret that our customer is having such a difficult time understanding the nature of our business. We also stand by the belief that our original response directly explains and refutes any and all claims made by the customer. We consider the matter to be resolved.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/30) */
Hello,
We have used the provided customer information to check our records and unfortunately have no record of a ChargeSmart customer with the name, phone number, address, or email address provided. Additionally, we are unable to locate a...
Toyota Finance customer with the same last name or zip code. We take these matters very seriously and would be happy to investigate this customer's claim, should their grievance truly be with ChargeSmart and not another bill payment service. If the customer believes their account to be with ChargeSmart, we will require the name and/or phone number or email address on the ChargeSmart account.
Thank you
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The account is under my wife's name, [redacted]. Email address for the account is [redacted]@gmail.com
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/26) */
Thank you for providing the information that matches our records. The customer has used the ChargeSmart system to successfully make automated monthly auto loan payments since October of 2011. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller. In June of 2012 we see that a new card was added to the ChargeSmart account and was associated with the payment schedule with the assistance of one of our agents. At this time it was made clear that the payments were being handled by ChargeSmart, and not by the customer's loan servicer directly, had it not been known previously. All communications made to the customer via email and phone were done so as ChargeSmart in an effort to prevent confusion that we are directly affiliated with the billers to whom we submit payment.
While we do provide the tools necessary for our customers to independently add new payment cards and adjust payment schedules, it is common for customers to reach out to our support team for the peace of mind and confirmation that they can let their bills to be paid automatically without further effort. It appears that when the payment card associated with the automatic payment schedule expired in March of 2015, it was not replaced before the April payment attempt. When our system recognized that the chosen payment card had expired when attempting to make April's payment, we froze the automatic payment schedule and sent an email notice to prompt the addition of a new payment card.
After reviewing the customer's logs on our website, which are not made readily available to all support staff, as was the case on 6/29, we have uncovered the following information: When the new payment card was added to the ChargeSmart account, it was selected to be the default card, as the customer stated accurately. The status of default card simply designates that payment card to be the one that is presented by default when making new payments on a one-at-a-time basis. Our records indicate that our customer had also deleted the previously used card before setting the payment schedule to run using the new payment method. When the expired payment card was attempted to be deleted, we presented an on-screen pop-up message that reads:
"This payment method has a recurring payment associated with it. Please update the recurring payment before deleting this payment method."
This warning was not heeded and the card was deleted. The customer then visited the automatic payment schedule and saw that the automatic payment schedule was presenting the one and only payment card as the available funding source, as it was the only funding method. The next payment date was presenting the next day's date, as that was the next available payment date. This information would have needed to be saved in order for the payment schedule to be updated and unfrozen. This requirement for deliberate action on behalf of the customer is to prevent to the processing of payments unwantedly. No such action was taken, and the automatic payment schedule was left in its frozen state and no payments were scheduled to be made.
We understand that it may be confusing to follow a specific order of operations when manipulating an automatic payment schedule. Our support team is made available to assist a customer when needed, and to correct these mistakes before they result in payments not being made. We also understand that the customer feels it is our responsibility to reimburse three months of late fees, though it would have been evident after just one day that the payment schedule was not updated correctly. Simply reaching out to support or revisiting ChargeSmart would have shown that no payment had been scheduled or otherwise made. No payment confirmation emails would have been sent while the payment schedule was still in a frozen state, and no funds were withdrawn from the customer's payment account. The lack of evidence that payments are being made along with a surplus of funds in a bank account is often evidence enough for one of our customers to recognize that their payments have not been made. Prior to the bill not having been paid for three months, no communication was made to ChargeSmart to investigate the matter.
We truly regret that our customer, after having successfully used the system for such a long period of time, unsuccessfully updated their automatic payment schedule and failed to recognize or correct the matter for several months, accruing the previously mentioned late fees. Unfortunately we are unable to refund these late fees to the customer, as they were not charged by ChargeSmart, but by the customer's auto loan servicer. While ChargeSmart's tools make it easy and convenient for its customers to pay their bills automatically using a debit or credit card, it is the customer's responsibility to ensure that the service is used correctly and that payments are made to their biller(s) as required by any financing agreement. We regret that this matter was not recognized by the customer sooner, and that we were not given an opportunity to correct the matter sooner and prevent the accrual of three months of late fees. Please see that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and provided its services without fail when used correctly by the customer.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/07/28) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
As you can see in ChargeSmart's response, they recognized that I received the email about my credit card being set to expire, and that I added a new credit card and set it as my default card, as well as deleting the expired card. They then admit:
"We understand that it may be confusing to follow a specific order of operations when manipulating an automatic payment schedule."
This is my overall complaint. I did my very best to put in my new credit card and set it up as the card that makes the automatic payments. I did receive the warning that "This payment method has a recurring payment associated with it. Please update the recurring payment before deleting this payment method." When I put in my new credit card, I selected the bullet that made the new card the one that is used for the recurring payment, but it clearly did not work. That's a website malfunction. When I called ChargeSmart, as the person in the prior message suggested that I never did (and he also mentioned how friendly and helpful their customer assistance team is), the "supervisor" told me that it was my fault and it must have been some issue with MY web browser. His tone was basically the same as the previous message above: everything is my fault (and really, the tone in the message above tries to pain me as incompetent, which I surely am not when it comes to computers and using online service; I currently use many online service with automatic payments, and this is the only one I've ever had trouble with).
Thus, I do not accept ChargeSmart's response, and I am even more put off with them now after this response. The fact that they continued to "regret" that I was unable to act probably (or, "navigate" their system) shows an unnecessary stubbornness. And blaming me for not noticing right away that the payment didn't go through does not answer the problem of their malfunctioning, confusing website, which they themselves even admit is confusing.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2015/12/24) */
ChargeSmart has successfully reversed these payments from Duke Power and has issued a refund to the customer for both. Email refund confirmations have been provided to the customer for both payments. Please advise if further information is...
needed to show that ChargeSmart has fully reimbursed the customer for these unpostable payments.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 13, 2016/01/12) */
Ms. [redacted]
Am just now finding and reading the e-mail you sent on January 5, 2016.
I would like to advise you that ChargeSmart has returned all the money sent to Duke Energy in October, 2015 HAS BEEN RETURNED to me. I received the funds on December 24, 2015. I received the $140.00, $300.00 and both charge fees.
I want to thank you for handeling this and getting my funds returned to me.
You do not know how much I appreciate you and your assistance.
Again, the money has been returned to me and I am very grateful for all you have done to make sure this was taken care of.
As far as I know, this case can be close. Closed as successful.
Thank you and sincerely,
[redacted] A [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/11/04) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service. While it is true that are not directly affiliated with WE Energies, they do have the ability to contact us, should they choose to do so. It seems as though the WE Energies support agent with whom our customer spoke had not heard of our bill payment service before.
To address our customer's specific claims, we do not advertise a 24 hour service number. Our support hours are M-F between the hours of 8am and 6pm Pacific Standard Time. It is also clear that our customer incorrectly dialed our phone number, as it is a verifiable fact that we do not offer Caribbean cruises, nor do we solicit the age of our customers, nor do we offer free medical alert bracelets.
We show no record of our customer reaching our actual support number of XXX-XXX-XXXX, though we did receive an email request to cancel the payment on 10/13 after our business hours. Upon receipt of this email on 10/14, we promptly voided the customer's charge, as requested. No payment was received and no service was rendered. The ChargeSmart account has been closed, so that no further charges can be made.
We're truly puzzled by the customer's claim that our toll free number led to an offer for a Caribbean cruise or a medic alert bracelet. Anyone can, at any time, call our toll free number and verify that it leads to ChargeSmart and ChargeSmart only. Additionally, having fulfilled our customer's request to cancel the payment, we consider this matter to be resolved.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/19) */
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit or credit...
card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
ChargeSmart's website has a distinct green and gray color scheme with the ChargeSmart Bill Payments logo on every page in the upper left hand corner. ChargeSmart states on each page that it may or may not have any direct affiliation with the listed biller(s). These measures are taken to avoid any confusion that customers may experience in assuming that we are their biller, rather than a third party bill payment service. While it is true that we are not directly affiliated with Sheffield Financial, they do have the ability to contact us, should they choose to do so.
The customer visited our website on Saturday, August 8th and submitted a payment to Sheffield Financial in the amount of $225.00 with a service fee of $6.99. Also presented was the information that it takes 2-3 business days for a payment to post, which was noted on-screen and in our email receipt.
On Monday 8/10, our Risk team was motivated to cancel the customer's transaction, as its characteristics and the risks associated with accepting and remitting the transaction were deemed unacceptably high. We voided the transaction before it settled out of the customer's bank. We sent an email notice of the payment's cancellation, just as we had sent the payment's original receipt. When a payment is voided, the pending authorization will simply drop off anywhere between 1-5 business days, depending on the bank. The funds that were on hold with the bank would have been released to the balance of funds, or available credit within this time frame. We see that this void was accepted by the customer's issuing bank, that no funds were taken by ChargeSmart, and that no service was rendered. As such, there is no credit to be issued to the customer.
Feel free to reach out if further clarification is needed to show that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms of service. We apologize if there was any lack of clarity that the payment has long since been canceled, despite our best efforts to inform the customer of this information.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
On 8/18, after I submitted this compliant a company representative called me to let me know the funds were never withhold from my account as an email canceling the transaction was sent following the receipt. On the same day, I alerted my bank and requested that a hold be placed on the transaction; since, I never received the alleged cancellation email. I allowed ample time (10 days) for the transaction to clear my account before I called the biller to inquire the payment. This is the first and last time, I'll pay any biller indirectly.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 9, 2016/02/04) */
The payment did post, albeit 9 business days after payment was submitted and the day after the complaint was filed.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/14) */
It's unfortunate that we did not have the opportunity to speak with this customer before the complaint was submitted. We did have the pleasure of speaking with her on 4/10 and believe the customer's problem to be with a different business...
altogether.
While the customer did use ChargeSmart on 4/7 to make a payment to Highland County Water, the charge descriptor that appears on her bank statement does not read "Seattle Washington" or anything similar. The charge for this payment reads "SGS*Highland County Water" and also provides our customer support toll-free number. This payment was delivered to Highland County Water on 4/8 and was applied to the customer's provided account number.
ChargeSmart's support team received a call from the customer on 4/10, before our receipt of this complaint. One of our customer support representatives reviewed the details of the payment, confirmed the biller and account number to be the ones the customer intended, and that the payment had arrived at its destination as expected. To further research the matter with our customer, he then conference called a support representative from Highland County Water. The representative from the biller confirmed that the payment of $74.80 was received and had applied to the proper account, as originally requested, and within the anticipated timeframe of 2-3 business days.
It would appear that the customer made another payment to another company the same day, which appears to be experiencing a posting delay or has been directed to an incorrect biller altogether. It seems that the customer will be resolving that matter with her bank, as the offending payment does not have clear customer support contact information included on the statement.
We trust that this matter is resolved, as it pertains to ChargeSmart's delivery of services rendered, and look forward to our customer confirming that her grievance with ChargeSmart was reported in error. Additionally, we look forward to serving her in the future.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/30) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
Our customer, Mr. [redacted] submitted his payment to Sheffield Financial on 12/11, and was advised that his payment would post in 2-3 business days. His payment was confirmed to have been received by the biller on 12/14, the following business day. The date this case was opened was the second business day after submission, and likely the date the payment posted.
We spoke to Mr. [redacted] on 12/18 and confirmed the account number provided to have been correct. We believe this matter to have been prematurely reported, and also resolved. Please advise if further information is needed to show that ChargeSmart acted in accordance with its terms and conditions.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/17) */
Hello,
ChargeSmart is an online bill payment service that submits payments to a network of auto loan, mortgage, education loan, utility companies, and other miscellaneous biller types. We enable customers to submit payments funded by a debit...
or credit card to companies that normally do not accept this form of payment. We charge a service fee that varies depending on the biller and the amount because we are charged an interchange fee by the Card Networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Our fee is clearly displayed before a payment is submitted. ChargeSmart is an optional means of submitting payments. The customer always has the option of paying directly with the biller.
Our customer submitted a payment on Monday November 2nd and shortly thereafter tried to contact our customer support team by phone. We were experiencing a heavier-than-usual call volume on this Monday morning, within our first hour of the business day, and were unable to field this customer's call within a reasonable amount of holding time. When we have a heavy call volume, we ask that our customers provide us a number for a callback, or to leave a voicemail, both of which would be received and handled within the business day. We show that our customer did not choose one of these two options and was disconnected as a result, after approximately 10 minutes of holding. We also see that the customer called back and hung up almost immediately twice. We regret the inconvenience caused by this heavy call volume, but feel that our alternative contact methods provide a fair avenue to resolve customer issues in these cases.
We did not call the customer back, as no voicemail or callback request was made, and we did not receive any email request to cancel payment. As such, the payment was submitted to the biller as had been originally requested. Upon receipt of this complaint, we contact the customer's biller and reversed the payment. The payment was refunded in full, as was requested. We consider the matter to be resolved, as all customer requests have been fulfilled. Please let us know if any further clarification is needed to show that all requests were met as received.