Consumer complaint received 2023-05-25
Company: FISERV INC.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
On XX/XX/23, I shopped at XXXX 's Feed in XXXX XXXX, CA. At the register, I had a gift card and I asked if I could pay the balance with my personal check and the answer was yes to both. As I handed the gift to the cashier and then a check, I was given a registered receipt as to the payments and that it stated clearly the {$50.00} gift card and a check written for XXXX. Before completion of this transaction, the cashier went to the Telecheck approval device to get approval for the check. The cashier entered the full amount of my transaction of {$110.00}, and Telecheck approved my check even though the cashier entered the wrong amount. I was not aware of what she did, but my gift card of {$50.00} was pocketed by the cashier. 

I left for home and I was NOT aware of what had just happened to me. But when balancing my checking book a week later, that check I used at XXXX 's Feed, my checking account had a withdrawal of the full amount of my purchase of {$110.00}, when the check was clearly written for {$60.00}. Of course, I went to my bank, and a Written Statement of Unauthorized Debit ( ACH ) was completed. The amount of {$110.00} was deposited back into my account, but I KNEW I owed the balance of {$60.00} to XXXX 's Feed. I then get a collection letter from Telecheck/TRS Recovery Services for the amount of {$110.00}, as XXXX 's XXXX sent me to collections. 

I was extremely upset because of this, as I was cheated out of my {$50.00} gift card, I had in good faith paid the balance I owed XXXX 's Feed at the time of my transition, and now they send me to collections. What's wrong with this world today? Does no XXXX call to talk? No one works together to resolve a problem. I drove down to XXXX 's Feed and I had gathered together all my documents. Clearly, this was their fault, not mine but I want to pay what I owed. XXXX 's Feed 's management met me at the register counter and I shared ALL my documents. At first, they refused to be involved at all and if I didn't make them be involved I was going to end up paying for something I didn't owe for. XXXX 's Feed made copies of my paperwork and said it would take a week as they needed to go back into their database. I wasn't happy about this because, I wanted to pay them the balance I owed, for them to clear this with Telecheck and clear my good name. 

What happened next I was NOT prepared for. I called XXXX 's Feed a week later, as they hadn't contacted me. I was told, they had explained this to Telecheck, and I should wait for a letter from Telecheck, which I NEVER got. ( XX/XX/23 ). But now whenever I used my personal check to shop at my local retail stores, my checks were not processing at all. 

We have had our checking accounts for 20 years, and we have NEVER had any issues ( writing checks for nearly 50 years ). It was embarrassing, and humiliating as you stay at the checkout, with long lines of people behind you, and as there were lots of funds in our checking accounts ( {$10000.00} ), our checks like always before should have gone through without issues. We never wrote checks for anything if we did not have monies in our checking accounts. I would finally get a receipt from the cashier with a reference number and call Telecheck. I would call Telecechk, provide them with the reference number, I would be on the phone for nearly 40 minutes. I would ask why the check was declined, and I would NOT get an answer, but I had to answer lots of questions. When I did get a response to my question as to why, I would be told our information had to be updated. Then the representative tells me I can go back in to use a check and it would be approved. 

What's the point, I either left stuff at the register or used a credit card which do not like to do. My husband & I were abused by Telecheck. This went on each time I went about our normal lives, shopping and paying by check, as this harassment was at least once if not twice a week or twice in one day. In one call I made to Telecheck the representative asked to put me on hold so she could talk to her manager. I guess so, but at that moment, my husband 's phone rang as he was in the room with me because I was crying, and it was the SAME representative who called my husband to ask him if I had his PERMISSION to write checks! What! I was floored. She got back on the phone with me to say everything was alright and we could use our checks as they would approve them. I then asked her this manager she called, it was my husband because he had it on speaker phone and it was her. She refused to answer our question but told me our checks are good, no problem. 

Why is Telecheck not being regulated? Why are they allowed to harass, and use unethical tactics, such as calling my husband, yet, importantly, as this has been ongoing for the last 3 months, several of these calls, the representative ( XXXX ) did tell us that they CAN FREEZE our checking account and they did. My husband was on the team for XXXX XXXX fraud/development and shot right back to them, that Telecheck CAN NOT freeze our checking accounts as they have no authority to do so.

This has caused me emotional distress as now I panicked when I went shopping and did stop shopping for several weeks. The last call was made to Telecheck after I tried to use our personal check, I left the items at the register, and my husband walked me out of the store, but I sat in the car asking him not to drive and I called Telecheck. This was another 40-minute call, but now I learned that besides that declined our check, and told the account was locked, and I was NOT to write any more checks. This is abuse. 

The representative told me I was in collections and I owed XXXX 's Feed {$60.00} and until I pay this amount, I can not use our personal checks ( XX/XX/23 ). That destroyed me as now this has been two months and entering into XXXX, Telecheck has a chokehold on us. 

I called XXXX XX/XX/23 to finally pay the amount that I had originally paid back on XX/XX/23. The representative again told me, XXXX 's Feed had put me in collections because I owed them {$60.00}, yes, I had paid this back on XX/XX/23, but their cashier, which I didn't realize had taken my gift card of {$50.00}, and did enter the full amount of purchase which I feel as stealing from me but from the store as well. 

I was told not to use any checks for at least a week until Telecheck completed this debt I owed to XXXX 's Feed. My husband & I are elderly, we in our lives had always used checks to pay when shopping or our bills. 

Back in the day, shop owners were approachable, or at least they wanted you to be their customer and would help you when there were issues with products or payments. I guess nowadays, business owners don't care, and for the last 4 months now going on now for 5 months, we are flabbergasted, as Telecheck can do whatever they want to those who are caught up in collections, threaten you, freeze your checking account ( where our social security checks go to ), making it difficult, calling your husband as if he's Telecheck management.

I now suffer emotional distress, and some sleepless nights as each time we call Telecheck, it's repeats of answering the same questions, nothing makes any sense and we can write a check, maybe write another to another store, and be declined once again. 
My husband & I CAN NOT cope with this any further as we are good people, but freezing our checking, preventing us from our daily lives is wrong.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation