Consumer complaint received 2024-05-25
Product: Prepaid card — General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card — Trouble using the card to pay a bill
Company: Incomm Holdings Inc. (CO)

XXXX. ) On XXXX  I purchased a prepaid Debit Gift Card at XXXX for {$300.00}. The card was a XXXX XXXX that could be used anywhere. 

2. ) Purpose was to pay an insurance payment that was past due/ cancelled, but would be reinstated as long as the payment was made by XXXX ( it was purchased at XXXX XXXX ). I arrived home at XXXX XXXX, contacted my agent to give the card information for payment. 

3. ) First attempt at XXXX was declined for {$300.00}. We tried {$290.00} ( the actual amount due ) which was declined also. I stated I would call the card company and get right back. 

4. ) Upon going online to XXXX after reading the information on the card cover, it stated I needed to " activate '' the card before using. I found that odd, as I'm fairly certain I've never had to do on that with any other prepaid cards or gift cards. I entered the card number, expiration date and the security code on the back. 

5. ) I was taken to a screen that showed the {$300.00} deposit. I also contacted the number on the back of the card and entered the card number into their phone system. I was given a message that the funds would be available in 23 minutes. This was right close to XXXX. 

6. ) I then contacted my agents office again giving the info that the funds were there but not available until right before XXXX. I have the card number again, expiration date and the security code on the back. She indicated she'd run the card at XXXX and let me know if it was successful or not. 

7. ) I received a call at XXXX which was right when the recording said it was active and funds available. However, we tried 3 to different times, ( 1 for {$300.00}, 1 for {$290.00}, and 1 for {$100.00} ). All declined and one stating insufficient funds. 

8. ) I, once again, pull up the web page for securespend, enter my card number, expiration date and security code.. the next screen shows transactions, which showed a " pending '' payment to my insurance company, and with an account balance of {$0.00} ( the card was supposedly run for {$300.00} ). 

8a. ) when I asked the agent at XXXX how American Family didn't get an approval, it was declined every attempt they made, yet, the card activity shows the pending charge... He told me they must have had a computer error, but that it was their problem, not the card company. I also asked what time the " pending '' charge shows ; he stated it shows it at XXXX ( which I assumed was eastern standard time as the office was in Georgia XXXX. Keeping that in mind, that would be XXXXXXXX XXXX. My insurance agent called me at XXXX and we tried again. DECLINED!! I said, it's going to because I show you already charged it.. she said that, no, all attempted charges were declined. And, she hadn't attempted any charges without me on the phone. We weren't on the phone at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

9. ) My agent at XXXX puts me on hold as she contacts the corporate office to see if maybe they were seeing the charge and the answer was the same. All transactions they attempted were " DECLINED '' ... 

10. ) I contacted XXXX once again, the telling them what my agents office told me, that there was no way it went thru, all were declined. I was told by an agent that, my insurance had processed it wrong but if it didn't actually " post '' by the XXXX, the money would be back on my card ( I was told the XXXX once, the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

11. ) The final time I called the card company, I asked to speak with an agent in the US., and was told they didn't have any. That I need not worry, the money would be back if not processed by the XXXX .... I informed that agent that I couldn't wait, because the payment had to be completed by XXXX XXXX or my policy would not be available to reinstate for the price I was paying. 

12. ) I contacted my insurance company 's corporate office again, at which time I was told that since the payment didn't go thru, I had to pay the old balance of {$250.00}, PLUS XXXX XXXX because it couldn't be " reinstated '' but rewritten at a much higher cost. 

13. ) I called the card company one last time, told him that I did my part, and after reading so many reports of similar incidents from other customers, and because they screwed up, I'd be paying basically double and I wanted that included in my " refund ''.. 

So, Monday is a XXXX not only do I have to wait until Tuesday to even contact my insurance agent to beg to reinstate at {$290.00} not XXXX XXXX 

14. ) Prior to my final call to the card company, I did research to see if there were other instances and how other consumers handled it. I found several other instances where consumers had lost their money in similar ways as I did. So, this isn't an isolated problem. It's happened as far back as XXXX. When I stated I found other consumers with very similar issues and complaints, he just said I'd have to wait for the *pending '' charge to fall off. I purchased this prepaid card to pay a bill. I trusted and counted on it working as other prepaid cards have in the past. Instead, I'm stressed out, I'm not insured to drive and at this point, there's been zero resolve on a long XXXX weekend. 

15. ) it's now Saturday XXXX at XXXX, balance hasn't changed and the card still shows it as pending.. 

I'll send an update if anything pertinent happens.