St. Vincent de Paul Card $30 Charge -- UPDATE

[astral]

I did not know this topic would be 'archived,' and I don't know that that means, so I am starting a new topic to update the forum on this.

The store DOES have a sign saying they charge $30 for a $4 blanket, which I saw first-hand yesterday. I'll tell you about where the sign was posted, too. I was not too interested in voice contact with the woman at the counter, who I am pretty sure was the same woman working the Saturday my mom went there, as I find the whole thing very upsetting. But I could not 'keep my mouth shut,' either. I searched my purse for a piece of paper to write on and found an empty window envelope and tore the window half off and wrote the store a note saying what happened to my mother and that it should be posted in plain sight and that it was illegal.

I set the note on the counter next to the woman working there without saying a word and walked off, she was helping other customers anyway. Chicken-sh** of me? Yes, but I felt a sense of relief that I did it and I felt it was only fair to let them know I was not happy and not going to be quiet about the matter.

So, I went to the store b/c a friend I was with wanted to go browsing, I told her about my mom and that I was going to have to 'boycott' the store and not buy anything there, but we went in anyway. I searched the counter and walls around the cash register but could see no sign posted. I went outside and looked at the walls / doors and still saw nothing, however one door was propped all the way open against the wall and after peaking around the door I saw there WAS a sign there, FACING THE WALL.

The sign said that as of September 1, 2009, all card purchases for under $10 will be assessed a $30 fee.

I believe I had posted here previously that I had played voicemail tag with St. Vinny's on the day it happened (Sept. 5) after I found out from my mom. After I left a voicemail describing what happened someone named "Ken" who did not leave a last name or title or contact number, left me a voicemail back saying that this couldn't be, they would not do such a thing, and perhaps it was a THIRTY CENT charge that accidentally got entered as $30.00.

I left him one more voicemail stating there was no question my mother spoke to the woman about the amount of the charge, and heard nothing back from them after that.

I am not dissing this organization as a whole, only the local people running it who are blatantly breaking the law.

Once again, I guess I'm just venting here (as well as giving a 'heads up!' but I am also going to follow up this "posted sign" information with other agencies who I believe should be notified.

[hedgehog]

1. Many stores post that they will not accept credit cards below a certain

amount. This is because the store pays a fee to the credit card company each time it engages in a credit transaction . (Wonderful isn't it? The bank charges you interest for borrowing and the store for allowing you to use borrowed money) . In any case, if the store loses money for small transactions, it should just refuse credit cards for small transactions. Anyone could miss seeing a sign and end up with sticker shock.

[PeaceNikki]

7. The merchant is charged a percentage of the transaction, not flat-fee per transaction.

It's usually 2-5%. They only "lose" money if they have razor-thin margins. Being a thrift store, all their merchandise is donated, so they really don't lose anything.

And, as another poster pointed out, they are likely violating their contract with their processor:
http://www.corporate.visa.com/ut/faq.jsp

[beyurslf]

2. Why woudln't they just refuse cards fopr small purchases? Many stores do that

and I think $10 is a common amount. If they really wanted to charge for it, they should charge a percent or just an amount up to $10. 30 bucks is crazy!

[Daisymae97]

9. You are all correct...this so breaks the rules

I work in the merchant card processing industry. If a store advertises that it accepts Visa/Mastercard-they cannot refuse to take a card-even for the smallest amount. Also, they cannot assess any type of service charge in excess of the total sale. This does not apply to certain industries when paying bills online or by phone (they can and do charge a "convenience" fee). That being said, I know that gas stations were offering a two price structure-cash or credit. I think that each state can regulate this. When gas prices were so high, a gas station could actually be losing money on a credit card sale for a small amount of money. But regular retailers (and this would qualify) have specific rules to adhere to-and they are breaking them. I would initiate a charge back and at the same time have your mom report them to her credit card company. They will lose their processing privileges but in this case I really feel they should.

[DoctorMyEyes]

3. They cannot do that

Call your mother's Visa/MC (whoever!) and do a chargeback and explain to them why. No business that accepts credit cards is allowed to charge a surcharge or state that they have a minimum for using the credit card. It's a violation of the policy they agree to in order to accept credit card payments. Whether they know it or not they are in violation of their service agreement and could lose their merchant account.


edited to add link:
http://fso.cpasitesolutions.com/Premium/LE/06_le_ic/fg/fg-merchants.html

[MissB]

6. This. Exactly. Anyone that has a visa/mastercard machine knows this.

[Kaleva]

4. While not illegal in many states, MasterCard and Visa prohibit the practice

Your best bet would be to contact your mother's credit card company.

[marew]

5. What city?

There's one downtown here, in FL. I'll have to go check. That's outrageous!

[DesertFlower]

8. for about the last year, they charge

you $10 to come and pick up your donatable items. i always put the $10 on my credit card without a problem.

[GodlyDemocrat]

10. Dispute with the credit card company and then sue their asses for credit card fraud