getting shafted by credit card company.

[kazste]

Wondering if anyone can help me. Got problem with my last statement. There is a payment of £49 from a company called pier 7 who I have never heard of and is based in market harborough, this payment was apparently a chip and pin confirmed payment which apparently means I must of been present. However I know for certain that on the date in question I was playing golf all day. The credit card company won't investigate it as fraudulent as they are adamant I must of been there and won't listen to the fact that I have approx 20 witnesses to me playing golf as it was a corporate day. Cannot find any info on this company on what they sell or a phone number nor can the credit card company.

My thought is that if it is something I have bought then obviously i should pay for it. But I have racked my brain and gone through receipts for a fortnight back in case I had bought something from a shop and the market harborough place was there billing address but nothing found. Seeing as I am very confident that this was not a purchase made by myself but the credit card company insist I have as apparently it is impossible to duplicate a chip and pin card what are my options?
They suggest I go to the police but thinking they won't be interested due to the low value, but also thinking that I thought I was protected from this kind of thing with a credit card as it is not my money being used.

Thanks for reading my long winded post, any thoughts appreciated and have a good day.

[skip_1]

Definitely not from a few days prior?

[kazste]

not as far as i can think £49 is such a round number that its not petrol, meal,food anything like that its something that i went out to buy. I have never been to market harbourough so the only way it was me is if i bought something from elsewhere and that is what shows up on their bills.
have checked all the reciepts that i have and cannot find anything for that value going back a fortnight, however the credit card company were adament that the sale happened on the day i was playing golf and even gave me the exact time of sale. they then back tracked when i stated i could provide proof that i could not of been in that area on the day and time in question.

[skip_1]

That's outrageous. I'd be changing my credit card company, or if not at least getting it cancelled and a new one sent out. I'm sure someone will be on in the morning who can tell you where you stand legally.

[kazste]

thanks, i have already beeen given a new card due to some other security issues with the card which are apprently completely unrelated. but yes the plan is to pay the few hundred on it off and cancel it.

did ask the question what would happen if in my next bill the payment was there again, and was advised that as long as i dont buy anything from the shop then it wont be! at that point i lost all faith in this being resolved in my favour

[tank slapper]

Pier 7 Limited has a registered office here

PIER 7 LIMITED
UNIT 24 ST MARYS PLACE
MARKET HARBOROUGH
LEICESTERSHIRE
LE16 7DR

according to companies house.

If it helps jog your memory, they appear to be some sort of trading company from a quick search on google:

http://www.tradekey.com/profile_view/uid/1721102/P...

I wouldn't take the credit card company's initial response - if you are certain you didn't make the transaction, then try to get the complaint escalated to someone more senior. They might waive it, but if they are digging their heels in then refer it to the financial ombudsman service. The problem is that they will assume that their system is entirely secure, and that the only way for the transaction to have occurred is for you (or someone else) to have done it using your card and PIN.

[kazste]

Had a look on Google street view, cannot see the exact building but I definitely haven't been there. Using your link it looks as though they are some kind of fish wholesaler I have definitely not bought anything along these lines.
Thanks for the link all I could find is some experian credit reports which would cost me money to look at and not sure that they would tell me what I need to know.

[tank slapper]

The registered office might not be where they trade from, so it is possible they have an outlet elsewhere.

You could always get details of directors etc. from companies house for about £1. It would be a bit odd for a company not to have a phone number listed somewhere.

[V8mate]

The charge date on a statement is arrely the transaction date - can be up to 10 days out depending on the processes of the vendor.

The location could be irrelevant too - the purchase could have been via a website.

[KaraK]

If it's chip and pin then it can't have been done through a website. Unfortunately I'd say your looking pretty screwed, the true "joy" of chip and pin is that keeping the pin "secure" is your problem (ie the cardholder)

[andy400]

I'm often getting flashed up about charges on my cards that I don't recognise at all. When I investigate, it usually turns out to be something I have definitely ordered, but the company name that charges my card bears absolutely no relation whatsoever to the item I bought, or the name of the company I bought it from. Annoying.

Most recent was from 'Dovetail Services, Sittingbourne' for an online magazine subscription. No link at all! Foxed me for a while...

(Yes, I know I should probably keep better records, trying to sort this. I've always preferred to check the statements against memory/receipts)

[dougc]

tank slapper said:

Pier 7 Limited has a registered office here

PIER 7 LIMITED
UNIT 24 ST MARYS PLACE
MARKET HARBOROUGH
LEICESTERSHIRE
LE16 7DR

according to companies house.

If it helps jog your memory, they appear to be some sort of trading company from a quick search on google:

http://www.tradekey.com/profile_view/uid/1721102/P...

I wouldn't take the credit card company's initial response - if you are certain you didn't make the transaction, then try to get the complaint escalated to someone more senior. They might waive it, but if they are digging their heels in then refer it to the financial ombudsman service. The problem is that they will assume that their system is entirely secure, and that the only way for the transaction to have occurred is for you (or someone else) to have done it using your card and PIN.

If you google that address you get a listing for 'Coombs & Son (Bakers) Ltd'

[JMGS4]

kazste said:

but the credit card company insist I have as apparently it is impossible to duplicate a chip and pin card

Thats a load of bks they're talking there!!! Chip and Pins have been used here in Germany for about 7 years now, they often get cloned........!!!!

Have you bought anything from a Pakistani petrol station??? They seem to be the main culprits in GB!!
They tried this on me with a swiss CC, caught them at it trying to swipe it through a separate reader, then I noticed the ceiling camera pointing at the touchpad... called BiB immediately and they arrived promptly to arrest the cashier! Apparently this petrolstation was known for that!

[Mr E]

kazste said:

The credit card company won't investigate it as fraudulent

Don't quite understand this. You tell them you dispute the charge and they must investigate? It's the way it's always worked for me.

[davemac250]

JMGS4 said:

kazste said:

but the credit card company insist I have as apparently it is impossible to duplicate a chip and pin card

Thats a load of bks they're talking there!!! Chip and Pins have been used here in Germany for about 7 years now, they often get cloned........!!!!

Have you bought anything from any petrol station??? They seem to be the main culprits in GB!!
They tried this on me with a swiss CC, caught them at it trying to swipe it through a separate reader, then I noticed the ceiling camera pointing at the touchpad... called BiB immediately and they arrived promptly to arrest the cashier! Apparently this petrolstation was known for that!

EFA - but basically this.

Had mine cloned, normally they test the clone on very (£2-£3) purchases for things like bus tickets.

Trawl back through statements and see if there is anything like that.

Mine came to light as the card was used twice for bus tickets in Wigan or some other grey soulless place (;)) and was processed. First I knew was later the same month I got a call to ask if I was in the US trying to buy a car (I was actually in the bank in Lux at the time, which made that an easy conversation!).

All were C&P transactions.

[FamilyGuy]

As already stated, the date and company name and location often bear no relation to when, where and who you thought you'd bought from. I've challenged several purchases on my bills and they've all come back genuine. (apart from the online gambling ones from Tenneriffe...)

[NDA]

FamilyGuy said:

As already stated, the date and company name and location often bear no relation to when, where and who you thought you'd bought from. I've challenged several purchases on my bills and they've all come back genuine.

I've experienced this too. It could be that Pier 7 are the transaction handlers for the pro shop at the golf club - they're probably not, but it can happen.

As above, if you dispute a charge on your card, they should deal with this properly.

[kazste]

They are adamant that it is a purchase I have made,and this is the reason they will not consider it to be fraud. my issue is there unwillingness to find out more info about the company, as surely of it is legitimately then a phone call or some form of contact along the lines of what is this payment for should solve it. I have sent them a letter just, asking them this bit can't help but feel that it would be took more seriously of the NBA (sorry I mean credit card company don't know why I mentioned sports) contacted them. Did not use the pro shop at the golf club otherwise yes I would just assume this.

Also looking at the data found they seem to some sort of fish wholesalers and I certainly haven't bought £49 worth of halibut.

Last point is that they were also adamant that it was THE physical store that I had been into and not just a trading address until I mentioned the 20 odd people from work and existence of cctv cameras at the golf club which would prove it could not be me. Only then (about 15 mins into the call) did they come up with the other option which then made it sound less believable.

I do understand their problem as they cannot just wipe the debt everytime someone says they don't recognise a payment as this would quickly ne abused by others, however I do feel that surely they have some duty of care in this as they should have greater resources to be able to find out the information.

I just hope I get a letter back from pier 7 and I recognise a purchase from them.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

[Herbie58]

It will no doubt transpire that pier7 are some holding company for an insurance that you didn't sign up for but failed to tick the box on some form six months ago saying you didn't want it and you're now liable for three years payment for bugger all.

[rich1231]

C&P was flawed and the banks knew it on day one. I worked with one of the teams had alternate solutions and they provided all sorts of scenarios where it was useless.

Be firm with the Bank, I know a Anti Card Fraud Guru that I can ask what to say to the bank and have a card services Chargeback/Fraud team member working for me at the moment I can ask so email me and I will ask them what you can do.