Nov 11, 2008 05:26 PM
2360 Views
This time its CITIBANK
Now this is kind off strange. I walk into a shop in Borivali to buy some stuff for my 2yr old niece. I like a cute jacket and swipe my debit card, full ekta kapoor double take. The shopkeeper gets no authorization slip but I get a message from ICICI bank that the amount has been debited.
So the shopkeeper calls merchant service and they confuse the poor fellow till his eye whites starts showing. Just before he starts frothing I take over the call and ask them 100000 questions in English... that was fun........ the rep gets confused. She first tells me that the transaction is VOID and that the amount will be credited in 21 days, standard procedure.
So all in all as a merchant shopkeeper for Mortals a shopkeeper has to tell a customer that due to an error with his bank and their machine, the customers amount has been deducted but he cant give the stuff the customer bought and the customer will get the money credited post 21 days. If hadn’t been on the call myself and if the shopkeeper would have told this to me. I would have fought tooth and claw and taken cash from him, but in this case I had to be the bearer of the sad news myself and hence had to empathize with the poor fellow. Then I turn on the heat and start grilling the rep from CITI and asking for a manager.
She goes on hold and post 1 min starts singing a different tune...She apparently checked again and this time the update is : The transaction is successful and the money will be credited to the customers account tomorrow and then the shopkeeper can either complete the transaction by giving me my stuff or cancel transaction and process immediate refund.
Personally I didn’t believe the post interval information. It was like Himesh Reshamiya crooning nasally and suddenly sounding like Kishore Kumar singing Ek Hasina Thi. So I am going to do what most rattle snakes do. Wait till tomorrow and if things don’t work out to my favor will strike
Word of caution: If you are using your card and if the Merchant doesn't get an auth slip. first check with your bank if the amount has gone through otherwise you land up paying double. Best get a sms alert activated now
See you till I have more to say
