I hate Walmart
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So, last day in Dallas today. Been an OK trip, although I've been quite ill for a few days. We went to Walmart, I always check out the t-shirts, and buy some stuff for the kids. Got to the checkout, swipe my AMEX, it asks for the 'three digit code on the back'. Two issues. 1 - my Westpac card has the code on the front, which generates ALL sorts of arguments with the people running the checkouts when issues arise 2 - ALL Amex cards have FOUR digit codes. So, the machine asks for a code, I try to enter the last 3, and it asks me to sign, then says 'rejected'. I try my Mastercard ( same account ), does not ask for code, but, rejected. I try my EFTPOS card. Rejected. I try my debit VISA ( which is a different bank ). Rejected. All these cards work at target, at best buy, at starbucks, etc. I ended up getting the half of my order that I had cash for on me. This morning I go to buy medicine ( I am sick, remember ? ). My card does not work. Thankfully, I have enough cash, but I call my bank. No, they blocked my card due to suspicious transactions. Which ones ? The 8-10 that were sent by Walmart while they tried to make my card ( which is fine ) work with their system ( which apparently is not ).
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
That's OK. Everybody in the US with an IQ above that required for spontaneous respiration hates them too. We'll convert you to a Yank yet!
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Dave Kreskowiak -
I have boycotted Walmart, they suck on so many levels.
VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.1 ToDo Manager Extension Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.
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Herein lies the issue. My Visa or Mastercard has, on the back, the number, plus three additional digits. My AMEX does not. So I guess it's a difference because my card is not from AMEX, but a bank. But, why does AMEX have two security codes ? My mastercard is the same card as my AMEX, so once the AMEX was blocked, my mastercard was blocked. Yeah, I've seen the plastic bag trick, too :-)
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
Christian Graus wrote:
So I guess it's a difference because my card is not from AMEX, but a bank.
Yep, I bet that's it. Yeah, I guess you are screwed on using it at Wall-land then. Yeah, and since they are tied that would have locked them down I bet. Unfortunate.
Christian Graus wrote:
Yeah, I've seen the plastic bag trick, too :)
Weird right?
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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Sure fire way to get a card blocked, or at least a call from the bank (at least here in the US, mentioned by John Dvorak on This Week in Tech AFTER it had happened to me once): 1. Buy a pair (or two) of shoes. 2. Fill more than one tank of gas on the same card within an hour or so of doing #1 3. Wait for call from bank. The reason? A common pattern for stolen or "found" CC's is that it's by teenagers who then go buy "nice" basketball shoes, then fill up the gas tanks of their car and their friends. I did also get a temporary block when my card was used to book three different hotels in South Korea in three nights. Only problem was that it was actually me on a business trip (and our company has something against business CC's). The first two hotels were on the same block in Seoul, which I'm sure looked odd but was due to scarce rooms during the G20 summit, which was NOT my reason for being there. That's when I learned the "Warn your CC company before you go overseas" rule :) It's actually nice to know the companies know what suspicious activity to look for, though it could get annoying if they get overzealous with it.
Look at me still talking when there's science to do When I look out there it makes me glad I'm not you
David Kentley wrote:
Buy a pair (or two) of shoes
This actually happened to me. I saw two purchases for the same exact amount (around $75 each) from a shoe store in a different state (in a city over 8 hours away) within minutes of another purchase I made in my location (though I may have made my purchase with a different credit card, through the same bank). I had to call them to have them cancel those purchases. They have stopped my cards from working multiple times, but I don't think they've ever stopped a real fraudulent charge.
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Christian Graus wrote:
So I guess it's a difference because my card is not from AMEX, but a bank.
Yep, I bet that's it. Yeah, I guess you are screwed on using it at Wall-land then. Yeah, and since they are tied that would have locked them down I bet. Unfortunate.
Christian Graus wrote:
Yeah, I've seen the plastic bag trick, too :)
Weird right?
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
Yeah, I don't know the logic behind the bag trick, but it seems to work, sometimes. Or perhaps a bag makes no difference at all, but when a card needs to be swiped several times before it works, random reinforcement has caused folks to believe it works....
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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So, last day in Dallas today. Been an OK trip, although I've been quite ill for a few days. We went to Walmart, I always check out the t-shirts, and buy some stuff for the kids. Got to the checkout, swipe my AMEX, it asks for the 'three digit code on the back'. Two issues. 1 - my Westpac card has the code on the front, which generates ALL sorts of arguments with the people running the checkouts when issues arise 2 - ALL Amex cards have FOUR digit codes. So, the machine asks for a code, I try to enter the last 3, and it asks me to sign, then says 'rejected'. I try my Mastercard ( same account ), does not ask for code, but, rejected. I try my EFTPOS card. Rejected. I try my debit VISA ( which is a different bank ). Rejected. All these cards work at target, at best buy, at starbucks, etc. I ended up getting the half of my order that I had cash for on me. This morning I go to buy medicine ( I am sick, remember ? ). My card does not work. Thankfully, I have enough cash, but I call my bank. No, they blocked my card due to suspicious transactions. Which ones ? The 8-10 that were sent by Walmart while they tried to make my card ( which is fine ) work with their system ( which apparently is not ).
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
A little over a month ago I came back from a trip to Colombia and Malaysia and used my cards with no problem. Then, the week after I got back, I bought something in Austin, TX and then went to see a movie with my wife. Wouldn't you know, they did contact me to see if the stuff I bought in Austin and the movie tickets were legit. On the other hand, my son-in-law had all of his cards copied somehow. He never lost the cards - they were all still in his wallet, but the WalMart did put a hold and the bank notified him within an hour or so of the first one. According to the police in Houston, there's been a rash of that going on, so the banks and stores are overly vigilant. If it had been your card that was indeed being used illegally, I'm pretty sure you'd be happy they didn't accept the card.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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A little over a month ago I came back from a trip to Colombia and Malaysia and used my cards with no problem. Then, the week after I got back, I bought something in Austin, TX and then went to see a movie with my wife. Wouldn't you know, they did contact me to see if the stuff I bought in Austin and the movie tickets were legit. On the other hand, my son-in-law had all of his cards copied somehow. He never lost the cards - they were all still in his wallet, but the WalMart did put a hold and the bank notified him within an hour or so of the first one. According to the police in Houston, there's been a rash of that going on, so the banks and stores are overly vigilant. If it had been your card that was indeed being used illegally, I'm pretty sure you'd be happy they didn't accept the card.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
If it had been your card that was indeed being used illegally, I'm pretty sure you'd be happy they didn't accept the card.
of course, but it's like all security systems. I stood in a store, in the US, with my credit card and with id. I'd used this card all over Dallas before that night. No matter what I did, my card was rejected, and then blocked. No amount of 'if it was a false transaction' changes the fact that it wasn't, and the system stopped me from using my card in the manner for which it is intended.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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Yeah, I don't know the logic behind the bag trick, but it seems to work, sometimes. Or perhaps a bag makes no difference at all, but when a card needs to be swiped several times before it works, random reinforcement has caused folks to believe it works....
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
At the dining halls in college, they swiped our student IDs to let us in. Sometimes if it didn't work, they would wrap the magnetic strip with a piece of paper, and that seemed to work... One of the weirdest things I've ever encountered, but it almost always worked.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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So, last day in Dallas today. Been an OK trip, although I've been quite ill for a few days. We went to Walmart, I always check out the t-shirts, and buy some stuff for the kids. Got to the checkout, swipe my AMEX, it asks for the 'three digit code on the back'. Two issues. 1 - my Westpac card has the code on the front, which generates ALL sorts of arguments with the people running the checkouts when issues arise 2 - ALL Amex cards have FOUR digit codes. So, the machine asks for a code, I try to enter the last 3, and it asks me to sign, then says 'rejected'. I try my Mastercard ( same account ), does not ask for code, but, rejected. I try my EFTPOS card. Rejected. I try my debit VISA ( which is a different bank ). Rejected. All these cards work at target, at best buy, at starbucks, etc. I ended up getting the half of my order that I had cash for on me. This morning I go to buy medicine ( I am sick, remember ? ). My card does not work. Thankfully, I have enough cash, but I call my bank. No, they blocked my card due to suspicious transactions. Which ones ? The 8-10 that were sent by Walmart while they tried to make my card ( which is fine ) work with their system ( which apparently is not ).
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
My local Walmarts and a local grocery store chain have switched to Google Wallet POS terminals. They are slick, but how Google is involved is a mystery to me.
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True but given this was before internet shopping...
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Herein lies the issue. My Visa or Mastercard has, on the back, the number, plus three additional digits. My AMEX does not. So I guess it's a difference because my card is not from AMEX, but a bank. But, why does AMEX have two security codes ? My mastercard is the same card as my AMEX, so once the AMEX was blocked, my mastercard was blocked. Yeah, I've seen the plastic bag trick, too :-)
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
Christian Graus wrote:
Herein lies the issue. My Visa or Mastercard has, on the back, the number, plus three additional digits. My AMEX does not.
Pretty sure all of the major cards have "security" codes. MC and Visa are 3 digits and on the back. AMEX is 4 digits on the front.
Christian Graus wrote:
My mastercard is the same card as my AMEX
Not sure what that means. AMEX is an independent entity from Visa\MC and the processing is done differently. Maybe your bank issued both cards but they are only a service provider for the account.
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Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
If it had been your card that was indeed being used illegally, I'm pretty sure you'd be happy they didn't accept the card.
of course, but it's like all security systems. I stood in a store, in the US, with my credit card and with id. I'd used this card all over Dallas before that night. No matter what I did, my card was rejected, and then blocked. No amount of 'if it was a false transaction' changes the fact that it wasn't, and the system stopped me from using my card in the manner for which it is intended.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
So, are you implying that WalMart had all of the information on all of your accounts before you got there? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I was under the impression your bank or a clearing house handled that for most of the major retailers. In my case, every time a card was rejected, it was my bank that caused the rejection. Once in Bolivia I had to call my bank to get them to clear a purchase. They have instructions on the back of my cards how to contact the bank by calling collect when out of the country.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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So, last day in Dallas today. Been an OK trip, although I've been quite ill for a few days. We went to Walmart, I always check out the t-shirts, and buy some stuff for the kids. Got to the checkout, swipe my AMEX, it asks for the 'three digit code on the back'. Two issues. 1 - my Westpac card has the code on the front, which generates ALL sorts of arguments with the people running the checkouts when issues arise 2 - ALL Amex cards have FOUR digit codes. So, the machine asks for a code, I try to enter the last 3, and it asks me to sign, then says 'rejected'. I try my Mastercard ( same account ), does not ask for code, but, rejected. I try my EFTPOS card. Rejected. I try my debit VISA ( which is a different bank ). Rejected. All these cards work at target, at best buy, at starbucks, etc. I ended up getting the half of my order that I had cash for on me. This morning I go to buy medicine ( I am sick, remember ? ). My card does not work. Thankfully, I have enough cash, but I call my bank. No, they blocked my card due to suspicious transactions. Which ones ? The 8-10 that were sent by Walmart while they tried to make my card ( which is fine ) work with their system ( which apparently is not ).
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
I concur, at least as far as their credit card handling. Sam's Club came to town a few years ago, and I love the place. But my Visa card takes 30 - 40 tries to get through their readers, which rightly annoys the people behind me, but annoys me even more! The checkers' solution is always to rub my card vigorously with something inappropriate, like a plastic bag or a wool sweater, and try again. I've had two cards completely destroyed there that way. Someone really needs to explain to these idiots how mag stripes and mag stripe readers work, and stop working when static charges from wool sweaters and plastic bags scramble the magnetic domain alignments of the ferric oxide particles in the mag strip, and that reader get dirty, not cards. I wrote it off to poor machine maintenance until they got all new card readers this year, and the problem continued. More significant, and relevant to the discussion, is that shortly after the upgrade at Sam's Club, the local Walmart "upgraded" to the same readers and POS software, and now my card won't work there, either!:mad: Plain and simple, the software intended to read and process credit cards is hosed, probably written by some moron who's never had but one card in his/her life, and figures all of them are exactly the same. I should mention, the same card has never failed to work perfectly at every other store I've visited; only Sam's Club and its parent, Walmart, exhibit this defective behavior.
Will Rogers never met me.
