Gratuity added to debit card

[marshirst]

I recently purchased a manicure and pedicure gift certificate for 42 dollars which I applied to my debit card.  Much to my surprise the bankdebited my card for the 42 dollars plus a 20% gratuity of $8.40.  The banking representative advised me that this is generated by the machine that swipes the card and is standard procedure for motels, restaurants, salons, etc., often times without the merchant's knowledge.  The funds are not available to the customer until after the transaction has posted to the account, even though the gratuity was never authorized.  Has this happened to anyone and what can be done about it?  In my mind the bank has no right to withhold my funds and the merchant has no right to charge me an amount without my knowledge.  Please respondl

[stevie21]

Query this again with your bank. If this money has debited your account and shows on your statement then it would cost them more to investigate this & charge it back to the merchant than it would to refund the money to you & leave themselves out of pocket so they should quickly give you this money back.

If it was for $840 then they'd contact the merchant and ask for a copy of the sales receipt.

If I've misunderstood you and the funds were only witheld for a few days from your available balance before being added back on, rather than leaving your account altogether then it's ENTIRELY the fault of the merchant.

[Oneeyedvic]

This is a presominately UK based site and I am afraid that the consumer laws here are vastly different from over in the States (where I assume you are). For example in this country it is perfectly legal to add a charge for paying by credit card (typically 2% by small companies) - this is illegal in the USA.

 

I really would try and get advice from a more US based place (sorry I can't be more helpful)

[Ewood27]

Try http://answerpool.com/eve

 

You will be able to sign in as a guest.  They have a "Money and Business" section and some equally helpful people who answer.

[rma1805]

Some types of merchants will get an authorization for a higher amount to include gratuity and then settle for the amount you finally agree upon. Sometimes they mess up (not sure if they do this intentionally or not) and settle for the higher amount. Typically, if you contest this with your card company they will give you a credit, although they are not required to if the amount is less than $50. Here is a link to information in the US environment:

http://www.card-fraud.com/consumer/Reg_FairCreditBilling .html