DrugBuyers.Com: Credit Card Disputed

Good point that I forgot to mention. Yes, almost every vendor uses a service to process their credit card payments. The largest service that I know of is called AVS. Companies like AVS do not handle chargeback issues, that is between the issuing bank, the debtor and the merchant. Most Visa/Mastercards are not issued by Visa or Mastercard, but are instead issued by a specific financial institution. For example, a Citibank Visa is issued by Citibank. You would contact Citibank to process a chargeback in such a case rather than Visa/MC (Visa/MC are the same company, FYI). Discover and American Express are powers unto themselves and issue their own cards directly, not through a bank or other service.

A merchant can decline ANYONE'S credit card, for any reason--even if it is just because the debtor lives in a high-fraud zip code. If they don't like that you wear a red shirt on Tuesdays they can decline you. It is not against the law to refuse to accept a specific person's credit card. And, you are so right! WHY would a person wish to do business again with a vendor with whom a chargeback needed to be pursued?

Another tidbit...if your card is stolen and used by the thief, YOU cannot prosecute or file charges (unless it is a larger issue of identity theft.) Only the vendor can take legal action, because consumers are protected against fraud (almost EVERY credit card has a provision of limited or no liability in case of loss or theft) and the money is taken from the vendor's merchant account to refund the buyer. Technically, it is the vendor who suffers the financial repercussions of credit card theft.

My own anecdote, when my boyfriend went to jail several months ago, his personal property including his Visa card (he was a joint signer on MY account) was taken and supposedly stored in a "secure" area during his incarceration. Interestingly enough, charges for dial-up internet service (I use broadband only and pay for T1 service--so there is NO REASON I would order MSN dial-up for $22/month!!!), cartons of cigarettes from a store near the jail and other online purchases began hitting my Visa account. OBVIOUSLY my boyfriend was not getting online and buying items from eBay and dial-up internet service--much less getting out of jail to go buy cigarettes (our jails/prisons in MN are all non-smoking) especially since he was in maximum security!!! When I called the jail in a fury to find out who had access to inmates' personal property, I was told only jail personnel with duties in that area of the jail. Anyway, the person was using my first name and his last name to make the online purchases. That was ALL my credit card company would disclose to me. They refunded my money almost immediately (duh! look at the circumstances!) and I cancelled that card. When I picked up his stuff at the jail, the Visa card was loose in the bag, not in his wallet with his DL and other cards (such as movie rental cards--this was his only credit card.) I REALLY hope the vendors pursued an investigation and prosecuted the criminal who walks around in the costume of a law enforcement officer.

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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.