A Note On Pre-Paid Credit Cards / Gift Cards

A few days ago, we received an email from a customer that went like this -

I placed an order on your site that came to $270.57 but when I checked my credit card statement online the total amount charged was $324.68! Why was I charged more than what was originally listed on my invoice? Please have this fixed as soon as possible!! 

Sincerely, Jennifer *

Jennifer was very upset over the discrepancy in charges, and rightly so. We completely understand how alarming it is to believe you have been over-charged for an online purchase. Unfortunately, we are beginning to receive more and more emails and phone calls from customers like Jennifer who have noticed a discrepancy. The reason? Pre-paid credit cards and gift cards.

Due to popular demand, we now accept pre-paid credit cards and gift cards from VISA and MasterCard as a payment option. Our customers appreciate the convenience of being able to pay using a pre-paid credit card but, unfortunately, customers are sometimes caught off guard by unexpected fees and/or service charges.

The most common issue we see is that some pre-paid cards charge an additional 20% fee for purchases made from a health and beauty merchant like Fabove. This is what happened with Jennifer's transaction, mentioned earlier. The 20% fee is lumped together with the Fabove transaction, even though it is not charged by our company and the additional money collected is never issued to us. It is extremely confusing and frustrating for both merchant and consumer.

We are committed to providing excellent customer service and will do our very best to assist you in any way we can. Please note, however, that most credit card companies (including their pre-paid card divisions) will not deal with the merchant on issues like this and will only speak directly to the card holder. If you notice a difference in the amount showing on your statement and the amount of your actual transaction, the best thing to do is to give your card's customer support line a call for more specific information on the transaction. They will be able to tell you what fee was charged and whether or not there is any way to retrieve it. If you would like us to hold your order and not ship until the issue has been resolved, please notify us at your earliest convenience.

Our customers can rest assured that in the 10+ years we have been in business, we have never once overcharged a customer on a transaction. If you have any concerns or questions about using a pre-paid credit or gift card on our website, please feel free to speak with one of Customer Service representatives. We can be reached toll-free at 1-888-833-4247.

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* Please note that both the name and prices have been changed to protect our client's privacy