I have been duped AGAIN by the largest retailer in the country. I rarely ever go to this store, maybe once every few months if that. Well today for the third time I had my Debit card # STOLEN (Used by others). The problem is they just don't care, their customer service rep all but says this happens all the time, yet they refuse to return the charges. I do use my card all the time, every time it's ever been used without my consent has always gone back to this retailer. YET they refuse to give me any information regarding the purchase, where, and who. Isn't this protecting the thieves?
Luckily my bank just returns the funds. Shouldn't they take this a little more seriously?

Look to see that you don't have a chip in your card, the kind used to scan your card without swiping it through the machine, if it does, you can see a raised spot on the card under a magnifying glass, poke a knife tip through it, it won't hurt the card.

But the bigger question is why do you even patronize this establishment?

Quote from: Solar on June 27, 2013, 08:56:44 AM
But the bigger question is why do you even patronize this establishment?

Ya, I'm asking that question as well.

I'll also mention that most medium and large retailers these days utilize card reader systems that do not give their "floor" employees access your card # (your card, in fact, never leaves your hand in most cases). Note: some card scams involve the use HD cameras as means of "capturing" your card # (this is why you should "cover" your card whenever you take it out to use it).

Meanwhile, I'd steer clear of this, and other 'like" retailers before your "luck" runs out and you're stuck paying the bill(s).

Quote from: Telmark on June 28, 2013, 09:32:13 AM
Ya, I'm asking that question as well.

I'll also mention that most medium and large retailers these days utilize card reader systems that do not give their "floor" employees access your card # (your card, in fact, never leaves your hand in most cases). Note: some card scams involve the use HD cameras as means of "capturing" your card # (this is why you should "cover" your card whenever you take it out to use it).

Meanwhile, I'd steer clear of this, and other 'like" retailers before your "luck" runs out and you're stuck paying the bill(s).

Yes, I do cover my card, I also pretend to push all kinds of numbers when entering my pin code, just in case there is a camera zeroed in on the machine that I can't block.

I generally pay cash for everything, drives people nuts, I bought toy a brand new Subaru Forester, I warned them ahead of time I was paying with cash, but when I pulled out 200, 100 dollar bills, the finance officer about popped a vessel, they thought I meant check.
He was angry because he had to go straight to the bank after the transaction.

Personally I don't care, that's how I've always done my transactions, mostly because if you do this often enough, the IRS tends to ignore large transactions as nefarious.
If you only pay cash for big purchases every couple of years it tends to raise flags, and they tend to scrutinize your transactions.

You've posted some very good recommendations Solar.

Btw, my wife bought herself/us a new 2012 Forester late last year (small world huh?).

She absolutely loves the thing and the way it performs (it's a non-turbo). Gets an honest 29-30 highway mpg right now.

I've only driven it for a couple of hundred miles or so at this point, but I do like it. It's kinda like a 4x4 sports car (we owned a 1990 Nissan 240 SX back in the day).  And I was surprised at the amount of  ground clearance this thing has with its 17 inch wheels (I owned a 4x4 truck for nearly 2 decades and we've had several Pathfinders over the years). 



Anyway, credit cards are more about building and maintaining a good credit rating as far as I'm concerned. I pay my 2 credit card balances off every month (average total payoff = < $100).

Quote from: Telmark on June 29, 2013, 04:28:30 AM
You've posted some very good recommendations Solar.

Btw, my wife bought herself/us a new 2012 Forester late last year (small world huh?).

She absolutely loves the thing and the way it performs (it's a non-turbo). Gets an honest 29-30 highway mpg right now.

I've only driven it for a couple of hundred miles or so at this point, but I do like it. It's kinda like a 4x4 sports car (we owned a 1990 Nissan 240 SX back in the day).  And I was surprised at the amount of  ground clearance this thing has with its 17 inch wheels (I owned a 4x4 truck for nearly 2 decades and we've had several Pathfinders over the years). 



Anyway, credit cards are more about building and maintaining a good credit rating as far as I'm concerned. I pay my 2 credit card balances off every month (average total payoff = < $100).

LOL, Great little car, isn't it? Toy gets about 25 or 26 miles mpg, she did 36 in the valley one time, but because we live in the mountains, with some serious grades and two canyons to traverse, her mileage isn't too bad.
But you're right about the clearance, I gave her my Legacy, she loved it, but some moron rear ended her and totaled it, and she had gotten used to the sports car feel, then we get the Forester, and it took some getting used to, but now she really loves the car, and getting used to the higher clearance.

The whole reason I got it for her was the safety factor and all wheel drive, the Legacy was so low to the ground, she would plow snow and get stuck, but with the weight of the Forrester and clearance, she no longer freaks out driving in the snow.

Me, I have a 1 ton Dodge diesel 4X4, I just like being able to see ahead of me, and not get stuck in the forest, oh, but the mileage really sucks, 16 if you baby it, 15 if you drive it like you stole it, which is how you have to drive it anyway, because of the new smog crap.
Drive slow, and it'll plug up and literally quit running.

But back to the topic, I have purposefully left my credit blank, if someone steals my identity, they will actually have to build my credit up first.

Seriously, haven't bought a thing on credit in nearly 40 years, but it's just me, I was raised to believe that if you can't pay cash for it, then you are living beyond your means.

When in the Hell did I turn into my father?

I hear ya Solar.

I've bought my last 3 trucks straight out for cash over the last 15+ years. My wife bought her Forester more as means of learning how to obtain and keep a good credit history than anything else.

Figured it was time she pick out and finance a vehicle for the first time (w/out my "help"). Thing is, she swung a pretty darn good deal (like I knew she could). She wrangled ~ $1.5-$2k of options out of the dealership for just a hair over the base price.

Hey Stranger, sorry if I jacked your thread...

Quote from: Telmark on June 29, 2013, 10:32:35 AM
I hear ya Solar.

I've bought my last 3 trucks straight out for cash over the last 15+ years. My wife bought her Forester more as means of learning how to obtain and keep a good credit history than anything else.

Figured it was time she pick out and finance a vehicle for the first time (w/out my "help"). Thing is, she swung a pretty darn good deal (like I knew she could). She wrangled ~ $1.5-$2k of options out of the dealership for just a hair over the base price.

Hey Stranger, sorry if I jacked your thread...

She went for all the bells and whistles, cool, it really does dress up the car. 

I got her 2013 Forester for eighteen thousand six and they threw in bug deflector and cargo net, but it came fully loaded with the wheel package, but I left off the navigation system and some other stuff she'd never use, though they were tempting, but she already had a new Garmin anyway.
After tax and license, I think it came to 23 grand, damn state of Ca nails ya.

We should never have to buy another car again, my truck was new in 2010 and only has 14 thousand miles on it, her Subaru should only be around 200 thousand when she retires in a few years and for a well maintained Subaru, that's half life.
Buying cars really brings out the ass hole in me.

But one other reason I never want to buy another new car, is the tracking crap they are putting in them, within 10 years, they will force GPS on everyone and use it against us, much in the same way they do with credit cards.

How was that for a segue back to the topic?

Quote from: Solar on June 29, 2013, 12:02:34 PM
We should never have to buy another car again, my truck was new in 2010 and only has 14 thousand miles on it, her Subaru should only be around 200 thousand when she retires in a few years and for a well maintained Subaru, that's half life.

Yep, we have talked about how her Forester should be the last vehicle she ever buys for herself (we're in our early and mid 50s). Meanwhile, I buy used trucks with about 100K on them ( I recently bought a clean 2000 Chev Silv w/~ 120K on it). My last truck was a '95 Chev Silv that I bought in '03. It had ~ 175K on it at the time I bought it, and I sold it late last year with over 265K on the clock . It still ran/drove well and only burned ~ a qt. of oil every 1500 miles. The only maint. it needed over the years were tires, a brake job, 1 minor and 1 major tune-up, and a new radiator w/hoses (the windshield wiper motor failed @ ~ 130K, but Chevy replaced it for free under a re-call program).

Quote from: Telmark on June 29, 2013, 10:32:35 AM
I hear ya Solar.

I've bought my last 3 trucks straight out for cash over the last 15+ years. My wife bought her Forester more as means of learning how to obtain and keep a good credit history than anything else.

Figured it was time she pick out and finance a vehicle for the first time (w/out my "help"). Thing is, she swung a pretty darn good deal (like I knew she could). She wrangled ~ $1.5-$2k of options out of the dealership for just a hair over the base price.

Hey Stranger, sorry if I jacked your thread...

NP
I feel like a heel being taken advantage of 3 times. I will never visit that store again.
I used to always use cash until a few years back, point being I HATE going to the bank. Although I now use a small little hometown type bank and they are awesome. So thanks for the wake up call!
Back to cash it is!