OpeningToEndgame Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 This month and last month I have purchased Cartel Coins. The money gets taken out. Says pending for a few days. Then the money reappears back in my bank account. No purchases shown from Bioware. I wake up today and my bills came out automatically AND Cartel coins causing my account to be overdrawn. I am sick of this ()&*&%. You can't get anywhere by calling them or e-mailing them. You people have the worst customer service I've ever dealt with. I'm also cancelling my sub and just buying game time cards. This game and company will not be associated with my bank account anymore because this is bs. To me it's like you're holding my money. Gaining interest off of it. Putting it back and taking it out again to gain more interest. Now it may not seem like a lot, but when you do it to a lot of people ( and I'm sure it's happened) it adds up. Thanks for disappointing me Bioware. I'm sad to see you're just like EA. All about money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPryde Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 To me it's like you're holding my money. Gaining interest off of it. Putting it back and taking it out again to gain more interest. Now it may not seem like a lot, but when you do it to a lot of people ( and I'm sure it's happened) it adds up. I admit, that I am not a banker, but how would putting it back and later calling it in again help in any way with gaining interest? Wouldn't the best way to gain interest be to take your money at the earliest possible moment and never return it? The things you buy with the money (CC) is virtual anyway, so it does not cost Bioware anything to proceed the trade. I can understand, that you are upset, but I totally fail to see the reasoning of the quoted paragraph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aalin Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 While I can not comment on the problem with cartel coins I would question your judgement in leaving your account in a state whereby you may become overdrawn by small purchases, if you know that you have running subscriptions to games. That, surely, is not EA's fault. I am not for one minute suggesting it is poor form to go overdrawn, or that you should have more money than you do, goodness knows it is easy to fall short but with a little money management situations like this would not occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpeningToEndgame Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillionsKNives Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. It might help to contact your bank and see if they can see why the money was replaced, only to be removed again afterwards. They might be able to provide a better log than BioWare could or is willing to give. That's pretty crappy though. In the future it's probably a good practice to assume that, even if the funds are returned temporarily for whatever reason, the company will want their money for services rendered and you should therefore treat that money as spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfa Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The problem he ran into is one that many people today run into who use online banking. They watch totals in their account more often than keeping physical track of their purchases. This issue has been responsible for many an overdraw in my own account, one of which involved a coin purchase. I had seen the purchase applied and set into pending and was fulled into thinking it would go through with everything else. However, before everything in this list had gone through, it had been removed. It was put through again later in the month and caused an overdraw. The problem was of course my own for not keeping a hard record of my own purchases, but the damage was done. Always track all your purchases in a check book or other hard record or you risk being a victim of digital tracking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurreth Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Do you have any entries related to those transactions in your account's payment history? Go to https://account.swtor.com/user/subscription click on "show your payment history" (it doesn't seem to handle in-game purchases though). (Edit) you have posted this in the Customer Support forum…) Edited January 7, 2014 by Laurreth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZETA_SCORPII Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If you live in the U.S.A. and you make a one time purchase and the bank approves the the original transaction then they cannot charge you an overdraft fee, even if that transaction causes you to become overdrawn. You can get overdraft fees from monthly reoccurring transactions that put you in the red however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHboy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 sounds more like it is on the bank side or card side. I've purchased more coins than one probably should and have never had a problem. I have it tied to my credit card and not to my account directly. It would be better to have it say on a debit card or credit card vs. say pay pal where it would connect directly through the account. which also means going through paypal service and having them screw something up. You naturally assumed it was EA being underhanded, did you stop to think that perhaps it might be a third party (paypal) or your bank doing something odd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthKaldriss Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. Ahh I think I see the problem here, you went and spent the money on something else. Also interest does not work that way your money has to be in the bank a certain amount of time before it begins accruing interest, especially in current accounts that you use on a day to day basis. I cannot see this being Bioware or even EA's fault whatever the trend is to blame them for near everything nowadays. You need to manage your money better mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexDougherty Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. um, so basically you're loosing track of what you've spent, ok EA is messing you about, but it might help if you kept better track of what you've got, and not spending money of fluff in a game if you're that close to going overdrawn. Seriously, try and save a buffer of money for real emergencies, if possible at least two week worth of spending should be in your bank account at all time, I know that may not be easy, but seriously consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallaes Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Most likely what the OP saw was the initial entry that gets made to verify funds. Those will stay on an account for several days and then expire. The bank will put a hold on the funds for the duration, but the money does not come out of the account. That doesn't happen until the person being paid actually processes their transactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andryah Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Honestly, this is between you and your bank, not us in the forum. It's none of our business how you manage your finances. That said...since you went public with it.... a couple of food for thought points to share 1) unless you are buying a truck load of coins here.... how can your personal finances be soo close to the wire that you are into over draw for some cartel coins? Just me personally......but If I were in that situation, cartel coins are probably the last thing I would be spending my money on. And even if it is a truck load of coins... frankly the same core rule applies..... don't spend what you do not really have AND always have a buffer. 2) When you initiate a transaction against your account, it is prudent to treat it as money spend (in your mind, and personal accounting) for a minimum of 30 days. Why? Because electronic banking transactions have all kinds of little quirks and issues that can and do pop up on them. Another approach, already suggested by another forum member is to keep some minimum "float" on your account (money you deliberately do not spend and is there simply to cover unexpected slow transactions like this). 3) when you make a purchase from Bioware for SWTOR, there is a record of it on your account page. IF there is a purchase in your account record, regardless if you have received the product yet, or you bank has been billed and cleared the charge yet..... THAT PURCHASE has in fact BEEN MADE and you should know not to double spend the amount of that purchase from your band account. You initiated a liability to your band account, so don't assume you can turn around and spend it a second time unless you first confirm you have cancelled the purchase at the source (via your account transactions page). Edited January 7, 2014 by Andryah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neoforcer Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) So your bank online records fail to record stuff right then you spend the money you spent on cartel coins and over draft your account. How is this BW fault again. It how your bank handles credit card purchases that the problem BW did not take the money then put it back in then take it again. When you charge a CC it put a temp amount up on your online record that expire after 2 days online only. If you went into the bank the transaction still would of shown in there record as they were verifying the transaction with BW on the amount of the cc card purchase. This is how your bank word with cc card purchases. You really need to start using a bank ledger there are free programs out there to keep track then you would never have this issue. By the way you might want to be mad at your bank since this is how they do CC business just saying. As well as being mad at your self for not knowing how stuff works. Edited January 7, 2014 by Neoforcer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoIshamael Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. No offense is meant by this comment. I think you need to learn to balance your "checkbook". This happens with debit/credit cards all the time. Some vendors do not capture the funds right away and the hold on the money expires after X business days. It happens especially with gas purchases. I know it stinks but just consider it an opportunity to become aware of your finances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branmakmuffin Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Thanks for disappointing me Bioware. I'm sad to see you're just like EA. All about money. Every company is all about money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedip_enguin Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If you get overdrawn off the back of CC purchases, you don't make enough money to be buying cartel coins. True story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joesixxpack Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Cartel coins causing my account to be overdrawn. I am sick of this ()&*&%. Account on brink of overdraft Buy CC ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddballEasyEight Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 So let me get this straight. You bought CC and the money was drawn from your account. Then they were put back (you still having the CC you bought I assume), and you proceed to spend it? Yeah, this one is all on you pal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimG Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If the money is taken out by Bioware and it says cleared. I pay a bill with my bank and then 3 days later the money shows back up in my account. I spend it. 3 days after that it's taken out again overdrawing my account. As for the interest, doesn't the money in the bank gain interest every day it's in there? Not sure either. Ill have to call my bank and ask. That sounds like a bank issue....not a BW issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malastare Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Not to jump on the dying horse, but: This month and last month I have purchased Cartel Coins. The money gets taken out. Says pending for a few days. Then the money reappears back in my bank account. No purchases shown from Bioware. I wake up today and my bills came out automatically AND Cartel coins causing my account to be overdrawn. This is an example of why I'm a huge supporter of adding some practical financial education to the school system. You agreed to a purchase, which means you agreed to give someone money. Legally, you are required to pay the agreed amount. They are required to supply you with whatever you bought reasonably close to the time when they accept payment. However, there is no guarantee that the payment will be accepted immediately. My understanding on how web charges occur is a bit weak, but I believe that the site usually issues a Hold for the purchase amount while the back end works out the details of getting you your stuff. The hold guarantees that the card is active, not flagged, and has sufficient funds. After the site works stuff out, it will release the hold and issue a charge (or maybe the hold is converted to a charge?). It might take a minute, or an hour, or a couple days. Now, I don't know how your bank works, but my online statement will pre-deduct Hold amounts from my balance. However, that money is still in my account. If another charge comes in while the Hold is waiting, it will be cleared and deducted (I think). In situations like that, I've heard reports of banks that will void the hold. In that case, I'd expect Bioware's charge servers to simply try again. Remember: You already agreed to pay. They have a right to demand delivery. So, I can't say for sure, but this sounds more like some unhelpful behavior between an automated retailer and a bank that was misinterpreted by the customer. Regardless, you should have remembered that you promised to pay. The release of the hold is not a release of your obligation, and you should have contacted Bioware to ensure that the purchase was canceled. Especially knowing that you had run your balance so low. To me it's like you're holding my money. Gaining interest off of it. Putting it back and taking it out again to gain more interest. Now it may not seem like a lot, but when you do it to a lot of people ( and I'm sure it's happened) it adds up. That's now how it works. While the hold is on your account, the money is still yours. I have an interest-bearing checking account and I see this all the time. My interest is compounded off the true balance, ignoring the holds at the time. If Bioware issues a $1000 hold on my checking account and keeps it there for a week, I am the one who is making money on the interest. Bioware didn't get your money until the final charge. Considering you agreed to give it to them a few days earlier, they actually lost money on interest, since that was three or so days that the money was in your account not theirs. Edited January 7, 2014 by Malastare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarliyn Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 As much as I feel for you since overdraft fees suck, trust I have had them. This is not on bioware/ea. You received a product and that product has to be paid for and you know it will be paid for. Even if the pending charge disappeared and then the money got removed it is still your job to keep track. Your understanding of the way interest works is off too. Interest requires the money to stay invested (ie in the account) for a certain amount of time so it can generate profit. The amount of interest that is earned is given as a certain % of the investment (ie the amount in the account). That is an incredibly simplistic way to break it down. So not only did your money not sit long enough to gain anything but the small amount of your purchases (even 100s from you would still be nothing when it comes to interest over a couple days) would make no difference from an investment point of view. I know it sucks but this really isn't bioware/eas fault. If you enjoy the game and enjoy the occasional CC purchase Then don't let this incident stop ya. Just simply manage better. I keep all my receipts (even print out digital ones) until it comes out of my bank account. Then i check my account everyday. That way nothing surprises me. It took me being in your situation one to many times though to start doing this. Maybe you can adapt a similar system? Hope it all ends okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfa Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Lol, in the greatest irony ever, I just got hit by this issue myself again and I think I know the issue. Problem is the transaction shows up on pending, you see the remaining total and you think you're good. Then the transaction dispersal, you think its gone through and you spend, then it just reappears out of nowhere as posted and you end up with 20 bucks less than you though you had. The issue is of course like I said with me not recording transaction amounts correctly, however, SWTOR is the only transaction that does this. Pending transactions should not vanish before they go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virus_Bot Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Damn cheetoz.. you poor mang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfoughtforever Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 If your bank account balance is so small that you're overdrawing, maybe you should stop buying virtual currency for a video game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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