Certegy

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    Wal-Mart, Target, and other retailers using Certegy
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To Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Staples, Target, and all retailers using Certegy check authorization service:

Every day, retailers using Certegy's faulty risk management system lose money and customers when checks are declined for no good reason. Certegy bases its decision to accept or decline a check based on statistical information rather than whether there are sufficient funds to cover it. Upon rejection - which is in itself a humiliating experience - the customer is directed to call a number for an explanation of why the transaction was declined. But Certegy customer service representatives usually give incorrect, vague, or even nonsensical answers to these queries.

No customer should need the permission of a third party to write or cash a check in your store. I urge you to sever your business relationship with Certegy and switch to a system that actually verifies sufficient funds in the customer's checking account, similar to the process for using a debit card. A person with proper identification, bearing a check that contains security features and is covered by sufficient funds, should NEVER have a check declined.

854 Signatures

  • Bishop W. A. G
  • Christina R
  • Kathy P
    • Comments
    • Check was declined at Best Buy. Centergy said it didn't have anything to do with the balance in my account or my identification. They had targeted my check that day. Said that I could write a check the next day and it would likely be accepted. Said it was all statistical, and target certain checks each day. Very embarassing, with a line of customers behind me.
    • Location
    • Memphis, TN
  • shanna j
    • Location
    • Iowa City, IA
  • Gil K
    • Location
    • GEORGIA
  • Matthew R
    • Comments
    • Certegy is unfair
    • Location
    • Clarksburg, wv
  • Jean G
    • Comments
    • Certegy should be ashamed. They should also be fired.
    • Location
    • San Diego, CA
  • Peter M
    • Comments
    • Their system is rediculous, they want me join the Gold club so that I give them all my financial info so anyone can steal my check and use it automatically. Best lost over $12,000 in sales from over the last week due to my move all new stuff. The answer was to go elsewhere.
  • Carol F
    • Comments
    • This happened at Home Depot to me. I had several thousand dollars available in my home equity line of credit account, yet they kept saying I had "insufficient funds". It made me look like a real loser!
    • Location
    • Niles, Ohio Home Depot
  • sharon b
  • GARY A. R
    • Comments
    • Ive been dealing with certigy since 2003 on a fraudulant 1 time EFT that was ran 3 times.I had to close a bussiness account to get the company to stop pulling money out of my account.Since then I have fighting with certigy to get this straight.I have filled out several affidavids but still having to deal with certigy cause its not straightened out yet.
  • Michael M
  • Chaille Brindley - vp of operations - I
    • Comments
    • I just had a check rejected at Dick's Sporting Goods even though there was ample money in my account to cover it. The process was humiliating. Certegy offered no sufficient explanation for its decision. I encourage all retailers to use a better process.
    • Location
    • Glen Allen, VA
  • Carmen H
    • Comments
    • It is absolutely ridiculous that a check be denied for statistical reasons. Available funds in the account should be the only criteria used to accept or deny a check.
    • Location
    • Texas
  • Miriam G
  • John C. M
    • Comments
    • The bank the check is written on should provide the varification of funds.
    • Location
    • Best Buy
  • Glen H
    • Location
    • Arvada, CO
  • Brad
    • Comments
    • Its a Horrible system I was declined at sears apperantly because I hardly use checks at stores, I usually just pay bills with checks, however I did need to buy some parts and was declined when i need them and found it very humiliating.
  • andrew w c
    • Location
    • kansas
  • Rachel B
    • Comments
    • Horrible company that gets all information wrong. I will never shop at the listed stores again until Certegy is dropped by them
  • Shea F
    • Comments
    • I wrote a perfectly good check in Target for $154.14 and was declined. When I called the # on the back of the receipt I was given, a recording apologized and said my account had been upgraded to "vip" status. After that embarrassment, I will not shop at a Target store for anything again. I write checks every other week for groceries at a Publix supermarket and have never had a problem.
    • Location
    • St. Petersburg, FL
  • Timothy G
    • Comments
    • Please refer to Converstations with Certegy on June 15 2008
    • Location
    • Shaws Hooksett New Hampshire
  • Tiffany P
    • Location
    • Simpsonville, SC
  • Jeff W
    • Comments
    • I am not an attorney but this process seems illegal, It appears they are using a denial of check to "offer" you a chance to sign up for Gold Membership--reminds me of a bait and switch-- I encourage any attorneys to look into the legality of such practices.
    • Location
    • Dayton Ohio
  • Glenda Y J
    • Comments
    • To have a check declined by a merchant is very embarressing. I no longer shop at Wal-Mart
    • Location
    • Clarkston, WA
  • Margaret P
    • Comments
    • isn't certegy the company that had an employee steal consumer checking info?
    • Location
    • natchez, ms
  • Susan T
    • Comments
    • add Verizon to the list
    • Location
    • Marion Ohio
  • DELOIS T
    • Comments
    • I agree, I've had my account for 20 years, I should never be declined. They should check to see if the funds are available.
    • Location
    • Chicago
  • Sherrard B
    • Comments
    • based on this experience, I have decided not to shop at Best By anymor
    • Location
    • Winston Salem, NC
  • Michelle A
    • Comments
    • I am appalled the way certegy treats your customers and will boycott untill certegy is gone.
    • Location
    • Pensacola, FL
  • STACEY A. W
    • Comments
    • В
    • Location
    • PENSACOLA,FL
  • Joseph Nash J
    • Comments
    • В
    • Location
    • Pensacola,FL
  • Susan A
    • Comments
    • Do away with Certegy. I do not like being asked to supply my SS # in order to cash a check at a place of business I have been frequently for 25 years. Not going to do it any more. You all have lost me as a customer.
    • Location
    • Maine
  • Cindy M
    • Comments
    • will not use any retailer who employees this co
    • Location
    • Hendersonville TN
  • Tara
    • Comments
    • Hyatt Regency uses Certegy
  • Samuel S
  • Keith S
    • Comments
    • Walmart uses Telechecks for store purchases and certegy for payroll cashing
    • Location
    • Atlanta, GA
  • kristine m
  • Valerie
  • T.K. G
    • Comments
    • This happened to me last weekend at Dick's Sporting Goods. The people at Dicks, however, did not tell me they were calling Certegy. They said they were verifying all of my info, including SS#, with my bank. I didn't find out until later that they were dealing with Certegy. Needless to say, Dick's has lost my business.
  • Selina S
    • Comments
    • Certegy is pathetic. No one can override a faulty system & you can no longer write checks to any companys that use this service. TO ALL RETAILERS DROP CERTEGY OR YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE BUISNESS. I would think in these times of economic stress these retailers need our sales but if they continue with this poor excuse of verification they are in for a wide awakening. I am writing a letter to my local news watchdog explaining what Certegy is up to & hopefully they will grab onto & run with it.
    • Location
    • Texas
  • James B
    • Comments
    • Rip offs so are banks,credit cards,etc
    • Location
    • Tampa
  • Christine M
    • Comments
    • Certegy is terrible. The best part is there is not anything that can be done about it.
  • Mike D
    • Comments
    • This is unbelievable
    • Location
    • Best Buy Columbus Ohio
  • Ryan B
    • Comments
    • Best Buy lost more than $7k in sales from me because Certegy did not accept my check.
    • Location
    • UT
  • Tiffany J
    • Location
    • Greensboro, NC
  • Brenda J. L
    • Comments
    • I was told that I my driver's ID didn't match what they were given by the VA DMV. VA DMV assures me that my ID is the one they have on file.
    • Location
    • Virginia
  • Shannon G
    • Location
    • Mobile, AL
  • Joanne K
  • Claudia R
    • Comments
    • I wrote a check today, which was declined, at a local car dealership for regular maintenance on my car, even though I had more than 8X the amount in question in my account. This should not have happened!
    • Location
    • Arlington, VA