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

  • Ryan S
  • Malinda S
  • Donna M
    • Location
    • Illinois
  • Ann B
  • Wendy K
    • Comments
    • I am so tired of being turned down in a store that uses certegey for no good reason, other than they just feel like it.
  • james m
  • Mollie de R
  • J
  • C. M
    • Comments
    • I have never been declined from writing a check and was truly humuliated at Target, but my check went through at Nordstrom's now can you explain that one to me? With the system that these companies are using I would be truly amazed at how long they stay in business.
    • Location
    • Miami, Florida
  • Eisha S
  • Mark S Bridge, V
    • Comments
    • В
    • Location
    • Apollo, PA
  • Laura D
    • Comments
    • Pep Boys uses Certegy
    • Location
    • Baltimore, MD
  • Stephen Christopher P
    • Comments
    • It happened to me at Albertson's in a long, long line.
    • Location
    • San Diego
  • Amanda D
    • Comments
    • I'd rather be charged a bounced check fee if I don't have sufficient funds rather than have a check declined when I do have suffiecent funds SCREW YOU
    • Location
    • Salt Lake City Utah
  • GEORGE M
    • Location
    • BUTLER, PA
  • Harold E. M
    • Comments
    • I am FURIOUS!
    • Location
    • Dillard's, East Chase, Montgomery, AL
  • David H
    • Comments
    • Best Buy did it to me yesterday with a business check.
    • Location
    • MA.
  • Crandall B
    • Comments
    • the last explanation I got from Certegy was that the check fit a profile. I have not bounced a check in 39 years, have a FICO score of 835 and had $20,000+ in the checking account. The explanation was that I fit a profile and they could not ok the check.
    • Location
    • Best Buy stores in Kennesaw & Acworth, GA
  • Jessica D
  • Colleen G
    • Location
    • Portland,OR
  • Brenda J. H
    • Location
    • Washington, DC
  • DAVID B. B
  • Jane M. H
    • Comments
    • certegy is inaccurate and ridiculous
    • Location
    • Portland, OR
  • wyonne w
    • Comments
    • I will never shop where they use Certegy again
    • Location
    • Mt.
  • SG F
    • Comments
    • This is humiliating, ridiculous and asinine! I, too, was denied. Never in my life have I been prohibited from writing a check, I only write good ones! Certegy's excuse of their use of statistical modalities to determine declination/authorization is incredulous ;does anyone know what the parameters of these modalities are? We, as consumers, should file a class action suit against Certegy. It is my assertion, that since there is no concrete, empirical evidence or proof that Certegy can provide via viable written explanation then this is clearly discrimination based upon prejudicial, stereotypical standards of the behavior of others (e.g statistics), and not based upon our own behavioral history. They owe us an explanation and punitive damages for character assassination. I am sure there are thousands of consumers who have been victimized by this predatory organization with an agenda to force to you obtain membership in their free service to "prevent this from happening again in the future."
    • Location
    • So Cal
  • Robert H
    • Comments
    • Sears lost a $1500 sale thanks to Certegy, even though the account held over $6000. Can't even get to a customer service rep, voice recognition software at "customer service" is a joke
    • Location
    • West Haven, CT
  • Gina D
    • Location
    • Lubbock
  • Adriana B
    • Comments
    • Target pays this company to stop people from spending money at Target. How stupid is that?
    • Location
    • Albany, OR
  • Deborah H
    • Location
    • Davenport, IA
  • Kathleen O
    • Comments
    • I totally agree the system is more of a Hit and Miss. I wrote a check with no history of bad writing ever and they declined because of a pattern of writing. It is Christmas for pete's sake!! If you write a check at several of the businesses they serve within a day or same week they will eventually decline as this is a "POSSIBLE" pattern of fraud. They will say because your bank does not verify account information to them because of the "Privacy Act" will then what good are they? They are just a vicious circle of excuses.
  • Ceciley H
    • Comments
    • I was declined for writing a 46.57 check at the gas station for "code 2" which could not be explained by the cashier. I called the 800 certegy number and was informed that the reason for the decline was that they were unable to verify funds in my checking account because my bank will only verify funds with me or bank to bank. She could tell me that I've had no prior history of writing bad checks, however, I was still declined. What is the purpose of having a company verify that a check is good if they cannot do so??? It would seem logical that if I have no prior history of writing bad checks then my check is good!!! This company is a JOKE.
    • Location
    • St Paul, Minnesota
  • mayra v
  • mayra v
  • Roger S
    • Comments
    • Certegy should be put out of business for the unsavory manner in which they do business and how they mistreat customers.
    • Location
    • Los Angeles, California
  • Jonatan R
    • Comments
    • sufficiend fund checks shouldn't be declined
    • Location
    • San Pedro
  • D. G
    • Comments
    • Embarrassment is not the word for it!!! I wrote a check at K-Mart and it was declined. When I called Certegy they said I had a returned check -- excuse me, they must know something I don't because I have never received anything from a merchant or bank stating this. I was unaware that Certegy, Telecheck and other check verifying companies verify information based upon your drivers license number, well guess what, they told me my license number was on someone else's account. Certegy was to remove this information from my record within 5 days -- 8 business days later I still couldn't write a check at Wal-Mart and had to call Telecheck -- now I have to wait 3 more business days to have the info. removed -- counting the weekend it will be 5 days. If you don't have cash or a debit card then it's just to bad!!!
    • Location
    • Alabama
  • m n
    • Comments
    • Certegy denied my check at Bed Bath & Beyond with a "code 2" claim. When I called "customer service", I could only listen to automated messages, which told me that their computer model detected the likelihood of check fraud. This is insane! I rarely write checks (perhaps that's the problem), I have sufficient funds, etc. However, you have no recourse to argue this with Certegy as they funnel you through automated menus out the "back door". So am I to simply assume that I can never write a check at BBB ever again? If I were BBB, I'd be POed to lose business like this. I will happily shop elsewhere.
    • Location
    • North Carolina
  • Lori h
    • Location
    • Berts Mega Mall
  • Kristine
    • Comments
    • Tired of explaining
    • Location
    • Yonkers raceway
  • Sam W
    • Comments
    • Certegy processes MILLIONS of checks a DAY and they only have a little over 200 complaints? Come on people. Sounds like they are doing a great job. It looks like they are accepting 99.99\% of the checks they are presented. By the way, it doesn't matter how much money you have in your account. They are trying to verify the check is not fraudulent. If the computer thinks it's too risky, they will not accept your check. Everyone saying they will not shop at stores with Certegy, can't shop at the store anyway because Certegy is declining your checks. Think about it.
    • Location
    • Bentonville, Arkansas
  • J G
    • Comments
    • Truly humiliating - will never shop this chain of stores again!
    • Location
    • Billerica
  • christina s
    • Comments
    • Ross also uses
    • Location
    • washington state
  • Amber J
    • Comments
    • This is rediculious. I spend hundreds of dollars each year at all of these locations have never bounced a check trhough any of them and am declined every time for no reason. Your operators always tell me it's not for any negative history but because of some suspicious pattern.
    • Location
    • Mackalaster, ok Staples Inc. and Game Stop
  • hodan
    • Comments
    • put certegy out of bussiness
    • Location
    • minneapolis
  • Maurice E L
  • CarltonG. D
  • shanez
  • Carol P
    • Comments
    • target k mart
    • Location
    • new jersey
  • Pamela V
    • Location
    • New york
  • Stephanie H