AMAZON - BEWARE!

I have, I hope, just finished up with a miserable experience...working out problems with Amazon.

Did you know that a person can open a debit account with Amazon with  YOUR bank information and charge away until you see your statement?

Even my bank did not catch the fact that I don't do debits on my own bank account...so am sorely disappointed in Intermountain Community Bank, too....also known in the area as Panhandle State Bank or Magic Valley Bank.

So what harm could a person cause...in three days it was over $300...and I was lucky that she started doing it at the end of the month. Had she started clearing me out early on I would not have known until I had no money.

AMAZON?  No, their fraud prevention services are VERY lackluster.  Very!  

Did they check with the bank to see if that person was on that account?  NO.

Did they check the address of the account against where they were shipping? NO.

Did they verify ANYTHING? Again, NO.

And, to make matters worse after my bank gave me back the money and I closed the bank account, the lady in Payette went ahead and put through one more charge.  $9.98 worth of merchandise that was actually shipped to her even after Amazon closed her fraudulent account.

And guess what Amazon did?  RIGHT.  They turned ME into a collection agency.  ME. Not the person who owned the fraudulent account.  Not the woman who stole money.  No, no...they came after me.

When filed a complaint about it and told them to call off the dogs, what did they say? Let me quote...

"In situations regarding unauthorized use of a bank account TRS will directly refund the collections fees.  I have included a link that shows the information they need to waive the collections fees in your situation:"

NO. I am not paying it and then asking for it back.

Did they even read the email?  I don't think so. I think they have an automated response that picks out pertinent words and responds as best as a computer can respond to you.  Talk about mad as a wet hen...boy, that got my dander up.  So I wrote back to them and basically in my sweet southern accent told them to shove it...and of course that is why they have the computer so no one can read your angry words.

NOW - you have to go BACK on line and fill out their form that says NO, you did not answer my question...Call me NOW.  And they do.  They do call you right that second...and put you on hold for six minutes. Then the customer service rep can't help as it is so far up the ladder she doesn't know what to do. So they put you on hold again for six more minutes. 

Now you are speaking to a lovely lady with a lovely accent...wasn't sure what it was...almost English, but more Israeli sounding.  Don't know.  She was nice. After a few minutes she finally got the gist of it, apologized, promised to take care of it.

That was last night and I have yet to hear from them like she said...no email was forthcoming. So I am wondering...if they sent me to collections, did they turn in my name to the credit bureau?  If so, are they going to correct it?

In talking with my step-son, I have learned that Amazon is notorious in the computer field for not having a decent set up to double check their fraudulent purchases. So I am warning you.  Just know that someone out there that has received a check from you can now drain your bank account if you don't have a decent bank that also has some sort of fraud prevention system.

Obviously mine didn't.  

My one saving grace in all this is that Amazon said they will not write it off...they will go after the girl in Payette and hopefully send her to jail.  I'm also going to file a criminal complaint against her for stealing my identity.  Hope they put her on a rack and stretch her joints out!