New Book Coming Out

Hi All

I am writing a book about my life experiences and will be publishing it in the spring.  It will be about 300 pages and chronicle my life as I recall it from my childhood right through today. I have devoted one entire chapter to my battle with First Data. This will include all the people I have contacted and what they have and have not done to help me.

I am hoping a lot of people will want to read this and maybe pass the book on to friends, then They will pass it on too. The more people that read about the problems this crooked company has  caused, the better it will be.

Anyone who would like a copy of my book, please contact me to reserve one. My shop phone number is 269 463-7452

Thanks

Bob

Next in our Saga

First Data, AKA “The Crooks” canceled our account, and due to all the trouble I had with them I decided I would no longer accept Credit or Debit cards in my store. This has been very hard on my sales since many people used Credit Cards for purchases. I had flyers made up and posted them in the shop which said “We no longer accept Credit Cards, Reason, First Data Cardservice International. For more information go to our website www.bobshobbyshop.com” I also handed these out to all the businesses in my town and at various hobby shows I attended.

I did get several responses and my web site has over 60,000 hits!

Christmas sales were down. I had many people that brought a lot of things to the register for check out, but when they were told we could not accept credit cards, they left.

I decided I need to take credit cards again, so I went to my local bank and signed up. I had to buy a new card reading machine and it finally came the end of January. I took a few card payments, and on the fifth day after my new account was activated, it was canceled!

After checking into why, I discovered that First Data had struck again! They put me on a TMF list. This stands for Terminated Merchant File and is something that merchants who commit Credit Card Fraud are placed on. In other words, First Data is calling Me a Crook!!! (Hello Kettle, this is the Pot!)

In my research on TMF, I find it is just about the worse thing that could happen to me. It is like having the worse credit rating you can get. The only people who can remove me from this list are the people who placed me on it and they will not even TALK to me!!

Now I stepped up my letter writing campaign and I did get a response from the California Governors office stating that I need to contact their attorney General, Edmund Brown, which I did.

On March 28th First Data sent me a letter stating they had received a complaint from the California Attorney Generals Office. They said in the letter they are Demanding I stop my letter writing and “Immediately ceased and desist from making any further defamatory statements about them”!

They also said: “You were reported to TMF/MATCH on August 28th, 2007 pursuant to the Merchant Agreement. Should a subsequent credit card processor take a loss because of your processing, Cardservice International could be subject to a claim” In other words, You are at fault and a crook!

This was the first contact they made to me in 6 months, and the only one I have received this year.

As a result I have stepped up my letter writting campaign and have started this web log!

I have sent them a reply, and per their track record, I am expecting no reply. Because of that, I have forwarded copies to many other people such as the Governor of California, the Attorney General, state Senators, etc. so they will know what is going on.

I have done much research on this company on the internet and found I am not the only one they have done this to. Here are some website for you to look at.

 www.fisrtdata.ascandal.com

www.b-eye-network.com/blogs/loshin/archives/2008/08/credit_card_fra.php

Also go to www.ripoffreports.comand do a search for Frist Data. you will see many other merchants stories.

Please leave a comment on this and let me know if you have had any dealings with this company. I am trying to gather people to move on a Class Action Lawsuit.

Thanks for looking.

Bob

We Have Been SCAMED!!

This story begins in June of 2007.

Much of my business is with Collectors and I do business with people all over the world. Many of my customers are from Japan and England. A lot of the business I do is VIA the Internet.

Last June I received an order for an R/C Car kit from a customer in Indonesia. He gave me his credit card, which I put through my Credit Card Company “First Data Cardservice International” and it was approved. I sent the car to him. About 2 weeks later he sent an e-mail thanking me and telling me several of his friend would like the same car and would be ordering them. I started getting these orders within the next couple of days and all in all there were 42 cars ordered. As I received each order I put the card through for approval and First Data Approved all sales. This took about 2 weeks to complete after which I ordered the Cars from my supplier. This took another week to receive and 2 days to wrap them for shipping.

When the First Data Rep, Mark Rascher from Kalamazoo Michigan came to my store to set up the service, he established 2 accounts. One for “In Store Sales” and one for “Internet and International Sales” He informed me that all sales where the card is not present, such as Internet Sales, should be put through the second account as it would be Guaranteed.  Guess what?? HE LIED!!

The Day after I shipped out the first half of the cars, I received a Letter from First Data stating the credit cards I put through, that THEY APPROVED were Stolen!! Furthermore, they had already debited my bank account over $8000 to recover the fees.

When I tried to contact them, the person I need to speak with is always “Away from their Desk” and will call me back. They DO NOT RETURN CALLS!!!!! I as well as my Brother Herb, who is a CPA and my accountant, have tried Numerous times to talk with someone about this, and have been unsuccessful.

I did get a letter from them claiming that I went over my card sale limit of $5000 and that put them in jeopardy. I was unaware there was a limit! They claimed I signed a contract stating that, so I looked at the Book/Contract they had me sign. I did state I was only allowed $5000.00 per month in Credit Card Sales through their company. I did some checking and I exceeded the $5000.00 EVERY MONTH since I signed up with them! They NEVER said anything about this in the past, so evidently they never cared about it before!

Now I admit I did not read the entire contract before I signed it. If I had, I would probably still be reading it!! You know as well as I do that people don’t always read everything they sign. Like when you buy a Car. The Loan officer shoves a bunch of papers in front of you and says “Sign Here”. You wouldn’t know if there was some clause in it that says something like you can’t have any food in the car until you finish paying for it! That would give them the right to reposes your car if you went Grocery Shopping!

Since I could not talk to anyone about this, I began a Letter Writing Campaign. I wrote to All the First Data Offices I could get addresses for as well as Senators, Congressmen, The Attorney General, the Governor, News Papers, TV Stations,  Radio Stations. ETC…

Look at my Website, www.bobshobbyshop.com and you will see the whole story as well as a list of all the people I have written to for help and their response.

3 Radio stations 2 papers and a television station all did stories about this. They ALL had reporters try and call First Data, but they ALL got the same response, no one would return calls. One of our Michigan State Senators even called them and could not talk with anyone.  I honestly don’t know how they can stay in business when all their employees are away from their desks all day!!

After almost a year going through all this, I am beginning to  think First Data is Above the Law!!

That’s all for now, But I will continue my saga on the next post! Please feel free to share your comments with me, especially if you have had dealings with this company!