"I can't believe it's a scam", I thought to myself.
Something I wanted to share with our seniors that seems to be emerging as a very disconcerting problem.
I don't see myself as a conspiracy theorist, however, am I overthinking this? Here's the problem…
Getting refunds on returns.
I recently had to return a mattress to a well-known membership club. They guaranteed that if the mattress didn't work, you could have it picked up at no charge and get a full refund. After I returned it, I checked the status online and it said, “refund processing.”
I waited several days looking for the refund and it never came through.
I then called the company, and they said that the refund was “stuck” in status. Now I'm not sure what “stuck in status” meant but the gal on the phone had to put me on hold, figure out a couple of things, and then push the refund through manually. She told me that within five to seven business days I would see the refund on my credit card.
This didn't bother me until I had to return another product to a store that always tends to give us the best buy. When the appliance was returned, I again checked the status, “Refund processing.” I waited for the refund to show up on my credit card.
No such luck.
So I called the 1-800 number and they told me that the refund was issued but it was “stuck in refund status”. Hmmm. Hearing these same words gave me pause. This person also put me on hold and then told me she had taken it out of the refund hold status manually and I would see my money in seven and 10 days back on my credit card.
Then this third time caused me to write this blog...
When my daughter was returning an item to a very large e-commerce company, she got an e-mail stating that her item had definitely been returned and her “refund was processing”. When she finally called because she did not see this credit on her credit card she was told that the item was “stuck in refund” status. Again the person had to put her on hold and then come back on the phone and say her refund has been manually released and she should see it on her credit card in five to seven days.
There are 4 things here that concern me greatly.
- All three companies are using the same terminology; “stuck in refund status”.
- All three companies sent emails saying the refund was being processed or pending. This almost gave me a false sense that I would be seeing the money back on the credit card and I didn't have to worry about it.
- That you actually have to find a 1-800 number and talk to a human being to get them to push your promised refund back onto your credit card.
- This doesn’t seem to happen with lower priced items but the more expensive ones. This makes me feel like I can become complacent when I should be checking every transaction.
Are things getting too easy for us? As seniors, maybe we should verify the technology we succumb to.
Another interesting insight…
For my 15th birthday, my father gave me a very unique present. His present was a job he got for me down at the local pharmacy. At the time, I didn’t understand why I needed a job. After all, he was a physician. His comment to me was, “How are you going to pay for the things you want if you don’t work?”
Off to work I went.
Two weeks later, I got my first paycheck ($1.32 an hour). I was so proud. I showed my Dad. He said, “Always check the math. Make sure the number of hours you worked, the taxes they take out, and the pay is correct.” We went over the figures, and everything was spot on.
I have carried this same practice through the years. After a year in my new job as a physician assistant, I happened to mention to all the doctors and nurses that I work with that I had caught about $850 in mistakes (to the company's advantage). I was glad to have fixed the mistakes and gotten the money I had worked for.
Everyone in the clinic was shocked. They never checked their paychecks. Since our checks were direct deposit, they just thought everything was correct.
When they started looking, they realized how wrong they had been paid. The payroll department said they couldn’t “go back” and fix it but moving forward, “if the called, they would make corrections in the next pay period.”
I’m sure my company wasn’t doing this on purpose but to make a long story short, is everything becoming so automated that it’s just easier to trust technology and not our common sense?
Grab yourself this FREE copy of the Supar-Ager's Starter Guide and check out Chapter 6 on Law & Money. We do not need to be wondering if our records and assets are safe. You'll find a list of 10 things you want to make sure are accurately representing you!
P.S. Another food for thought...
On another note and something to think about...has technology gotten too complicated with bells, whistles, and templates while in pursuit to make things easier? Are our medical, legal, and tax professionals really aware of what they're putting in writing for us?
Another article you might like: Healthcare vs Medical Care: Knowing the Difference is Powerful
