May
21
2013
About a week ago, I went online and charged four picnic dinners for Opera Theatre of St. Louis to my credit card. I got an email confirmation of the charge that day.
I generally download my cc transactions pretty regularly and was surprised to see that I had been charged twice for the same thing. And the charges were from “Box Office” and from “Opera Theatre of St. Louis.” Different. But the same amount, same date.
Last week I called the OTSL box office to tell them about this. They said they needed proof I had been charged twice. So, I sent them a PDF file showing the two cc transactions clearly on the credit card’s website. I was told I’d be called back yesterday by the box office manager.
With no call yesterday, I called today and went through the whole thing again. I was told it was in the box office manager’s hands along with IT and I would get an email when the refund was made for the second charge. Well, I got a call from the box office manager instead.
She told me they only had a record of one charge and not two even though she saw the cc bill showing two. She said they could not refund me the money for the redundant charge since they had no record of it. She attributed it to a credit card company error on my account and I should call them to resolve it. I went through the logic that it really was two charges given one from “Box Office” and one from “Opera Theatre of St. Louis.” She blamed it on the credit card carrier and what I had to do was to call them. I told her I was unhappy that she was thrusting the issue back onto me to solve when it was their problem.
I called the credit card company. They told me they had paid the amount twice to Opera Theatre since they received two transactions, but they would put in a temporary credit for the second charge until it was resolved. Now it’s in the “dispute” area which can take up to eight weeks. I was given a dispute number. So, I called the box office at Opera Theatre to get the manager to update her, but it was after 4:30 and they were closed. I next called the main number (office hours until 5:00) at 4:40. Given what happened next, I sent the box office manager the following email with a copy to their director of development:
“At this point, I'm even more angry that I was when I talked to you earlier. Even though your office is open until 5:00, unless you know someone's name (and I didn't know yours), you cannot get a human to ask for "box office manager, please." So, I had to go to your website to find out who you are so I could then go back to the phone and try to get you. But you're not in right now at 4:45. Thus, since the box office closed at 4:30, I am using your email which I got from your website. It would be nice that during office hours there was a way to speak to an operator or attendant and not be forced to know the name of the person you are trying to call. Should be a default in there somewhere, but there isn't. Thus, the addition to my frustration over what should have been a simple transaction.
I called the credit card company as you suggested. They have two $xx charges coming from you and two $xx payments sent to you. It is as I told you I thought it was. They said, as I told you, the charges came from both "Opera Theatre of St. Louis" and "Box Office." They are going to dispute the "Box Office" entry and have credited me for the second $xx charge until the "dispute" is settled, which they can take up to 8 weeks. Eight weeks!
As a long-time donor and ticket buyer to OTSL, I am displeased about how all this is being handled as I expressed to you on the phone today. It was clear from the material I sent you in an earlier email as well as my reading to you the statement that I just got from the credit card company that I was charged twice. The fact that you cannot find it should not have been my problem. The evidence was clear about this. And a simple refund from you while you fished around to find out what happened would have solved the problem. However, it was thrown back to me to solve. As a customer, I don't see this as good customer service.”
Frankly, I hope my rant costs them more than the money they could have refunded me given I was double-charged.
I generally download my cc transactions pretty regularly and was surprised to see that I had been charged twice for the same thing. And the charges were from “Box Office” and from “Opera Theatre of St. Louis.” Different. But the same amount, same date.
Last week I called the OTSL box office to tell them about this. They said they needed proof I had been charged twice. So, I sent them a PDF file showing the two cc transactions clearly on the credit card’s website. I was told I’d be called back yesterday by the box office manager.
With no call yesterday, I called today and went through the whole thing again. I was told it was in the box office manager’s hands along with IT and I would get an email when the refund was made for the second charge. Well, I got a call from the box office manager instead.
She told me they only had a record of one charge and not two even though she saw the cc bill showing two. She said they could not refund me the money for the redundant charge since they had no record of it. She attributed it to a credit card company error on my account and I should call them to resolve it. I went through the logic that it really was two charges given one from “Box Office” and one from “Opera Theatre of St. Louis.” She blamed it on the credit card carrier and what I had to do was to call them. I told her I was unhappy that she was thrusting the issue back onto me to solve when it was their problem.
I called the credit card company. They told me they had paid the amount twice to Opera Theatre since they received two transactions, but they would put in a temporary credit for the second charge until it was resolved. Now it’s in the “dispute” area which can take up to eight weeks. I was given a dispute number. So, I called the box office at Opera Theatre to get the manager to update her, but it was after 4:30 and they were closed. I next called the main number (office hours until 5:00) at 4:40. Given what happened next, I sent the box office manager the following email with a copy to their director of development:
“At this point, I'm even more angry that I was when I talked to you earlier. Even though your office is open until 5:00, unless you know someone's name (and I didn't know yours), you cannot get a human to ask for "box office manager, please." So, I had to go to your website to find out who you are so I could then go back to the phone and try to get you. But you're not in right now at 4:45. Thus, since the box office closed at 4:30, I am using your email which I got from your website. It would be nice that during office hours there was a way to speak to an operator or attendant and not be forced to know the name of the person you are trying to call. Should be a default in there somewhere, but there isn't. Thus, the addition to my frustration over what should have been a simple transaction.
I called the credit card company as you suggested. They have two $xx charges coming from you and two $xx payments sent to you. It is as I told you I thought it was. They said, as I told you, the charges came from both "Opera Theatre of St. Louis" and "Box Office." They are going to dispute the "Box Office" entry and have credited me for the second $xx charge until the "dispute" is settled, which they can take up to 8 weeks. Eight weeks!
As a long-time donor and ticket buyer to OTSL, I am displeased about how all this is being handled as I expressed to you on the phone today. It was clear from the material I sent you in an earlier email as well as my reading to you the statement that I just got from the credit card company that I was charged twice. The fact that you cannot find it should not have been my problem. The evidence was clear about this. And a simple refund from you while you fished around to find out what happened would have solved the problem. However, it was thrown back to me to solve. As a customer, I don't see this as good customer service.”
Frankly, I hope my rant costs them more than the money they could have refunded me given I was double-charged.
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