I have a very small crochet business called Hope Cottage Creations which I operate from my home in the Bronx but I do business in Manhattan and westchester. In 2007, just before doing a craft show in Greenwhich village, I negotiated to accept credit cards through the company Merchantone and United Bank. At that time I had contracted to use a phone that you slide the credit card through. At the craft show the phone did not work. I returned the phone but kept the service that allowed me to manually call in credit card info for payment and agreed to be automatically billed each month for the call-in credit service. The billing statement came each month and although I moticed there were two billing sheets- one for $15 and second for $34.75 - both were from Merchantone so I thought that was the fee for the call in credit card service.
In approximately Nov. 2010 I decided I would discontinue the service. When I called Merchantone I found out that the the first billing statement for $15 was from Merchantone but the second billing statememt for $34.75 was from United Bank for the equipment and service I had returned four years ago! and for which they had continuously billed me for four years! Merchantone said they HAD on record that I returned the equipment years ago and that they would speak to United Bank to make sure they no longer billed me and that United Bank would refund the almost $2000 they owed me.
The next month I received another billing statement for $34.75. I called merchantone again and this time I was told I had to call United Bank directly. A United Bank service representative confirmed THEY HAD on record that I had returned the equipment. I received no bill from United in Jan and thought this was over until I received another bill in February. I called again! She told me as of Dec. 2010 they refunded me $60! (OUT OF ALMOST $2,000) and that she would again stop them from billing me. I received another bill in March! This time she said they would reimburse me only $80 because that is all her manager would agree to now. She never called back as she promised to do. I received ANOTHER BILL IN APRIL! I just called them and yet again they couldn't understand why I was still being billed and blamed a third party billing company for errors but she told me in March 2001 they refunded another whopping $80. I explained this was just unacceptable. I spoke to a manager and despite my explaining to him that billing me for four years for a service I did not use was fraud, he said they were not obligated to pay me my money because there was a 60 day dispute deadline! Even if that's the case (and I never received literature from them when I signed the contract that talked of a 60 day deadline) the numbers don't add up. They reimbused me $60 in December but it should have been $69.50. Then reimbursed me $80 in March and $100 in April. He said firmly they would NOT reimburse me for the balance. I said, "What is $1,700 to bank? a drop in the bucket and you are betting that the little guy will not try to battle Goliath!." I emplore you to please help me. They admit I returned the equipment - they admit they erroneously billed me-- but will not reimburse the full amount. Even their own service representative said this was so wrong but her hands were tied.
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