get this! MERRILL VENT

[reba515]

Merrill just called me TODAY to tell me that my CC transaction hasn't cleared.
I used my Visa gift card (conference cash) and apparently they are "just now getting to it" well that $ is long gone so now I need to send them a check for the amount I spent. WTF ! I am not happy.

anyone else get a call like this?

[chefkristin]

Well that sucks doesn't it. Sorry that happened to you!:(

[heat123]

Sorry to hear that. Alot of people were complaining about Merrills ordering service from confrence!

[reba515]

it just irks me that something that should have been "free" to me I now have to pay out of pocket for.
i know i could have kept better track of the balance but why are they just doing this now?? its been almost 2 months

[pamperedlinda]

it just irks me that something that should have been "free" to me I now have to pay out of pocket for.
i know i could have kept better track of the balance but why are they just doing this now?? its been almost 2 months

Merrill took about 2 weeks to debit my card. Two months does seem like a long time....but.....(sorry if this hurts :angel: )....didn't you notice that you had extra money?

[reba515]

you would think I would have ! I just kept on using it till it wouldn't work :)
It's only about $40 so really not a huge issue its just the time it took I really more upset about.

[reba515]

maybe i should just look at it as a "deferred payment" :D

[pamperedlinda]

I can see how $40 would get overlooked. Oh well, at leats it's not $100! I wonder how fast Merrill is at reporting to the Credit Bureau if you take as long to pay them as they took to bill you?

[KellyTheChef]

I can see how $40 would get overlooked. Oh well, at leats it's not $100! I wonder how fast Merrill is at reporting to the Credit Bureau if you take as long to pay them as they took to bill you?
LOL :D :eek: :D

[KellyTheChef]

Oh crap...I used my card too...wonder if they are gonna tell me the same thing! I started off keeping really good track using my conference cash debit card...then slacked off. The last time I used it (used up the balance on sample orders from HO) I just looked up the balance online so I knew that I used up every last penny! I assumed (probably the same thing you did) that almost 2 months later they would have already pulled their $$ from my conference order!

[jenniferp417]

Do you still have the card? You said you used it until it didn't work - but are you sure it's empty? If the last thing you tried to charge was $10 and there was $9 on it, that would still just not go through. It wouldn't take that $9.

There's probably a number on the card you can call... maybe there's still some money on it you can apply to the Merrill balance!

[KellyTheChef]

Do you still have the card? You said you used it until it didn't work - but are you sure it's empty? If the last thing you tried to charge was $10 and there was $9 on it, that would still just not go through. It wouldn't take that $9.

There's probably a number on the card you can call... maybe there's still some money on it you can apply to the Merrill balance!


There is actually a website listed on the back of the card...very easy to look up your balance!!

[reba515]

yeah I have it I have $2.25 left lol ! I went on the website before I called Merrill back earlier. The screwed up part is that I went to the merrill booth twice one charge is on it but not the other?? when i said this to the lady you know what she said????? she said "hmmm thats weird" YA THINK ??

See why I am fired up?

[dianevill]

you would think I would have ! I just kept on using it till it wouldn't work :)
It's only about $40 so really not a huge issue its just the time it took I really more upset about.
:blushing: I did the same thing - used it until it was denied. Then I looked up the balance and found I had $6 and some odd change, so I wrote the balance on the card and used it at the grocery store. Shoot - I don't even know what I spent the money on anymore, but Merrill was the first place I used it. I hope it went through, or I'll be getting a call too! So you may not be in the boat alone!:eek: :eek: :eek:

[chefheidi2003]

when i said this to the lady you know what she said????? she said "hmmm thats weird" YA THINK ??

See why I am fired up?

LOL...must be the same lady that I talked to when I had a problem because taht is exactly what she said to me. I didn't have the same kind of problem as you but the lady did say "hmmm thats weird"...LOL

[chefsteph07]

That's bull..I will probably get a call too...I noticed I had about an "extra" $70 on mine about a week after I got back, NEVER thought a thing about it, just thought that I had miscalculated what I thought I spent at conference (you know, sometimes you think you are spending boatloads and it's not as much as you actually think),
If I get a call, I will GO OFF!!!!
I mean, what happens if someone decides NOT to pay, ya know? Especially 2 months later! I actually ordered a unisex half zip sweatshirt there, it is fleece, well, let me tell you, the fleece on the inside got ALL OVER the shirt I was wearing underneath it! I mean, it was like BALLS of fleece on my other shirt, then I thought I had to wash it first, so I washed it when I got home and there was fleece EVERYWHERE, all over my washing machine, etc. I haven't worn it since (well, bc it's been too warm), but if they call me I think I will tell them about it and just SEND IT BACK!!!!

[reba515]

That's bull..I will probably get a call too...I noticed I had about an "extra" $70 on mine about a week after I got back, NEVER thought a thing about it, just thought that I had miscalculated what I thought I spent at conference (you know, sometimes you think you are spending boatloads and it's not as much as you actually think), If I get a call, I will GO OFF!!!!
I mean, what happens if someone decides NOT to pay, ya know? Especially 2 months later! I actually ordered a unisex half zip sweatshirt there, it is fleece, well, let me tell you, the fleece on the inside got ALL OVER the shirt I was wearing underneath it! I mean, it was like BALLS of fleece on my other shirt, then I thought I had to wash it first, so I washed it when I got home and there was fleece EVERYWHERE, all over my washing machine, etc. I haven't worn it since (well, bc it's been too warm), but if they call me I think I will tell them about it and just SEND IT BACK!!!!


exactly !!!!

[dianevill]

That's bull..I will probably get a call too...I noticed I had about an "extra" $70 on mine about a week after I got back, NEVER thought a thing about it, just thought that I had miscalculated what I thought I spent at conference (you know, sometimes you think you are spending boatloads and it's not as much as you actually think),
If I get a call, I will GO OFF!!!!


Hmmm, I usually have the OPPOSITE problem:rolleyes:

[chefsteph07]

Guess what? I just checked the visa website and the merrill transaction HAS NOT been put on my card either!!! So I"m sure I will get notified by them! I am so mad right now!!! And I only have $2 left on the card!!!

[dianevill]

Now you gals have me curious, so I just checked. I wasn't charged either. I'll be waiting for the call... I would think there has to be an expiration date on processing credit card transactions. Two months is pretty ridiculous. Luckily, mine was only for $10 and some odd change, but still...

[finley1991]

I don't want to sound like I am defending Merrill here because personally I think they've gotten in over their heads. With that, technically, a credit card CANNOT be processed for a transaction until it is shipped or ready to be shipped. They couldn't charge your card two months ago and not give you the merchandise. That would be credit card fraud. It's really not their fault if you didn't pay attention to your spending on the card. It's also not right that they are taking so long to get the merchandise to you either unless they specifically told you at Conference it would be 8-12 weeks before your items arrived.

With that, I would definitely let HO know that you ordered things at conference, were NOT told that you wouldn't receive the merchandise in a timely manner (if that is indeed the case) and how you feel about all of it. They are the ones who choose our vendors and they will only know that you're unhappy if you tell them. Good luck... hopefully everything will work out okay in the end.

[dianevill]

I got my merchandise at conference. It's the card that hasn't been charged. If they call me to get a new card, no big deal to me - it's THEIR hassle and time...think of all the time and money they're wasting trying to collect their money.

[finley1991]

I got my merchandise at conference. It's the card that hasn't been charged. If they call me to get a new card, no big deal to me - it's THEIR hassle and time...think of all the time and money they're wasting trying to collect their money.

WOW! Then they are really dropping the ball big time!!!!

[dianevill]

I don't want to sound like I am defending Merrill here because personally I think they've gotten in over their heads. With that, technically, a credit card CANNOT be processed for a transaction until it is shipped or ready to be shipped. They couldn't charge your card two months ago and not give you the merchandise. That would be credit card fraud. .

That's not really true. PC charges customers for items that are backordered and not ready to be shipped.

[jenniferp417]

And Merrill charges when an order is placed, no matter how long it takes them to ship an order.

I *much* prefer companies like amazon.com - they don't charge your card until they send your order. I wish more companies did that.

[finley1991]

Wow.. I've totally got it wrong then. I thought I read that credit cards couldn't be charged unless the merchandise is shipped and/or given to the customer. Sorry about that!

[jenniferp417]

Wow.. I've totally got it wrong then. I thought I read that credit cards couldn't be charged unless the merchandise is shipped and/or given to the customer. Sorry about that!

On the other hand there are a lot of things companies *should* do, just because it's the right thing to do, and don't. :grumpy:

That might be what you read.

[chefsteph07]

Mine was bought AT conference as well...I have never ordered from there. And doubt that I will now!

[Shawnna]

Well, my CC has not been charged yet either and I have already received all of my stuff...some I got at conference. I don't know for sure about debit cards, but we take CC at our restaurant and I was told by the processing company that when we swipe a card and get an approval from the company that it is only good for about 3 days...max...and after that you may not even get your money from the CC company and on top of that the processing company charges a bigger fee because you took so long.

For those that don't know, when you swipe the card, the funds are not applied to your CC balance at that time. The retailer must "process" the cards taken in a batch. After they close out their machine, then the CC company actually goes to work. When you swipe the card they approve or disapprove it and then put a hold on the funds for 3 days.

[reba515]

Mine was bought AT conference as well...I have never ordered from there. And doubt that I will now!


I bought mine AT conference too. and like I said earlier I went 3 times (to the booth) and 2 of the transactions went through within a few days.

Anyway I am glad I was able to give you all (that haven't been charged yet )a "heads up"

[missyciccolella]

I totally sympathise with you...on a similar topic, I hate when people hold my checks...I write it all down, but I get tired of repeatedly doing that math (LOL).
I'm totally going to jump on the complaining of merril though...what about those lines at conference?! I would get frustrated with the length of time it took to get in there, and then there is the line at check out. I didn't want to miss my workshops b/c I paid for those! I hope they can figure the the CC problem and line problem for next time!

[Shawnna]

Everyone needs to let HO know that you are unhappy. We work for a great company, so I am sure they want to help us all they can. But, they won't know we are having problems if we don't tell them.

[Chef Kearns]

Okay, I thought I was the only one. When I went to conference I told myself I wasn't going to shop Merrill, but because I earned that Ccash I bought some stuff. I spent more than I would've if I didn't have that card and now have to pay for it again. I was keeping track of how much I was spending. I thought I had about $50 left on it, but called to verify that and they told me I had $150!! So I took my little happy butt back to the shops!! I mean who doesn't like a balance in their favor? I thought maybe I was mistaken about how much I had to start with.

I am really pissed that they are just now processing the orders and that I have to pay for it a different way! It is a little crazy. After conference I ordered the Red, white and black ribbons for my tote and STILL haven't received those. I spoke with someone at the beginning of August (or middle) and she told me that they were set to be delivered by the end of that week. HELLO!! Still waiting!

[reba515]

Okay, I thought I was the only one. When I went to conference I told myself I wasn't going to shop Merrill, but because I earned that Ccash I bought some stuff. I spent more than I would've if I didn't have that card and now have to pay for it again. I was keeping track of how much I was spending. I thought I had about $50 left on it, but called to verify that and they told me I had $150!! So I took my little happy butt back to the shops!! I mean who doesn't like a balance in their favor? I thought maybe I was mistaken about how much I had to start with.

I am really pissed that they are just now processing the orders and that I have to pay for it a different way! It is a little crazy. After conference I ordered the Red, white and black ribbons for my tote and STILL haven't received those. I spoke with someone at the beginning of August (or middle) and she told me that they were set to be delivered by the end of that week. HELLO!! Still waiting!


so they called you also ? or did you check your activity on the card?

[Chef Kearns]

They called me. I didn't respond at first, but then they called me again about 2 or 3 times. I told them to give me a number I could call back to give my cc# because it sounded fishy to me.

We went to Vegas in August so I called to get the balance of the card and I still had $25. I told my husband, "I bet some of those things didn't go through". I paid my hotel with it and several meals and Merrill and some other stuff. I'm just glad it wasn't the hotel fee.

[reba515]

They called me. I didn't respond at first, but then they called me again about 2 or 3 times. I told them to give me a number I could call back to give my cc# because it sounded fishy to me..

it did to me too. I was driving the lady crazy because I wouldn't give her my # and made her look up by my purchases. She said, "well it would be easier and faster if you would give the CC # you used" I said, "I've got time, go ahead" she wasn't amused :angel:

[jenniferp417]

it did to me too. I was driving the lady crazy because I wouldn't give her my # and made her look up by my purchases. She said, "well it would be easier and faster if you would give the CC # you used" I said, "I've got time, go ahead" she wasn't amused :angel:

Even with all the stories about identity theft, people don't seem to understand that it's just plain crazy to give out your info to who-knows-who just because they SAY they're somebody who should know it. :mad:

In other words, good for you! :thumbup:

[chefsteph07]

Has anyone who has gotten calls asked why it has taken them so long to process the cards? That is ridiculous!
Isn't there a time limit on how long merchants have to process cards? I know with checks you usually can't cash them over a year or something, but I would think credit/debit cards would be different.

[chefpayne]

Ya'll had me concern so I found the card that I torn in half and was about to throw away and got on line. I was charged for the two times I visited them but both times the card was charged a different total than what was on my receipt. In my favor by almost $2.

[Jules711]

I'm still waiting for the sweater that was mis-shipped (received a completely different shirt). I emailed at the end of July, then had to call b/c they like to verify things over the phone. Well good for you, but I thought taking the time to email sure ought to take care of it. Now, I need to call and wait and explain everything AGAIN? So I did and thought it was taken care of. Call again mid August saying I still haven't received it and the response is, well it should be shipped this week. Okay...another 2 weeks go by and I email again. It was shipped so must be the mail system. Uh huh. I'm supposed to call (b/c the person can't spell? Why not really respond through email?). I call and no it hasn't been shipped. No...really?? So it's going to be shipped today. We'll see. At least she was nice. I've gotten some unpleasant people, but then I see that it's b/c they talk to annoyed customers all day.

Ahhh...feeling better. On a positive note. I got my first Vista Print box of goodies today and am impressed! I've been tempted to get more already but wanted to see the quality. Very nice.

[missydivine]

I've never ordered from Merrill, and this makes me think again. I hope it all works out.

[ChefBeckyD]

I just got home from vacation with 3 messages from Merrill on my machine regarding this same thing! This makes me so angry! I bought some cash and carry things at Conference - and now I'm being told they were never paid for - this is crazy, and I will never order from Merrill again!

[pamperedgirl3]

I still don't understand why PC went with one vendor, especially one who so many people have had trouble with. The poor customer service is the worst IMO. You don't treat customers like that! I'll order PC logo things from them because I have to if I want the logo, but I'm not impressed with them. I won't buy stickers or postcards, etc. from them.

[chefsteph07]

I cannot wait till I get my call.
Are we all going to call HO about this?

[finley1991]

Anyone who has had a bad experience with Merrill should contact the Solution Center. They need to know.