Diners Club Club Rewards - Over Aggressive "Fraud" Prevention

Today was the second time in two weeks that my DC card was declined at a local auto dealer's parts and service department. This is after the physical card was swiped, the little authorization machine came back as "declined". Last time, I simply used another card (Amex) to complete the transaction. I called later from home and they removed the block from my account with no explanation of why it was blocked. This time, I called from the auto dealer and they again removed the block and allowed the transaction to proceed. Both transactions were in the neighborhood of $500 - certainly not huge! Previously, a few months ago, my oil company's auto charge was denied as well.

I am totally p.o.'d. I have had a DC card for about 14 years and never had these problems. I am now looking to close this account. It is one thing to be on the watch for fraud, but none of these transactions should have sent up a red flag. It almost seems like they are trying to lose me as a customer. The main attraction has been the Primary Car Rental Insurance, but it is fast becoming not worth the trouble.

Anyone else having these issues?

Citi has just sold the US Diners Club franchise to Bank of Montreal, but Citi is still responsible for day-to-day operations. I would ride out these types of problems until Bank of Montreal asserts real control.

Wait until you call them on the phone, and they ask bizarre questions you may be hard pressed to answer. For example, just the other day, Citi Diners Club asked me what rental car agency I used for a purchase over eight months ago.

I use several rental agencies, so couldn't remember offhand. I had to spend a few minutes looking for my expense report from that month to tell the agent.

She was getting aggravated having to wait so long...but tough luck.

The whole Diners Club Customer Service has unfortunately taken a nose dive in quality and professionalism. They are no longer pleasant problem solvers, but it seems an agent that is servicing a whole slew of Citi premium cards...

This is just the kind of thing that got me to give up on these guys awhile ago. Constant problems in using the card, especially whenever I was overseas. AMEX has turned out to be infinitely better.

But be careful registering such complaints in this forum. I said similar things earlier, and got shouted down for my troubles. Don't know why, DC doesn't seem to want U.S. customers much anymore, and its been a LONG time since DC has seen a Freddie.

So aside from the repeated problems you are having, and I had, I guess everything is just perfect with DC. LOL...honestly.

This fraud silliness has been a problem for at least the last 2 years. They find it suspicious when I use the gas station around the corner from my house and shut me off, they also find it suspicious when I travel. Whatever system they use is completely useless, possibly on par with TSA. If I charge a ticket on this card to fly to city X and then use the card there, any computer system would let those charges through if not otherwise out of pattern.

I noticed this comment above, about how BoM is taking over, and we should ride out such problem until that time.

Why? Why not just get a card that works today?

And if we are to keep it, should we then regularly test to see if risk management is still idiotic, holding a second card in reserve in case it still remains so? Because God help you if you use this card solo when you travel. I can say that from repeated personal experiences, until I dumped the useless thing.

Tell you what. Keep getting declined to buy gas next door to where you live, and let me know when that stops happening.

lol...

I have had it with the CS reps on this fraud blacking. The last time, was declined at a Marriott hotel while traveling. When called, was told fraud was because you are traveling. However, charge had just gone through 20 minutes earlier from restaurant in the same Michigan town that I was staying in with no alert. As I escalated up the chain, they managed to blame it on "operator error" saying the machine was rejecting it due to not being swiped correctly. Such bogus answers (I had asked and front desk clerk had typed it in second time) blew me away. Can't wait until my company moves away from DC as mandated card for expenses.

On the other hand, I use my card all the time. I just bought lunch at Wendy's with absolutely NO problem. I've never had a problem while traveling domestically or overseas (although I did call them first to warn them).

Can't wait until my company moves away from DC as mandated card for expenses.

IMHO, all of the card issuers suck at this. After persistance, my CB is now tagged as someone who travels and I haven't had any isses since (2+ years).. if only AX could figure that out. It gets really annoying, especially if they are going to levy high fees on FOREX trasnactions you would think they would be better at letting me buy stuff in foreign currencies.@:-)

I totally agree. I fought with DC all winter about their constant "declining" of my home fuel payment. They claimed their automated processes read this pre-authorized monthly payment as a "gas station" charge. Because it's in the hundreds of dollars they decline it because it is too large for a typical "gas station" charge.

This is fine if it happens once. But it happens every time. After the first time I called and explained the charge, and they promised to follow up with my service provider to work something out. At the very least they were to let the provider know it was a glitch at their end; that there was NO problem with my credit or anything.

In the end, they never called. I had to phone in the payment using a different credit card. When it happened the second time, I was simply told this is the way their systems are set up and there is nothing they can do to change it.

So I paid off the card, stopped using it, and as soon as I take advantage of my free companion ticket to Rome this fall, I will cancel.

There are just too many great alternatives to put up with this kind of crappy service.

Cheers,

...phone in the payment using a different credit card.

Was the other card also Mastercard or another network?

Was the other card also Mastercard or another network?

Diner's is my only Mastercard.

Cheers,

Then it could be true that the home heating oil supplier is misclassified as a retail gasoline station on Mastercard's network, but classified correctly on VISA or American Express.

I've now had -- for the second time in 2010 -- my Diners Club account used fraudulently overseas. The first time was a number of transactions in the UK, while this time seemed to be in Amsterdam and/or Africa.

I had been to neither of those countries anytime recently.

In both cases, Diners Club handled it very well -- although I'm a little dubious how my account was breached twice in six months.

Greg

I've had the same problem recently, having the card declined at the Spice Market in Istanbul for an $800 purchase, after using it to check into the Ritz Carlton and at several restaurants. I knew I could have called and had it approved but used a Nordstrom Visa which went through. However unknown to me Nordstrom Bank blocked the card after that, as I found out when I returned home a few days later.

As I travel abroad frequently I usually call the card companies first to let them know, but neglected to on this trip.

Just to revive this thread with my own recent experiences with DC fraud prevention department. Arrived at LHR last month to pick up a Hertz car -- like I do on a regular basis -- only to find that DC had declined the charge (GBP140-ish) :eek:. I had to call the US and endure a really annoying representative who took about 15 mins to unlock my card. She said I had to call in future if I was traveling overseas to prevent a recurrence. I found this really frustrating. What's the point of having an internationally-accepted charge card if you have to call each time? I can understand - and have done so in the past - if I'm making a big or unusual purchase. I used my Plat AmEx card without problem in London on the same trip. So to avert another potential annoyance later this month at LHR with Hertz, I called DC this morning and spent 15 minutes going through the most convoluted call with the fraud department. The guy assured me my card was good for use when I show up in London for Xmas. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: Car rented at Hertz without any problem(s) from DC.

Fingers crossed.

"Fingers crossed" is never a term I'd like to use when relying on a charge card.

I had an experience similar to yours. I was doing last minute flights and business trips without time to plan (gotta love getting that Friday evening phone call that says, "You're going to Britain. Take the next plane.")

I was completely exhausted and going on 30+ hours without sleep at the Sofitel hotel at Heathrow airport, and DC declined the pre-authorization. Had to spend something like 30 minutes between myself and the hotel agent working with the DC fraud department to verify transactions. All I wanted was to check in, go to my room, and sleep.

This has happened probably about a dozen times over the past two years. Sometimes the vendor will call DC and resolve it, or sometimes I'll call and resolve it, or sometimes I'll just use a different card. But since this has happened quite a few times now, the fraud department has advised me that they've "removed some of the fraud protection" on my account, and it hasn't been a problem since.

Sounds like black magic to me. Fingers crossed.

-RS.

I always call prior to taking trips internationally but my trips are very infrequent. The only card company that told me that it isn't required was the American Express Starwood card.

I have been told twice now by Amex that (for my U.S. based card) they do not need me to contact them about my travel plans. As for my DC card, I have had a number of problems with larger charges ($800+), but they have since told me these will no longer be an issue.

I'm in Beijing right now, and was a little short on cash as it was nearing the end of the day, so I decided to use one of my cards on a ~80USD purchase. I didn't tell chase I was going overseas, and it was the first time I've used this card overseas, and it seems like a little snafu happened.

O well, I'll be going back to the states in 3 day, so it's not a big deal. Guess I'll just warn chase ahead of time next time.

I'm in Beijing right now, and was a little short on cash as it was nearing the end of the day, so I decided to use one of my cards on a ~80USD purchase. I didn't tell chase I was going overseas, and it was the first time I've used this card overseas, and it seems like a little snafu happened.

O well, I'll be going back to the states in 3 day, so it's not a big deal. Guess I'll just warn chase ahead of time next time.

I'm somewhat confused: what has Chase got to do with a DC card?

I'm somewhat confused: what has Chase got to do with a DC card?
I am left wondering the same. :confused:

Yes - just crazy.....

Mine was hit once in November and my wifes twice in December.....

I love diners points but that drove me nuts and also lost them business. One of mine was for an airfare and the airline said - sorry the card didn't go through so I used a different one.