Marathon Man

indeed! hahaha GD is baddddd news.

My friend had a problem with 3 MPs he bought.

Here below is the whole story I wrote about it that I shared with friends, and in it are his exchanges with GD--read in reverse order:

****

This is another story about the pains of Green Dot and their MoneyPak product. Many use these products and many have had good experiences with them, but for those who have not, add this to your list of bad news experiences.

I just learned that in the past several weeks, a friend of mine who is relatively new to MS, but who was approaching it with intelligence and financial responsibility in mind, had experienced the following horrid situation involving Green Dot MoneyPaks (I call them “Monkey Packs” for good reason).

Many a seasoned MSer has had a run in with a company like Green Dot on at least one occasion and we have seen some pretty dastardly things coming from what should be much more professional run organizations. Interestingly, many of our readers will agree that Green Dot, based on the way it tries to push things off and target the victim, is probably fronting a huge somehow-still-legal scam. But this one takes the cake as you will read one response from a higher up who outright accused my friend of more than just fraud.

For the safety and security of my friend, I have stripped his details off this correspondence and changed his name to John T. You will see that in each message added below.

Basically, he used his Barclays card to buy 3 MPs at a Rite Aid in one single transaction and somehow the cards ended up not fully activating even though his receipt says they are activated (I always double check my receipts as I get them from the clerk, and I tend to mark down what goes with what because Green Dot ineptly fails to have anything but a set of four zeros “0000” to ‘reference’ each purchase. This friend had been to that same Rite Aid several times before but this time the clerk ran all 3 cards in one purchase (not always a good idea with MPs as some already know). It comes to pass, as many have seen, that when run together in a single purchase, MPs often do end up with some sort of batching problem and so when the store, in this case Rite Aid, sends over the batch to the merchant, something is already wrong before the buyer even walks out of the store, but no one knows it yet.

When he got home to use them online (for either loading various prepaid cards or for other means and services allowable by the Green Dot terms and conditions) they had no value. He had to call the idiots at the regular MP hotline but got nowhere fast. Determined to find out where his money was, he eventually found other departments and with the help of his premier Linked In account that he uses for work, he was able to reach out to execs at GD to try and gain some assistance.

Instead of helping him, they lied, delayed action or responses, and accused him of fraud and stealing, and threatened him with the FBI. As a result he continued to maintain his cool and professionalism and even invited a visit from the FBI but still he pursued his matter knowing nothing illegal had been done by him. He wanted his money back and eventually he got a message stating that Rite Aid had his funds and would charge back to his CC.

I think GD or someone was seriously reprimanded and suddenly realized they have to help him, so they quickly sent the funds back through to Rite Aid and then had him go there to get the money. They could not or would not send to him directly without looking stupid but he knew they were already, and so they sent it through the originating store. Rite Aid’s upper management was apologetic and professional and they aided in the refund, but all parties agree that it was never their fault. They got caught up in the middle and of course, we have all seen stores that only do cash only for such things, and guess what people: This kind of thing is probably the reason. Stores just don’t want to deal with the issue so they make it go away by quelling heavy large purchasing of said products. It’s not the customer’s fault, but you can see how this stuff goes.

What is fascinating about this correspondence is the one GD exec going by the name, Nirit Rubenstein (General Manager and Vice President of Green Dot Corporation). This person accuses John of using a stolen credit card and then threatens him in writing via Linked In messaging.

I have seen some crappy stuff out there and we have all heard bogus reasoning by obtuse and uneducated drone-like overseas staffers on the phone but I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this in print! Damn, she should be barred from Linked In... and then fired from Green Dot on the spot! Either that, or Green Dot should be sanctioned by government authorities if and where possible (some people in different states around the country have even had to files with the FDIC, the Attorney General’s Office, or sue them in small claims court for such matters).

Companies cannot and will not get away with this stuff, and that is why I am exposing it now. It is up to each of us to actively fight back at such negligence and slander. If we do not, they will just continue to bully people like you and me when we try to buy their products. If you follow what is in their T&Cs and you do nothing illegal, how and why can they abuse you as a customer just because you bought their products and something went wrong with the transaction? I know that many Green Dot products are for the unbanked and even used by people who are in prison, but are they right to assume that everyone involved in buying or using these products must be an everyday criminal? What kind of organization are we allowing to exist out there?

Nirit Rubenstein, the offending and violent accuser of my friend John is hereby exposed. I personally hope she suffers and one day has her own finances messed up in ways she cannot get herself around for weeks if not longer. Shame on her! It is in response to people like her and companies like GD that we must react and continue to push against.

You can all look online at her Linked In profile.


Please read the entire correspondence in reverse history order. It begins at a point where John had already talked to the drones at GD but was now reaching out to execs.

I hope you enjoy this!


***


From: John T.
Subject: Fwd: MoneyPak Case - XXXXX
Date: April 29, 2014 at 6:33:12 PM EDT
To: [email protected]

Hi XXX,

It was a relief to get a call from you. I appreciate your professional and customer-centric approach very much.

I am forwarding some of my correspondence with Green Dot Corporation to show how they treat RiteAid customer’s (see below). It is very seldom that I lodge a formal complaint, but in this case I will make an exception.

I realize that it probably is not your decision, but as a customer, I would strongly suggest to your management team that RiteAid should discontinue doing business with Green Dot because they treat RiteAid customers such as myself very poorly. I am not accustomed to being called a credit card thief by the General Manager of any company (see Nirit Rubenstein’s message to me below). I was only seeking Green Dot's assistance to recover my lost $1,500. Their Customer Care Department said that it was “beyond the call of duty” for Green Dot Corporation to contact RiteAid to help resolve this issue. I was very cooperative and polite. I was astonished by the treatment I received.

In any case, I would appreciate a brief email from you that I could forward to Bernie Huerta, letting him know that:
1. I did not steal anyone’s credit card
2. I have been provided with a full refund
3. I have not engaged in any fraudulent or suspicious activity

XXX, I appreciate the very courteous and efficient service that you provided, despite the bad experience that I have had with Green Dot Corporation.

Thank you,
-John


***

Begin forwarded message:

From: John T.
Subject: Fwd: MoneyPak Case - XXXXX
Date: April 29, 2014 at 9:49:25 AM EDT
To: [email protected]

Dear Bernie,

Here is the information that you requested regarding MoneyPak Case - XXXXX.

As I expressed to you over the telephone a few minutes ago, I will cooperate fully, and if you need any additional evidence from me please let me know.

To assist, I am sending you a copy of my Massachusetts Drivers License and a photograph (a “selfie”) that I just took in front of the whiteboard where I have written your name and today's date.

I look forward to hearing the findings of your investigation.

Thank you,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

***

Begin forwarded message:

From: John T.
Subject: Fwd: MoneyPak Case - XXXXX
Date: April 29, 2014 at 9:08:29 AM EDT
To: [email protected], Venus - Email Support Team <[email protected]>, Support Team KennethT - Email <[email protected]>, [email protected]

Attention: Bernie Huerta, or any employee at Green Dot who may be concerned

For your records, here is my reply to the response that I received through LinkedIn from your General Manager, Nirit Rubenstein below.

I assure you that my claim is legitimate, and I am willing to provide any additional evidence that you might require to establish the facts in this case (Green Dot Case# XXXXX).

I have also referred this matter to Barclays Bank (the issuer of my credit card) and RiteAid (the retailer of your MoneyPak Cards) to lodge formal complaints. The Billing Dispute Department at Barclay said that you may contact them directly if you wish (Barclay Billing Dispute Case # DPXXXXX).

Please contact me to resolve this matter immediately.

Thank you,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

***

Begin forwarded message:

From: John T.
Subject: Re: MoneyPak Case - XXXXX

Date: April 29, 2014 at 7:12:48 AM EDT
To: "Nirit Rubenstein (via LinkedIn)"

Dear Nirit,

Frankly, I expected a very different reaction from you as a business leader. You are mistaken.

Obviously I would not be using my LinkedIn account to contact you if I was some sort of "white collar criminal" as you suggest. The credit card that I used to purchase the MoneyPaks belongs to me, and this credit card is still active. Whomever suggested otherwise is incompetent. Either you or the retailer, RiteAid, has my $1,500, and I will recover my money.

Please have the FBI call or visit me as soon as possible as I am very eager to discuss this matter with them. Please be sure to provide them with the following facts:
> My name is Dr. John T.
> I am a business owner whose company name is:
> My cell phone number is:
> My residence is at:
> My listed home phone number is:

Please be assured that I will not cease to contact Green Dot to recover my money. I was hoping for a different response. I will, however, as a gentleman respect your request to stop contacting you personally, but because you have chosen this course of action rather than dealing with me professionally and courteously, I will contact the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, the Better Business Bureau, and RiteAid. If necessary, I will take appropriate legal action to recover my money.

I will be contacting Bernie Huerta in your Corporate Resolutions Department again today.

Respectfully yours,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

***

On Apr 28, 2014, at 11:51 PM, Nirit Rubenstein <[email protected]> wrote:

LinkedIn
OPENLINK: YOU HAVE A NEW MESSAGE
From: Nirit Rubenstein
Date: April 29, 2014
Subject RE: MoneyPak Case - XXXXX
John,

I apologize but there is nothing I can do to help. You used a stolen credit card to purchase the MoneyPaks.

You also exhibited classic fraudulent behavior of purchasing the MoneyPaks at the highest amount in multiple quantities.

Furthermore, you have had 13 open disputes with Green Dot, all of which resulted in fraudulent activity.

We have passed the case onto the FBI. Do not contact me or anyone from Green Dot again as it will not end well for you.

Nirit


***

On 04/28/14 5:04 PM, John T. wrote:
--------------------
Dear Nirit,

I did receive brief call from Bernie Huerta in the Corporate Resolutions Department today, but we have reached the end of another day with no answer or explanation on what is causing the delay in providing a refund for the worthless MoneyPak cards that I purchased for $1,500.

In brief, I used my credit card to purchase three $500 MoneyPaks. My credit card company has charged me. The MoneyPaks that I purchased show as having zero value on your website. I provided Green Dot with my store receipt and the photographs of my MoneyPaks (front and back). Evidently my money has disappeared into thin air and I have nothing to show but a $1,500 credit card bill (already paid), three worthless MoneyPak cards, and a paid store receipt.

It is completely unacceptable that this is taking so long. I was hoping that if you described a customer's frustrating odyssey to your team that they would make this right.

I have spent many hours on this, and I have been bounced between multiple customer care reps and departments at Green Dot. This really should be an easy fix for a customer, and I request that I receive my refund while Green Dot resolves what appears to be a rather complex internal matter. Who is representing the voice of the customer at Green Dot?

Please let me know if you can learn anything. I really appreciate any help that you can provide.

Thank you,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

***

On 04/27/14 9:52 AM, Nirit R. wrote:
--------------------
Hi John,

I will address this with customer care first thing tomorrow. I apologize for the lack of attention your matter has received.

Please let me know if you have. It been contacted by EOD tomorrow.

Thanks,
Nirit

Sent from LinkedIn for iPhone
http://lnkd.in/ios


***

On 04/27/14 09:42AM, John T. wrote:
--------------------
Dear Nirit,

Could you please help me resolve this matter? I have been appalled by the poor customer service treatment that I have received from Green Dot. I know that Green Dot's customer experience must be important to you... Please help!

Thank you,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

-----------
Re: MoneyPak Case Number- XXXXX
Date: April 27, 2014

I am documenting my continued efforts to obtain a refund from GreenDot and resending evidence of my payment (please find my email and attachments of April 18, 2014 below).

I returned from traveling last week, only to find that there has been no effort taken to resolve this matter by GreenDot. These delays are completely unacceptable, and I am notifying you in writing that my customer experience with GreenDot has been far below what one should reasonably expect from a financial institution of GreenDot’s stature and market presence.

I have already asked that this matter is referred to your senior management. I have difficulty believing that senior management at GreenDot will consider the treatment that I have received as professional or in any way acceptable, so I have decided to begin reaching out to them directly through my professional network on LinkedIn. I sincerely hope that we can resolve this really quite simple matter quickly and amicably.

I will be available by phone tomorrow if anyone at your company needs to speak to me regarding my refund, although I have repeatedly supplied the information that GreenDot has requested, so it is unclear to me what additional information might be required at this point.

I would also appreciate it if someone would please respond to me in writing explaining the reason for these delays.

Respectfully submitted,

John T. (Name/Address/tel)

• Attachments/pdfs/jpgs
• Driver's License, scans/photos, etc
• LinkedIn Message(s) from General Manager VP of Green Dot