‘Don’t buy or shop at Walmart,’ angry Toronto-area couple warns after $4K in stolen credit card charges | 24CA News
A Toronto-area couple is vowing by no means to buy at Walmart once more after a thief stole their bank card and racked up hundreds of {dollars} in purchases that they are nonetheless on the hook for.
Even after submitting a police report and spending hours on the telephone with Walmart customer support, Hassan Gerami, 77, and Maliheh Banej Shafiei, 72, nonetheless owe greater than $4,000 on their Walmart Rewards Mastercard.
“I am so upset with Walmart,” Banej Shafiei instructed CBC Toronto.
The quantity features a $29 payment the couple was charged as a result of whoever stole the cardboard went over its $3,500 restrict.
Walmart has stated it has spoken with the couple and is in touch with the corporate that issued their card, however with cost on their card assertion due on Monday, frustration is boiling over for the residents of Richmond Hill, about 37 kilometres north of Toronto.
“I say to all the people: don’t buy or shop in Walmart,” Banej Shafiei stated.
Card stolen at Richmond Hill Walmart
The ordeal started on Nov. 14. After spending about half an hour buying on the Walmart Supercentre on Major Mackenzie Drive, Banej Shafiei says she obtained to the register and realized her pockets was lacking.
From there, the pair shortly reported the bank card stolen. They filed a police report.
At first, it appeared the injury wasn’t that unhealthy. After spending about an hour on the telephone with Walmart Mastercard customer support, Germani was instructed the cardboard was solely used as soon as for a cost of $258.
But a couple of week later, their bank card assertion arrived within the mail.
“I received the monthly bill and I was really shocked because I was charged $4,117,” Gerami stated.
Whoever stole the cardboard managed to make 16 purchases, all at Walmart. The card’s faucet operate was used so no PIN quantity or signature was required.
“Tapping one after another. They cannot stop these people,” Gerami stated. “It is shocking and it is not safe for elderly people to use Walmart Rewards Mastercard.”
Customer service issues
Since getting the assertion, the couple has been desperately attempting to get the costs cancelled.
They despatched the police report back to the corporate. It needed to be faxed to Walmart, which required Gerami to make two journeys to a Staples retailer as a result of he says Walmart offered the flawed fax quantity.
And they’ve spent hours on the telephone with Walmart Mastercard customer support. But they are saying it is tough to get options or helpful info and so they really feel they’re largely being learn scripts by name centre operators.
“When you go on the phone with Walmart Rewards Mastercard, they keep you on the phone. It goes on the music, and it goes on other stuff,” Gerami stated.
“And then they disconnect. They don’t give us right answer.”.
A spokesperson for Walmart Canada instructed CBC Toronto that the corporate is conscious of the problem and has spoken with Gerami and Banej Shafiei. In an e-mail, the spokesperson stated the bank card was issued by DuoBank and that Walmart is in contact with the monetary supplier.
Seniors advocate stunned
Bill VanGorder, with the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), says he is stunned at how lengthy the couple’s state of affairs is taking to get resolved and that bank cards are often fast to cancel fraudulent purchases.
“I’ve never heard of a credit card company not standing behind this if the individuals did everything they could to protect their card.”
VanGorder says a number of years in the past, CARP raised issues to bank card corporations concerning the safety dangers and lack of shopper safety with the faucet operate on playing cards. He says they have been instructed, in these instances, victims of theft or fraud wouldn’t must pay.
“We were told very strongly, that if your card gets stolen through no fault of your own and gets used, they will stand behind it and that’s the protection.”
