Debit Card Danger: Double Charged for Beach Vacation

The ABC News Fixer helps mom get money back after mysterious double billing.

ByABC News
April 16, 2016, 5:30 PM

THE ABC NEWS FIXER — -- Chastity Euten of South Carolina wanted to give her son and his friend a fun weekend on the beach to celebrate their upcoming graduation. But after using a debit card to reserve the hotel, she got a big financial headache.

Read Chastity’s original letter to the ABC News Fixer below, and see how The Fixer helped get her money back. Also, check out The Fixer’s tips for safe, cashless traveling.

Do YOU have a consumer problem? Maybe The Fixer can help! Submit your problems at ABCNews.com/Fixer.

Dear ABC News Fixer: My son and his friend went to Myrtle Beach in March. I booked a room for them for two nights, and I gave the man my debit card number over the phone. He said my son needed to bring the card, along with a $200 refundable cash deposit and $20 for parking, which was fine with me.

When the boys arrived, my son called and said he needed my PIN so they could run the card. I didn’t think anything of it until after they checked out, when I saw the debit for $168 went through twice, once on March 11 and again on March 17.

I have tried repeatedly to straighten this out with the hotel. I’m a single mom on a limited budget. I just wanted to let my son and his friend go to beach for a couple days to celebrate their upcoming graduation. If you could, please help me.

- Chastity Euten, Darlington, S.C.

TUNE IN to "Good Morning America" Saturday for more on this story from The ABC News Fixer. And do you have a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. CLICK HERE to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Dear Chastity: You’ve learned the hard way some of the perils of debit cards. You told the ABC News Fixer you thought that giving the card over the phone was just to hold the room, and that when they needed the PIN from the boys, that would be the real charge. So it was a surprise when you saw it went through twice.

Complicating matters, the $200 cash deposit wasn’t returned to the boys in cash; it was put back on your card. But you were still out $168 for that double-debit.

You told us you spoke with the owner of the Calypso Motor Inn, and he offered to go back and check his records but couldn’t find a double charge.

And even though your bank showed two debits, no one there could help you because you had given your card and PIN to your son, who was not on the account.

We had a little better luck. You gave us your banking records, which clearly had $168 coming out of your account twice. We showed it to the hotel owner, who went back into his records one more time and found the mistake. He said it must have accidentally gone through twice, once from your phone call and again when your son arrived, and he put though a refund immediately.

Your situation brings up some important reminders for the rest of us:

- First, never lend debit cards to others because your bank might not help you if there’s a problem with a transaction done by someone else, such as a family member. And never keep your PIN in your wallet with the card. You don’t want to be on the hook for helping a thief obtain your PIN.

- If you can, use a credit card rather than a debit card for major purchases. If there’s a problem, you can dispute the charge with the credit card issuer.

- When traveling, always use credit – avoid debit cards. Even if there’s no double-debit problem, many hotels, car rental companies and pay-at-the-pump gas stations will place a large “hold” or “block” on your funds to make sure they get paid. After the real transaction goes through, that hold may remain, sometimes for several days – tying up your cash when you need it for your travels.

- The ABC News Fixer