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Road Runner Sports: really shady or just a coincidence and mildly shady? (Read 1353 times)

    Today I got an email from my bank that my debit card had been compromised.  They don't know which vendor--they just get a notice from Visa that a bunch of debit card numbers *may* have been stolen in a security breach of one of their vendors.  So they cancel my card and issue me a new one, okay.

     

    But as I'm on the phone with the bank looking at my account transaction history online, I notice a charge form RRS for their VIP annual membership, which I have not been a member of in years.  So when I get off the phone with the bank, I call RRS and tell them to cancel that and reverse the charge.  After a little bit of an attempt to upsell me, "Are you sure you won't order from us in the next year?" and "Yes, I'm sure now fuckoff and reverse the charges thank you," etc. I am on my way.

     

    It's generally suspicious that RRS tried to charge me for their bullshit vip program when I know for certain I have cancelled it in the past--the type of oversight that seems too common from them--but I'm wondering if A is connected to B.  Anyone else seeing something like this?

    Runners run


    Feeling the growl again

      Are you absolutely sure they ever STOPPED charging you for the VIP program?  Or could it have been slipping by you?  I would not put that past them.  I stopped using RRS years ago due to their shady behavior. 

      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

       

      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

       

        I order a lot from RRS. The only negative experience I've had is when they are relentless in trying to get me to purchase more than I want.  Things such as, "Are you sure you don't you want a 2nd pair of those shoes for rotating? How about socks? I'm sure you need socks!"

         

        Other than that, I like RRS as it's one of the few places I know that I can return shoes with ease and virtually no hassle. 

         

        Still, this wouldn't stop one bad egg from doing something illegal. That can happen at any company. 

          Are you absolutely sure they ever STOPPED charging you for the VIP program?  Or could it have been slipping by you?  I would not put that past them.  I stopped using RRS years ago due to their shady behavior. 

           

          I know for a fact that I have seen it show up in my account transactions before and called them to CANCEL and reverse the charges before.  I guess the good news this time is that my debit card will change and they won't have the current one.

          Runners run

            I love RRS for the most part but on a few occasions I have been charged twice for certain things on my debit card. Only one charge "goes through" in the end because I call but if I ever had a balance of <200 in my account I would definitely not order a bunch of stuff, and being a poor working college student this kinda stuff always worries me. Their customer service reps that answer the phones are real cool, though, always willing to sit there and go thru the trouble for a while, but their billing dept needs some overhaul if this happens to more than just me my mom and my girlfriend whenever we place orders.

            zoom-zoom


            rectumdamnnearkilledem

              You are lucky your bank is looking out for you.  I never use my debit card for online purchases.  Banks frequently aren't as diligent about protecting YOUR money as a CC is about protecting THEIR money.  I learned this the hard way years ago when my Paypal account was hacked and ended up in the middle of a money laundering scheme (I was actually online when I got an email from Paypal showing a $2000 withdrawal that I had not authorized, plus a $2000 deposit from another account).  Our bank (Fifth-Third) really was not great about working with us to rectify things and reverse all the overdraft fees that accrued, as a result.  The manager of our local branch is a major biotch and had no clue what Paypal even was, at the time, which didn't help matters (which is why we moved our accounts to a branch 30 minutes away, near DH's work--to avoid having to deal with that insufferable woman).

               

              I don't know what to make of RRS.  I had their membership years ago when they offered it for a dollar.  But even with the membership I generally find stuff cheaper at other retailers without having to pay for a membership.  I should comb through old CC statements to see if they've been charging me for membership, too.  What a racket.

              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                   ~ Sarah Kay

              MrH


                RRS seem to be one of those businesses that thinks it's a worthwhile practice to behave like this toward their customers.

                 

                Twice we've seen charges from them for VIP membership when we have told them we're not interested.

                The process is the goal.

                Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.

                LedLincoln


                not bad for mile 25

                  1.  Based on what you've said, I'm not going to let RRS get their talons into me; that is, they're not going to get my email or physical address.  If I have to pay a bit more for my stuff, that's fine to avoid shady business practices.  Also, I feel an obligation to support my local running store, which in turn provides great support for local races and runners.

                   

                  2.  I stopped using my debit card online for the reasons that Zoomy described.  You have recourse with a credit card that you don't have with a debit card.

                    Never used RRS -- if I can't buy from a local small business then I use my Amazon Prime account to get what I need. Either way, I get a zero sleaze factor.

                     

                    Having said that, I find it hard to believe that RRS is worth the trouble. There are too many places to go for this stuff that don't make "mistakes" with customers' credit cards.

                     

                    And hey, speaking of shady behavior...Does anybody else hate Active.com with a passion? Every time I register for a race I have to be careful not to buy a membership or some bit of garbage they're hawking. I have no idea how those jokers turned into THE place for race registrations. 

                      2.  I stopped using my debit card online for the reasons that Zoomy described.  You have recourse with a credit card that you don't have with a debit card.

                       

                      I have the exact same liability with my debit card as with my credit card (zero) and due to a previous job know way more about payment card industry security than I ever wanted to.  But since we're on the subject of personal banking decisions, I use my cc for anything "recurring" such as gas, groceries, my newspaper subscription, my highway toll transponder, etc., as well as any recurring bills that are not easy to pay via online banking.  I use my debit card for all "one-time" purchases and for petty cash.

                       

                      I suppose if I took a long range view and were to admit that running shoes were essential to the day-to-day function of my household, I could consider them a recurring expense, but I don't.  Either way I haven't bought anything from RRS in years.

                      Runners run

                      LedLincoln


                      not bad for mile 25

                        I have the exact same liability with my debit card as with my credit card (zero) and due to a previous job know way more about payment card industry security than I ever wanted to.  But since we're on the subject of personal banking decisions, I use my cc for anything "recurring" such as gas, groceries, my newspaper subscription, my highway toll transponder, etc., any bills that are not easy to pay via online banking.  I use my debit card for all "one-time" purchases and for petty cash.

                         

                        I suppose if I took a long range view and were to admit that running shoes were essential to the day-to-day function of my household, I could consider them a recurring expense, but I don't.  Either way I haven't bought anything from RRS in years.

                         

                        With debit card, your money is gone when the vendor runs the transaction.  They may be required to refund it, but it could take months of hassle.

                         

                        With credit card, you can withhold payment of the disputed amount in certain circumstances, and the CC company is motivated to help resolve the dispute.

                         

                        If you make a hotel reservation with a debit card, the hotel can block an amount higher than the expected room charges, and you won't have access to the money until the block is lifted.

                         

                        MTA: Some credit cards will extend the warranty on some products you buy.  I'm not aware whether debit cards do this.

                        zoom-zoom


                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          With debit card, your money is gone when the vendor runs the transaction.  They may be required to refund it, but it could take months of hassle.

                           

                          With credit card, you can withhold payment of the disputed amount in certain circumstances, and the CC company is motivated to help resolve the dispute.

                           

                          If you make a hotel reservation with a debit card, the hotel can block an amount higher than the expected room charges, and you won't have access to the money until the block is lifted.

                           

                          MTA: Some credit cards will extend the warranty on some products you buy.  I'm not aware whether debit cards do this.

                           

                          Yup...I don't trust banks.  I am starting to think that those folks who stuffed their mattresses with their cash during the Great Depression were onto something...  Banks seem to want us to believe that it's a privilege when they let us have OUR money.

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                            And hey, speaking of shady behavior...Does anybody else hate Active.com with a passion? Every time I register for a race I have to be careful not to buy a membership or some bit of garbage they're hawking. I have no idea how those jokers turned into THE place for race registrations. 

                             

                            Sheer size and social marketing clout, I think. 

                             

                            While I love RunningAhead and am glad that I ended up here, Active's purchase of Coolrunning, and then deploying ActiveSara and Co. to tell us how great active was after ruining everything made me less than happy. I plan to never register for a race through Active.

                              With debit card, your money is gone when the vendor runs the transaction.  They may be required to refund it, but it could take months of hassle.

                               

                              I guess it could, but it doesn't.  And I tend to look at my debit card transactions almost daily, since it's my checking account, and have alerts set on any online transactions, phone transactions or pos transactions over a certain dollar.  Whereas I don't tend to maintain that level of scrutiny with my cc.  I suppose I could, but I don't.

                               

                              There are positives and negatives of both and I have my consumer eyes wide open.  'Prec.

                               

                              In terms of data security and the risk of having your card number stolen and used for fraudulent charges, there is basically no difference between using your debit card at physical point of sale or online.  If you fear using your debit card online then you should just not have a debit card at all.

                              Runners run

                              Kerry1976


                              Master of the Side Eye

                                 

                                While I love RunningAhead and am glad that I ended up here, Active's purchase of Coolrunning, and then deploying ActiveSara and Co. to tell us how great active was after ruining everything made me less than happy. I plan to never register for a race through Active.

                                 

                                 

                                That is exactly how I ended up at RunningAhead, too! I avoid Active if at all possible. 

                                TRUST THE PROCESS

                                 

                                 

                                 

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