Charged Twice for Chef Mickeys!!!

[tazleiten12]

I just got a notice on my credit card that Chef Mickeys charged us $266 twice! Does anybody know who I contact?
THANKS!

 

[AngiTN]

I'd contact my credit card company. They have a dispute department equipped to handle it. Double charged is one of the reasons on the forms. They'll deal with Disney to fix it/reverse it

 

[Jennafoo]

Just wanted to chime in here as someone who works in financial services, because the advice to go to your bank first is given a lot but I don't think it's the best advice. You should always contact the COMPANY first - in this case, Disney Dining. It's pretty easy to see a mistake like a double billing, and they can fix it immediately. They almost always do.

When you contact the bank first, what you're doing is opening a complaint, which has to be reviewed internally to determine there's no fraud on either side. This could actually take weeks and while most credit card companies will free up the funds in the meantime, some will not.

It just makes more sense to try and contact the company first with a simple email or phone call, and then open a complaint with your bank only if the company doesn't comply, which in this case I have no doubt they will.

 

[bumbershoot]

When I have gone to dispute something with my CC, there is a list of steps. The FIRST step is to answer if I have contacted the vendor. If I answer "no", it will not take me further.

So you either contact the vendor first OR you flat out lie. To your financial institution.

Disney is insanely easy to deal with in matters like this. It will be taken care of relatively quickly and easily. Just contact Disney dining and tell them the problem and they will put you through to the right people. You will be told that it could take x-y weeks, but that is just padding the time to make up for financial institutions that might take awhile to post a refund. Other than that it will be quick.

Don't lie to your financial institution. Do YOUR work first by contacting Disney.

 

[supersnoop]

I just got a notice on my credit card that Chef Mickeys charged us $266 twice! Does anybody know who I contact?
THANKS!

What type of "notice?" Was this a recent charge? Every restaurant will place an authorization on your card including an amount to cover a reasonable gratuity. After you sign the receipt, the real charge will go through. It's possible that both the authorization and actual charge will show up together, but the authorization will fall off after a couple days.

 

[pens4821]

What type of "notice?" Was this a recent charge? Every restaurant will place an authorization on your card including an amount to cover a reasonable gratuity. After you sign the receipt, the real charge will go through. It's possible that both the authorization and actual charge will show up together, but the authorization will fall off after a couple days.

I agree with this. I notice it happens often at restaurants/hotels. There will be two charges in the pending part, then once it goes through to transactions one disappears. However if they both are not pending and have been charged, I agree to call Disney.

 

[Disneylover99]

Definitely call Disney first. They were able to easily fix things when I was charged a "no show" fee even though I ate at the restaurant where I was charged. They should be able to see that you've been charged twice.

 

[Jennafoo]

Sorry, again, but the advice to wait and see on a double billing isn't advice I suggest you take. No one really needs to charge your credit card twice for the same amount to see if it goes through; if it did the first time, and you didn't change the price with your tip - thus, the charge is identical - why would they need to run it again? True authorization charges are usually small to see if the card is valid (usually if there's a concern about fraud). Double billing is usually caused by technical or user error. If you see two identical charges on your online credit card statement, it's a sign you should check it out.

 

[freshmanjs]

Sorry, again, but the advice to wait and see on a double billing isn't advice I suggest you take. No one really needs to charge your credit card twice for the same amount to see if it goes through; if it did the first time, and you didn't change the price with your tip - thus, the charge is identical - why would they need to run it again? True authorization charges are usually small to see if the card is valid (usually if there's a concern about fraud). Double billing is usually caused by technical or user error. If you see two identical charges on your online credit card statement, it's a sign you should check it out.

This is just plain wrong. It is very common for a pending charge from a restaurant to be a dup and then just fall off, never converting to a real charge. It is not common at all for a restaurant to put through a small charge to test the card.

 

[supersnoop]

Sorry, again, but the advice to wait and see on a double billing isn't advice I suggest you take. No one really needs to charge your credit card twice for the same amount to see if it goes through; if it did the first time, and you didn't change the price with your tip - thus, the charge is identical - why would they need to run it again? True authorization charges are usually small to see if the card is valid (usually if there's a concern about fraud). Double billing is usually caused by technical or user error. If you see two identical charges on your online credit card statement, it's a sign you should check it out.

That's why we asked the OP if there are actually duplicate charges or if one is an authorization. As far as I can tell, she hasn't responded yet.
If one is an authorization, do nothing.
If both are actually charges, call Disney first before calling your bank.

 

[tazleiten12]

Its an actual double charge. Its not pending it went through both times for the exact amount with tip. I got an email from Capital One that says i may have a duplicate charge on my account and i went and looked and i did. Its 2 charges that went through for 12/25/15 for the same amount. Does anyone know what number do i call to talk to Disney? THANKS!

 

[meggiemouse]

This happened to us this summer. I called guest services and asked to be transferred to someone in restaurant billing or management. They directed my call and Disney took care of it right away. They reversed the charge, which I saw credited back to me on my next CC statement.

 

[tazleiten12]

Thanks, Ill try that in the morning. What info did they need? I have a copy of the receipt and the credit card charges from online, but i don't know the reservation number. Maybe i can find it in my old email if i have to.

This happened to us this summer. I called guest services and asked to be transferred to someone in restaurant billing or management. They directed my call and Disney took care of it right away. They reversed the charge, which I saw credited back to me on my next CC statement.

 

[ncc1701]

We had a no show fee charged even though we ate at the restaurant. I spoke to someone in "guest billing" (or words to that effect after calling Disney dining ). They did need the Credit Card number.
I didn't need the ADR#.

 

[smbarr]

We had a couple of double charges on our dining plan when we were there earlier this month. We spoke to the concierge and had it taken care of. If you are home, call Disney Dining and they should be able to help you.

 

[Jennafoo]

This is just plain wrong. It is very common for a pending charge from a restaurant to be a dup and then just fall off, never converting to a real charge. It is not common at all for a restaurant to put through a small charge to test the card.

Um. No. It really isn't. That just isn't how ACH works (and I have a very, very good idea of how it actually works, thanks.) Anyway, the advice on these boards aside, I would never let a duplicate charge go for more than a couple of hours. 99.9% of the time, it will be a double charge due to a processing error and you'll want them to remove it. (And, then, if they don't...then yes, go to your bank.)

 

[freshmanjs]

Um. No. It really isn't. That just isn't how ACH works (and I have a very, very good idea of how it actually works, thanks.) Anyway, the advice on these boards aside, I would never let a duplicate charge go for more than a couple of hours. 99.9% of the time, it will be a double charge due to a processing error and you'll want them to remove it. (And, then, if they don't...then yes, go to your bank.)

Restaurants do not put tiny test charges through on credit cards to see if they work. Period. In addition, there is absolutely zero benefit to the consumer of acting in a couple of hours vs a couple of days. Zero.

 

[Pesky]

Agree with calling Disney, even if you have to call the main line and figure out who to call from there. Ask to speak to a manager. Odds are very good they will reverse it on their end. If you dispute it through the credit card company/issuing bank, the merchant is charged the transaction fee for the erroneous transaction. So I always give the merchant a chance to fix it (usually 5 business days, which I relay to them) before going to the credit card company. Good luck!

 

[Jennafoo]

Restaurants do not put tiny test charges through on credit cards to see if they work. Period. In addition, there is absolutely zero benefit to the consumer of acting in a couple of hours vs a couple of days. Zero.

You're right about that, which was exactly my point. But that's what an "authorization charge" is, so I was pointing out why saying it was an authorization didn't apply in this situation.

I really don't know why you're SO determined to prove me wrong (even though I explained what I do and why I'm so passionate about this type of advice), but there is a benefit. There are multiple "benefits", not the least not having your money tied up for several days while you wait to see if the charge magically drops off and then call to get it reversed. Most people can't really afford to let Disney keep an extra $266 for several days. In addition, I can tell you that if we have to investigate, it does get harder the longer that you wait (though this normally applies to the person who waited weeks, for whatever reason.)

Finally, my story: I worked at a very large FI on the west coast and had an account with them, when I noticed a pending charge from the East Cost that I decidedly did NOT make. I called immediately, and was told by the CSR to wait and see if it "dropped off" and if so, file a claim (she obviously didn't want to be bothered). Understand, this was MY bank, where I was a VP and I was calling from my office. I was, like, "Yeah...we're not going to do that." We shut down the card, effectively preventing the person from getting my money. I then contacted the store in NYC where they bought the laptop with my card, and let them know it was a fraudulent transaction. They investigated, of course, but they were able to catch it in time. Then they called the police. So, not only did Loser not get my money (and I didn't spend three to four days - at least - without the 1K he took from me), but he didn't get his laptop AND went to jail!

Obvviously, that's an extreme case, but the point is I've seen that and worse. So, yes, I tell people, if you see something wrong, call right away. Don't wait. If they won't help you, call us. It's your money, you should be able to use it, instead of having it tied up because of a mistake. Or worse.

There's nothing wrong with that advice, and by giving it, I'm not somehow attacking you. I'm just trying to help. Be at peace.

 

[goofy4prez]

Being charged once and paying for Chef Mickey's is bad enough, but being charged twice is an unspeakable tragedy. LOL...

Seriously, as others have advised; contact Disney first not your credit card company.