Alright, so I've received more than a few emails from readers now regarding the Fannie May deal from yesterday! If you did place an order with Fannie May (using the $25 promo code), then your credit card may have been overcharged. Make sure and look over you bank or credit card statement to see if this was the case. If so, I would highly recommend calling Fannie May immediately. They can be reached at 1-800-333-3629. You can also email them: customerservice@fanniemay.com.
Make sure to let them know that you want to cancel your order and I would also make it a point to tell them how upset you are over the situation. In my opinion, they have absolutely NO right to be overcharging credit cards without permission. I understand that the coupon code may have not been valid, but that's still NOT our fault. How were we suppose to know? If anything, they should have just canceled the orders--instead of processing a higher priced order without consent. Just my two cents!
I do apologize because I have posted Fannie May deals previously and they obviously don't have the best track record. I should have thought more about this before posting the deal yesterday, but once again, I got excited and hoped for the best. Anyway, I will NOT--I repeat-- will NOT be posting Fannie May deals EVER again!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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73 comments:
And all the people said "AMEN"
In my opinion, overcharing a credit card without consent would be fraud. Right?
This is the first time Im glad when I entered the code it didn't take it and so I cancelled.. Sorry you ladies are having a hard time with them! Thanks again Colin.
On hold with customer service, got an earful from Fannie May rep. Told me that they were very aware of fraudulent code and the matter "has been escalated to Fannie May supervisors". Supervisor got on phone and said they are looking into criminal prosecution!
I'm just canceling my order and never dealing with FM again!
I cancelled last night and I'm still waiting for a credit back to my checking account. Wonder how long it will take?
I was over charged.... they added on the 25.00 from the coupon with out even telling. Thanks for the info. I hope everyone catches this!!
It was a valid code they just got over-ordered! Better Business Bureau needs to know about this!!! If I would have ordered I would be sending a letter or making a call! B.S.!!!!!
Don't worry your sweet little skinny head [I hate you ] about it. What a great almost bikini shot in your latest video! Not a stalker just passing along a compliment.
If Fanny May won't help, print out your order confirmation and dispute the charge with your credit card company... You just need to send them a copy. Alert them to the Fanny May fraud, and the CC companies have their own way of "censuring" companies for fraudulent charges.
So weird that some of their reps said invalid "illegal" code and some say no it is a valid code. They say just some problems getting "their" code to work right. We can just take your order over the phone they say and charge you for full amount, and then in about a week we can credit you the right amount for using the code. No thank you. The candy is great. The CS is awful.
Amen Collin...Thanx for the heads up! Checked my account AGAIN and sure enough the hit my account for $30.00. Called to cancel and was told I couldn't that a supervisor would return my call at a later date. Seriously... You win some you loose some but rest assure I will get my 30.00 back!
It is illegal for F.M. to charge more than you authorized on your debit/credit card. It is fraud. Please make your creditors aware this company took such action.
I ordered from F.M. the last go around. They canceled my order and did not inform me. It was nice to call in and the rep could not find my order.
Not your fault Colin but another reason why some posting caution is necessary.
There is no charge on my credit card yet, so I don't know what I am being charged. Do you think I should just call and cancel anyway? What happens if you cancel after they already mailed the candy?
I sent them an email yesterday and told them to cancel my order if they werent going to honor their code and they replied today and said they did cancel my order. I dont believe ill ever do business with them again. I found it too suspicious that their system accepted the code and then we all ordered and they decided to cancel the offer (code). Thats not good business practice !!! Oh well todays a new day and new bargains are out there so lets just have fun and see what good deals we can get today. Thanks again for all the good offers and deals !! lizard9256
Yes its bogus because obviously the code was "valid" since it went through.
I called them just to make sure mine was cancelled.
Very poor business practice.
They have one in my mall and I have never bought anything there and will never. Boo to them
what do you mean criminal prosecution???
I got overcharged by $70 last time around, but after 3 weeks of pursuit, still no response from them, even though they had promised to fix it more than once. The CS rep told me that they all work from home and have no supervision, so they have basically been instructed to deal with customers however they want to; don't expect the same answer twice. I took the issue to my credit card company, and their legal department dealt with it. MUCH EASIER! Instant credit!
It is easy to file a complaint with the BBB. This is more than just bad CS. https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/complaintlink.aspx
Hi. I am fairly new to your blog. I've been reading it for several months now and your so awesome! You are my favorite blog online. Anyhow...with that said...Please don't feel it's your fault the Fanny May deal didn't work out. It's seriously not your fault. You were doing what you do best and that was trying to save us money. Luckily, I chose not to send in an order but almost did. Just know your awesome and I hope people aren't too mean to you over this whole thing. I think "most" understand what I understand!
Just a bit of legal know how-It is VERY illegal for this company to just cancel the $25 code and ADD $25 to an order without your express permission as the credit card holder.
THAT is credit card fraud my bargain seeking friends.
Contact your card company/bank and dispute these charges. Also let your card company/bank have a copy of the confirmation email showing what price you had agreed to pay.
The fraud is Fannie May and they have no right to insult and harass customers with these false threats.
The BBB really doesn't do anything honestly. You are better off addressing this with your card company/bank and with the voice you have and that is the internet.
I bet if they did the math and added up the money they would have "lost" by just honoring the gift code and letting the orders go through, to the money they have REALLY lost by upsetting so many current and possible customers they will see that it was probably better in the long run to have let everyone get their boxes of candy!
Colin-DO NOT blame yourself for this Fanny May mess. WE ALL have gotten so much free/bargain deals because you quickly post to your blog.
Thank you for doing the leg work that we all don't have time or ability to do. I for one have scored so many great deals in the past few weeks because of you along with all the coupons and links you post.
Thank you.
I was overcharged for two of my three orders. I am going to wait to get the chocolates and then do a chargeback through bank of america. I have all my order confirmations stating the price I would be charged with the order number. How dare they over charge my credit card without authorization.
So I called yesterday as soon as I found out about the code not being right. Canceled my order. Get up today and check balance. I have 30.24 pending. They did not cancel it. I called today and was told it was not canceled. She canceled it. She was very, very nice. She said the charges should drop off. I am so ticked off. I wonder what fannie may would do if we just all got lawyers. I am not a sue happy person. Fannie May should be brought up on fraud charges. Maybe that would get them to fix the problems. Sorry for the rant but I can't afford to have 30.00 pending on my account for a week. I'm done. Sorry Collin for all the headache I know you are going through. I told them they have lost my entire family as life long customers.
I ordered the mints yesterday too. I checked my account and no charge at all. I checked Fannie May's site under order history...no order placed, nothing. I called customer service and they said no order was placed. I said well I have an account created because I placed an order yesterday. CS rep said she has no idea what happened but there is no order. I thought it was funny that she didn't offer to take my order over the phone. Anyway, I'll keep an eye on my account anyway. I feel a little uncomfortable that I gave them all my credit card info and it poofed into thin air.
during the last mess, it took about a week for the pending charges to fall off. I know if its different with different cards, so just keep an eye on it. They should hopefully clear up by the beginning/middle of next week.
PLEASE let your bank card companies know that Fanny May over charged your card more than you agreed.
If they get enough charge backs/disputes they will certainly jeopardize their merchant services ability to accept credit cards.
THIS IS FRAUD.
If you want to do as one poster is doing...let the order be delivered and then dispute the charges with your card company. You have a period of time from when the charge shows up on your billing statement.
If you used a debit card with a credit card logo you can still dispute the amount as you would a charge card. Make sure you have a confirmation email to verify the amount you agreed to pay.
In both situations you will be able to get the difference back from what you paid versus what you were charged.
Good to hear you will not be supporting Fannie May in the future. When I called to verify my order, which never went through thankfully, they told me the coupon code was posted FRAUDULENTLY by the sites. So, if they never issued the code, why is it the code worked on their system? Hmm. Sounds like someone at FM made a BIG mistake and FM is attempting to place blame elsewhere!
Collin,
I am sorry to hear that you won't be posting any more Fannie Mae deals. I would love it if you would continue to post with a "buyer beware" message. I have gotten some really great deals, and would not hesitate to order from them.
I tried twice yesterday to cancel my order but apparently daily orders don't show up in their system until 4 o'clock. Which I find quite odd since they over charged my credit card the $25 very quickly.
The second rep I talked to told me that he would cancel my order (because I called 12 minutes too early) and then call me back. Never happened.
I checked my credit card statement this morning and the charge is still there.
I'm tired of calling them and I don't want to hear an earful as some other customers have. So I just sent them a fiery email demanding that they fulfil my order and change my cc charge or cancel my order; or I will contact my cc company about the FRAUDULENT charge. What a headache.
Colin, I don't blame you for a second! I really appreciate all of the great deals that you share with all of us! Thanks!
And ladies, let's stick together!
Dont use DEBIT cards dummies. Use a credit card get your stuff then dispute with CC. You have an email showing the right price you agreed to pay, a dispute is easy and takes only minutes. Dealing with companies CS is a hassle and time consuming.
When you have a confirmation, it is fraud if the amounts are not the same! Shame on Fannie May. Now they have so many people who will NEVER order from them again, not what I call good business practice. They should honor they're own mistake. And they can't prosecute anyone, you all have legal receipts showing the amounts. No more Fannie May! Make sure its posted on EVERYONE's blog, that they are a scam! That'll teach them!
I called fannie May to cancel this am. I just checked and the charge is still there, SO I called again and they said it would take about 7 days for the amount to be credited back to me. Very annoying.
Also, the CS person I spooke with said that I could have just requested that the amount of the promo code be credited back to me and they would have done that and I would have then paid what I originally thought I was paying. Seems different than what other people have been told. Very odd.
Just called again to make sure the charges were going to come off my account. She was told by her supervisor that they will ALL drop of at 12:01 tonight. That this was a way old code that should have never worked but some blogging website released it illegally. I informed them that the code didn't work right the first time around when it was "officially" released by fannie may. All I got was "huh". They are trying to shift the blame to bloggers like Collin. That ticks me off so much. This is not Collins fault or the person who released the code on their sight first. What happened is Fannie May didn't clear the code out of their system. So several months later someone reads and old post and tries it. Holy Cow it still works!! Then the code went viral. Poor Fannie May gets hit again. They should have done a complete system diagnosis after last time and fixed it. They are a HUGE multi billion dollar conglomerate. They can fix this on their side. Not a blogger sitting at home on a home computer. Ok!! I am done. For those of you this may upset. Oh well! Other companies offer free items or free shipping so on. Oh well. Today is a new day with new deals to be had. Let the hunt begin :-)!!
1.File a report with your credit card for false billing (you should have your email confirmation showing the $7-$10 charge amount.)
2.Call Fannie May and cancel your order and they will refund the money.
For questions concerning an on-line shopping order: Call 1(800)333-3629 or email
customerservice@fanniemay.com
You can take it one step further if you like.
1.File a report with your local Better Business Bureau.
2.File a report with your State Consumer Affairs office.
I was given this email address (supposed to be someone "high up")jcantrell@1800flowers.com to email if I wanted to further dispute. I find it odd that it's got "1800flowers" in it. A parent company? Someone from Fannie May left me a message stating to email this address with my proof. How do I email printed confirmations? I want to fax it. Thanks so much Collin! It's kinda therapeutic to know that there's a lot of "scorned" ladies who just wanted inexpensive chocolate!
Awfully glad I didn't purchase these- I had them in my cart and the code typed in, and the updated total showing ($7.95), but then decided to think about whether or not I really needed a $7.95 box of chocolates. This is a horrible thing to have happen to anyone- even Southernsavers said "This deal completely checked out as a working legitmate company with me yesterday" and that she was very sorry for all the mayhem as well. What is really disgusting me, though, are the people on here calling each other names!!! Dummy??? Really??? How old are we? (FYI, I would never put a box of $8 chocolates on a credit card!) That kind of mentality, though, makes my heart very sad- I feel like we "frugal" people are kind of like a community, and then we start attacking each other- I have seen lots of comments like that one on this blog, but that one just really set me off. Very sad. PEACE on Earth and GOODWILL towards (wo)men, right? Merry Christmas (and Collin, I love your blog- it is one of the few I read. :) ).
This is one time I am glad I wasn't able to take advantage of this deal. Their website was the slowest I have ever experienced (almost like dial up-LOL) and when my order finally went through the code didnt take the $25 off, so I just canceled my order. I would be reporting them to the state internet fraud comission if they overcharged my credit card by $25!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oi. This company has serious issues. If it was a unique code, it should have only worked once. If it didn't that's on them. They are stupid. I'm glad I read through the thread before I did it. They have serious PR issue. Maybe they should eat some of their own product and be a little happier. LOL
In happy news, Collin, I just picked up my site-to-store delivery at Staples - allll those markers for a buck, I can't believe it.
Thanks for all you do!
AMEN Andrea A.!!!
If anyone bothers to read my comment (all the way down here at the bottom) :)
1) As others have mentioned, overcharging is fraud, plain and simple. Call you credit card company and they will take care of it from there. It is MUCH easier than dealing with the company.
2) File a complaint with the BBB, letting them know that the company does not honor its advertised deals. You'd be surprised how quickly companies fix things when they get a BBB complaint.
3) Fannie May has great candy but they only recently got set up online, and they are working out the kinks. Which does not excuse them, but it might explain them a bit better.
Again people....MOST deals with no limit for large amounts of money (i.e. $25.00 no min purchase) are usually too good to be true. Come on people...businesses would go out of business if they did such deals.
If any of you have a prepaid legal service now would be a good time to use it. They can take care of everything for you and it will help others as well. Companies hate hearing from lawyers.
Dear Collin,
You are our hero.
You are our inspiration.
You get us free and cheap goodies all day long.
We heart you. Even when you post a deal that ends up being a dud (you didn't know!)
Just to throw my two cents in, I ordered three times on the very first Fannie Mae deal and had no problems whatsoever! I didn't even have to contact them, they charged me correctly and I got my .24 cent chocolates quickly. So the way I look at it is, if there's a chance for a good deal, I'll go for it! If it doesn't work out, all I have to do is call and cancel. No harm done. So don't apologize Collin! Where would we be without you!?!
Yay. Too much of a liability.
Hmmm. I ordered mine for delayed delivery. Will be interesting to see what happens. I will definitely dispute with Amex this time and let them deal with it.
Fannie May - get with the program. Don't issue codes without making sure your site can handle the restrictions you want it to have... whatever those might be.
It's the electronic age, people. They are still operating as if people use catalogs. Geez.
I feel the following adage applies:
"Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me."
Hey dummy a debit card is access to YOUR money, a credit card is access to someone else's money. If you have a problem with a debit card you have to fight to get your money back. If it is a credit card the fight is between the card issuer and the merchant.
I just called and they were very helpful and nice. They said they are going to refund my original transaction which did not show the $25 discount and do the transaction again for what I was suppose to pay. I will look forward to trying the fudge when it arrives.
Well, it seems their so called 'Codes' are completely BOGUS. I would not trust this company anymore. I am glad I have not tried to order, no matter how wonderful the goodies are or the 'deal' seems, it is just not worth the mental hassle. Hey, just use the coupons that we are seeing for the truffles and such, they are worth it I'm sure! And yummy too!
i love reading thru all the comments
Hey Susan and the other anonymous people-basher: If you think that those kinds of comments are constructive, think again. Go someplace else to spread your hatefulness.
Agreed - using words a third grader would use is not the best way to get your point across. No need to call names here people.
However, to those making the point about debit cards you are 100% correct. Always use a credit card online. The credit card companies have employees who can fight the fight for you, so you don't have to. Don't give these companies access to your bank account!
Hey anon 1:54 - if I hadn't just picked up $25 of FREE sharpies, no minimum purchase, I might agree. If I prescribed to the "it's too good to be true" philosophy I'd miss a lot of great deals. Besides, getting something for free is way off my radar now...Wags PAYS me to take things from them every week. ;) So na na na na boo boo right back at you. :P
I am sick to death of the customer service at Fannie Mae. My account is still in error from the last time we did this back in Oct. Yes, I placed a LOT of orders as gifts for coaches, teachers, etc. figuring that if they came BONUS and, if not, not much lost. I was overcharged by $8 on every one and have called 3 times and been told they are working on it--REPEATEDLY---well, no more Mrs. Nice Lady here---called the credit card co. just now and placed it in their laps! Although I am a pinch frustrated that I've had to make three phone calls, I've learned some things. 1) Bargain hunting is hard work. You may not pay with $, but may pay with time. 2)There is no such thing as a free lunch---or chocolate. 3) When in dispute, give the company one (1) opportunity to fix it and then let your credit card co. take over. That is what you pay them for! All in all, happy with all my chocolate orders and knowing my mailman, newsgirl, soccer coaches, etc, etc, etc will be too!
LOL Anon 3:17....woo hoo you got free sharpies that you probably don't even need. They will sit in your cluttered drawer at home along with all your other free stuff. I am completely aware that some products are "given away" through RR's etc. and you may even have a money maker, but before you say it's free ask yourself this...what is your time and effort worth to pick up crap that you really don't even NEED? But I'm sure someone will love the sharpies as a Christmas present! Nananana booboo back at you...no Fannie Mae candy for you!!! :-P
that's RUDE. I have a daughter who would have LOVED to get sharpies for Christmas. don't be so quick to judge
I read through all the comments and all I can say is, "oh dear". Here's my advice (and yes, I do have a degree in finance)...
When you use a debit card it processes the same way your credit card would, only the money comes out of the account that card in linked to immediately. When you use a credit card, the amount is added to your account and you receive a bill to pay.
Debit cards offer the same amount of protection as credit cards and you should not be liable for any fraudulent charges on a debit card.
However, since debit cards take the money from your account at the time of the purchase, you should be cautious and never charge more than you are comfortable spending without the deal - give yourself plenty of "buffer" on your account to avoid overdraft fees. This of course goes for credit cards as well.
In this case, it is 100%, no excuses, no exceptions, ILLEGAL to charge anyone's credit/debit card more than the authorized amount. (The exception being restaurants, which can charge up to 20% more for tip.)
If you were overcharged, immediately alert your bank or credit card company.
Always, always, always, keep neat and organized records of your transactions, especially online.
Keep your receipt from your overcharged Fannie Mae orders handy and, if possible, forward it on to your legal counsel. Your bank or credit card company will most likely also want to see this.
File a report with your state's Consumer Affair's Office.
Call Fannie Mae and, if possible, speak to a supervisor or manager. Let them know that you are aware that what they have done is illegal, and you have reported it to the appropriate authorities.
It is really shameful that they would yank the code, overcharge people, and then provide such terrible customer service. I can understand canceling orders - we've all had that happen when a deal was "too good to be true" - but overcharging is just inexcusable.
Thanks Anne! That was great finance advice! I did involve my "legal counsel". Lucky for me, he lives at my house LOL!!! He's eating dinner right now but backs you up completely. It is credit card fraud and should have been taken care of immediately with apologies, not three phone calls and me having to go to the cc co.
When deal is too good to be true I usually generate a virtual number from my credit card which I put a limit amount that the merchant can charge my card. I got a virtual # when I did the Fannie May deal for the santa chocolates. I got the chocolates for $0.76 i believe, but never got charge for it. I guess they didnt want to go thru the hassle of charging me more since there was a limit on my card. So ya if your card provides the virtual # then use it in situations where you think you can get charge more like Fannie May has been doing to many of us or when you don't fully trust the merchant. Hope this info helps.
So I wonder how many people didn't bother to cancel, didn't notice the overcharge, didn't care about the overcharge, or after some time will give up?
Fannie May made a killing.
I still did not get my credit refund for the last sour Fannie May deal. After a LONG time on hold for a corporate supervisor he told me they would NOT be refunding as Customer Service had promised. He told me to send the candy back if I wanted the refund. I contacted my credit card company to dispute the charges and they put a permanent credit for the charges on my account. I will never order from Fannie May again.
Fannie May is probably going to be glad that you are not going to post anymore of their deals.
Shirley, We've had similar dealings with Fannie May. I'm so tired of it. I may just go the "call the credit card" route.
It's interesting that FM is connected with 1-800-FLOWERS. I signed up for their rewards program & spent 15 min. entering b'days & anniversaries to qualify for $40 reward, which never showed up...just a bunch of spam. These are two companies that won't get my business under any circumstances.
Good God! I cancelled my order the day I ordered it with seemingly no problems. Guess what was in my e-mail this morning? The tracking number for the now $32.00 popcorn bucket that they have shipped to me (the one I was charged 7.25 for). Squirrel Bird Company! I think I'll just keep it to avoid all this hassle but my kids better eat every scrap of that cheese corn!
Jennifer,
Re: the popcorn... yes, keep the popcorn. But don't let them get away with overcharging you! Call you cc company and let them deal with it.
Jennifer- me too! I called and told them I cancelled it and they will NOT refund my money b/c it was sent. I was so mad, the woman was very helpful and understanding trying to get her bosses to release my money but the higher-ups would not budge. I called my bank and filed a dispute, I'm keeping the darn cashews...no way am I paying for it to be shipped back to them when they made so many errors.
This is the WORST company I have ever ordered from. I don't blame anyone for this mix up except Fannie May.
I got a corporate number if anyone else wants to let them know how bad they screwed up. 1-800-444-3629
CORRECT HEADQUARTERS NUMBER:
1 800 321 0444
Please note the person who handles marketing issues can be reached directly at (just ask for the extension when u call):
Bob Happel
(330) 494-0833 ext. 407
I encourage you to call Mr. Happel and leave a voicemail with your concern.
I've been checking my credit card since yesterday to see what charges I'd incur. I received an order confirmation via email after assuming the order hadn't gone through at all -I had an error message at the end of my order.
Just found charge a few minutes ago- so far just the $7.55...
I received my chocolates yesterday and was only charged $10.25. I guess I got lucky.
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