Julia F.

Tried to buy a textbook. After entering all my information, there was small red text that showed up at the bottom of the Payment section (right under where your phone number goes) that said " HOLD-CALL---retain card " and a pop-up notification that said to make sure my card info was correct. I double, triple, quadruple checked to make sure all my card info was right, and it was. I had enough money in the account. I called my mom and asked her if I could Venmo her and try her card (figured maybe mine just wasn't working right) and the same " HOLD-CALL---retain card " thing popped up. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I now know it means the cards were "lost/stolen/flagged" (Which they weren't; I had just purchased a textbook on Amazon not even an hour earlier) Only thing is, she gets text notifications from her bank every time a charge is made, and she instantly got one. I was worried that I had just fallen for a scam, and I still am. My mom told me to check my bank account and TECHNICALLY no charges were made, but there were several transactions showing up for $0.00, for all the times I tried re-entering my information and purchasing it again. I used the Live Chat option for help. I'll copy and paste the messages here.

Me: it says there's an issue with the card, so I tried another card, and it charged it but the order still didn't go through
Her: Ok, I have located your account and both cards are coming back declined with message - Transaction failed. Transaction response Code - 04. Transaction response description - HOLD-CALL—retain card. You will need to contact your bank and let them know you are trying to place an order for textbooks and give them the description
Me: But it charged the second card?
Her: It did not go through that same message - Transaction failed. Transaction response Code - 04. Transaction response description - HOLD-CALL—retain card. Is what it is saying
(Now is a good time to mention the text my mom got from the bank explicitly stated "A charge of [$$] at CAMPUSBOOKRENTALS COM on [exact date/time] has been approved.") (*charged* *approved*)
Me: what does "HOLD-CALL---retain card" mean?
Her: you would have to ask your bank that sorry
(I told her it was definitely charged, and wrote out what the bank notification said)
Her: that is a pending hold, it did not fully go through, when you contact your bank they will let you know that
Me: So why is it pending if the order didn't go through?
Her: It is a hold that will clear
(I asked her to cancel the pending payment, followed by several minutes of no response)
Me: It says it was charged and approved, the amount has been taken out of the account. Could I either get a refund or my book?
She finally responds, and says she cancelled it. I know refunds and stuff usually take time to process, so we'll have to wait and see how that goes, but I'm worried that all of those blank transactions from my account are considered pending and they'll try to charge me a bunch of times. I was hoping to save a bit of money through their site, but it's honestly not even worth it. I'm about to just buy it from my campus bookstore. Sorry for the super long review. It's just frustrating.