topic Re: Careful when you give computers away in Electronics

Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 21:40:06 GMT

Good thing I was checking my credit card accounts online today. I noticed a $208. charge on a card I hardly ever use. It was dated this morning. I called Capital One immediately and informed them that "Trend Micro" had charged my card (I assume for renewal) and that I had not authorized it. I told them I had given the computer away and to please remove the charge immediately.

What a rigmarole I had to go through to get this done . . . and it won't be really done for another five days. First they wanted me to contact Trend Micro and I advised them that I no longer had their information, as I no longer have the computer. Then I had to give them practically the history of my life to make sure I was the owner of the card. I was switched back and forth and put on hold several times.

I also had to verify a $250 charge from October, 2014, again to prove I was the owner of the card. This was difficult to do online (which is why I think we are better off with paper statements).

Finally they advised they were cancelling the card and giving me a new one with a new account number and it was up to me to check every day for five days to make sure that the charge was removed from my account, which I will of course do. They almost make you feel like it's your fault. Plus needless to say, I could hardly understand the woman's dialect.

I write this as a warning that if you do give a computer to someone, try to make sure there are no programs, such as a virus program like Trend Micro, that are going to automatically charge your account when renewal time comes up. I will warn the person who now has the computer that his Trend Micro program is not going to work for him, as it has to be renewed, or he has to buy another virus program when it stops working. I have no idea how he will take this, but it's the only thing I can do.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

glb613 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:02:13 GMT

You didn't wipe the drive before giving it away?

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Buck-i-Nana — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:05:12 GMT

After I make any purchase that insists on setting to auto-renew, I always go back a few weeks later and edit my payment options and remove the card and mark it to not auto-renew. I don't want anything that's going to charge me a year or more down the road. They can send me an e-mail advising that my subscription is going to expire and I will decide if I want to continue or not.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:05:40 GMT

On 3/6/2015 glb613 said: You didn't wipe the drive before giving it away?

Of course I did. Totally and completely right down to the factory settings!! How would that stop a credit card company from charging me a renewal fee for the program? They had my credit card number, they didn't need my computer.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:06:29 GMT

On 3/6/2015 Buck-i-Nana said:
After I make any purchase that insists on setting to auto-renew, I always go back a few weeks later and edit my payment options and remove the card and mark it to not auto-renew. I don't want anything that's going to charge me a year or more down the road. They can send me an e-mail advising that my subscription is going to expire and I will decide if I want to continue or not.

Of course that makes sense, Buck, I just didn't think of it.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

glb613 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:07:27 GMT

You didn't stop the auto renewal before gving it away?

Re: Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:09:21 GMT

On 3/6/2015 glb613 said: You didn't stop the auto renewal before gving it away?

See my answer to Buck-I-Nana.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Buck-i-Nana — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:12:38 GMT

On 3/6/2015 Ford1224 said:
On 3/6/2015 Buck-i-Nana said:
After I make any purchase that insists on setting to auto-renew, I always go back a few weeks later and edit my payment options and remove the card and mark it to not auto-renew. I don't want anything that's going to charge me a year or more down the road. They can send me an e-mail advising that my subscription is going to expire and I will decide if I want to continue or not.

Of course that makes sense, Buck, I just didn't think of it.

It's just so easy to forget about the renew.

Thank you for bringing this subject up, it actually is something I think many people have gotten burned with, and more tedious when you no longer have the account info available.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:26:14 GMT

On 3/6/2015 Buck-i-Nana said:
On 3/6/2015 Ford1224 said:
On 3/6/2015 Buck-i-Nana said:
After I make any purchase that insists on setting to auto-renew, I always go back a few weeks later and edit my payment options and remove the card and mark it to not auto-renew. I don't want anything that's going to charge me a year or more down the road. They can send me an e-mail advising that my subscription is going to expire and I will decide if I want to continue or not.

Of course that makes sense, Buck, I just didn't think of it.

It's just so easy to forget about the renew.

Thank you for bringing this subject up, it actually is something I think many people have gotten burned with, and more tedious when you no longer have the account info available.

Yes . . . fortunately I caught it right away! Thanks again.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Irish1210 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 23:08:44 GMT

Excellent information ~ thanks for sharing ~

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Lynnj — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 03:23:44 GMT

Why should the credit card company return those funds to you? This wasn't a fraudulent charge to the account. You owned the computer, and the card charged was your card aligned to that account with Trend Micro. You were charged because of your own negligence in not contacting Trend Micro to cancel the service before giving the computer to someone else. The credit card company was completely in the right asking you to contact the company for a refund. I hope you realize that they did you a service by helping you today, this was not their responsibility to clean up.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

depglass — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 17:56:13 GMT

I have auto renews on a bunch of things like magazine subscriptions. I think the only thorough way to clear everything out is to cancel your card and get a new one. Big pain, but maybe not as bad as what OP went through. I have noticed that certain companys have a way of figuring out my new expiration date without my giving it to them.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

jaxs mom — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 19:54:13 GMT

On 3/6/2015 Ford1224 said:
On 3/6/2015 glb613 said: You didn't wipe the drive before giving it away?

Of course I did. Totally and completely right down to the factory settings!! How would that stop a credit card company from charging me a renewal fee for the program? They had my credit card number, they didn't need my computer.

Ok so this has nothing to do with giving away computers them. It's just that you didn't contact them to cancel your account.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Tique — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 20:39:38 GMT

On 3/8/2015 depglass said:
I have auto renews on a bunch of things like magazine subscriptions. I think the only thorough way to clear everything out is to cancel your card and get a new one. Big pain, but maybe not as bad as what OP went through. I have noticed that certain companys have a way of figuring out my new expiration date without my giving it to them.

That's because most cards extend for four years.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

deeva — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 20:50:23 GMT

That's why I don't use auto renew for anything. I tell the company to send me a bill or an email reminder. I then write a check. If they tell me that they can't, I take my business to a company that will send me a bill. But I like Buck i Nana's suggestion too.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

lory — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 21:09:27 GMT

I had this happen to me and I was not on auto renewal. Credit card company took the charges off and issued me a new card. Dont assume because you arent on auto reneal that they wont charge you after a year.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Iambeezer — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 21:35:53 GMT

On 3/8/2015 lory said: I had this happen to me and I was not on auto renewal. Credit card company took the charges off and issued me a new card. Dont assume because you arent on auto reneal that they wont charge you after a year.

Right, any company who does this on the reg wouldn't be in business. I now know why QVC and other Home Sopping Channels get away with bloatware and everything else, most of the audience is ignorant. Dear OP, you remind me of my mother. It was always someone else's fault, right? All you had to do was call Trend Micro and explain. You didn't have to go to defcon 5 when no fraudulent activity took place.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

lory — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 23:08:30 GMT

On 3/8/2015 WIlliam Joseph said:
On 3/8/2015 lory said: I had this happen to me and I was not on auto renewal. Credit card company took the charges off and issued me a new card. Dont assume because you arent on auto reneal that they wont charge you after a year.
Right, any company who does this on the reg wouldn't be in business. I now know why QVC and other Home Sopping Channels get away with bloatware and everything else, most of the audience is ignorant. Dear OP, you remind me of my mother. It was always someone else's fault, right? All you had to do was call Trend Micro and explain. You didn't have to go to defcon 5 when no fraudulent activity took place.

Excuse me? It happened exactly as I stated. Perhaps you are the ignorant one spouting things you know nothing about.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

LilacTree — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 16:01:48 GMT

On 3/8/2015 WIlliam Joseph said:
On 3/8/2015 lory said: I had this happen to me and I was not on auto renewal. Credit card company took the charges off and issued me a new card. Dont assume because you arent on auto reneal that they wont charge you after a year.
Right, any company who does this on the reg wouldn't be in business. I now know why QVC and other Home Sopping Channels get away with bloatware and everything else, most of the audience is ignorant. Dear OP, you remind me of my mother. It was always someone else's fault, right? All you had to do was call Trend Micro and explain. You didn't have to go to defcon 5 when no fraudulent activity took place.

Calling my credit card company to have them remove an unauthorized charge was "going to defcon5" (which I don't even know what that means)? I have always been told by my CC companies to notify them immediately of an unauthorized charge, as they are there to protect me.

And, oh, the CC card company got the charge removed.

Re: Careful when you give computers away

Chrystaltree2 — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 16:14:05 GMT

I don't use automatic renewal for anything at all, never, ever. For this very reason.