Orchard Supply Hardware declined my check for $678 from an account where I had over $40, 000. I was stunned. The number they gave me at OSH led to Certegy. Certegy explained that it had to do with "patterns" of checks where they felt uncomfortable guaranteeing the check to OSH. What "patterns"? Did they call the bank? Access the account? Anything? He couldn't say.
Excuse me?!?!?! His supervisor, Nathan Hunt, couldn't say either. But if I cared to fill out a form and get "Certegy Gold" certified, it might not happen again. I hit the ceiling - AND WHAT'S THE COST ON THAT, NATHAN? Why do I need YOUR blessing to spend my $40, 000??
I called the bank where the check was drawn. They were calmly horrified and told me that Certegy does this all over and has been doing this for years. They told me to look on the internet - complaints about them are all over.
Slowly but surely, I am deciding to take my checks elsewhere, OSH.

Following is the email I sent to Target which explains the situation. I am posting my experience EVERYwhere so I can't retype this for each and every page. If you have a similar situation PLEASE report it to whichever store you were in. It takes a certain # of complaints for them to launch an investigation!

"I hope there is no character limit to these emails because I have a lot to say. I know you

probably get hundred of these every day, but I can't stress enough how much I LOVE your

company and how upset I would be to get a form reply. Even if you just take half a second, please

write to me like I am a person and not "email #4354823597". You will have my ever-lasting

devotion if you do! Tonight I went to my new neighborhood Target to make some ordinary

purchases (tonight's dinner, a dress for the horse-races this weekend... nothing suspicious or out

of the ordinary). The total came to $158.68 which was fine with me as I currently have well over

$2000 in my account. I am waiting for my new check card to be sent to me in the mail and in the

meantime have been having to write checks for my purchases. As I wrote the check to the cashier

I even joked "wow, I haven't written one of these in so long I wonder if I still know how". When she

put my check into the scanner, it came back denied. I thought there was a mistake since I had just

checked my bank balance before leaving the house. I wondered if the newer check scanners

required you to be at a certain balance to write a check so I called my husband from the store and

had him a deposit enough money to bring our balance to the nearest thousand-mark. The cashier

re-ran the check and it was still denied. I was upset as now I looked like someone trying to pass a

bad check in front of the entire line of people. The cashier could see I was upset and gave me the

number of certegy so I called them. I spoke with associate Derion who told me that he could see

that I had no negativity associated with my account but that because of their guidelines on

fraudulent activity, my check fell into a gray area of possible fraud. I am paraphrasing because he

recited a long script that I cannot remember word for word. I told him that I appreciated the fraud

protection but that I had my valid drivers license with my picture proving I am who I say I am and

was more then willing to give my blessing for them to call Bank of America to verify that I had

sufficient funds to write the check. He said none of that mattered. I asked him what I was

supposed to do and he told me to use alternate payment. I explained that I was waiting on a new

check card which is the only reason I was writing a check to begin with and he said that was

probably why I was flagged. He said I should create positive check-writing history by making

smaller purchases before trying to make such a large purchase. (I feel sorry for Derion if he

considers $158 a large purchase- before this fiasco I would drop three times that at Target without

batting an eyelash). I asked him if I should just cancel my sale and then make several smaller

sales to Target so my checks were for smaller amounts and he became very angry and brusque

with me so I asked for his manager since I refuse to be spoken to rudely when I have done nothing

wrong. At this time quite a line has formed behind me and with the cashier holding my check and

me looking distraught on the phone it looks to them as if I am some deadbeat writing bad checks

or worse- a fraud! I am beyond humiliated. I can handle mad. Or sad or even embarrassed. But no

honest, kind person should have to feel humiliation while simply trying to write a check for dinner

and a dress. I felt myself beginning to cry so I apologized profusely to the cashier and left the

store, still on hold for Derion's manager. Halfway home he finally came on and I calmly explained

the entire situation to him only to have him read the same script that Derion had. When I probed

deeper as to why I was flagged he told me that their system creates "profiles" of fraudulent activity

and that my check- although he admitted there was no negativity associated with it- fit that

"profile". I told him I was fairly disgusted that because I was wrongly "profiled" to be a fraud that I

had to endure public humiliation. I began to cry and ended the phone call. I was so upset returning

home that my husband thought I had been in an accident. He urged me to write to you even though

I just wanted to cry and forget what had happened. I am a mother of two. I am honest, have good

credit, and am a LONG time Target shopper. I would gladly let you scan my bank card to bring up

my purchases the way they do at customer service sometimes when I forgot my receipt for a

return. You would see that I literally spend thousands of dollars at your stores each year. (I know

everyone probably says that- but ask my sometimes grouchy husband- he loathes to hear that I am

off to Target'). I am a regular person and very much a picture of your customers at large. And I

have been wrongly embarrassed, humiliated and shamed by a company that you choose to do

business with. A simple google search shows that I am one of hundreds, if not thousands that

have had this very same experience (not just at target, but wherever this nefarious company is

contracted). I don't ask you to fire them or find a new check-clearing company as I know that

refitting the stores with new equipment and the legalities of whatever contract you have with them

would prevent that even if my one email were enough to change your mind (which I don't pretend it

to be). But I do ask you to TALK to them. Ask them- no, you are probably one of their biggest

clients so- DEMAND that they find a back up plan for people like me. If I were really a fraud or

writing a bad check, I would not have taken the time to call and put myself on recording with them.

My license and SS# and bank info should have cleared this check. The fact that you (and yes,

unfortunately I now lump you with them as you chose them to do your check-clearing) sent a young

mother home in tears when she did nothing more than attempt to spend her money in YOUR store

is unconscionable. I write this hoping that I will be that 1000 email regarding this that triggers you

to actually DO something about this Certegy company and the horrible way they treat your

customers. "

I wrote a check at Champs Sporting Goods in the amount of $248.00. It was declined with a Code 2 - not sufficient information on the check. My name, address, phone #, bank account #, bank routing # are all printed on the check, so that is BS. The clerk at Champs was very curt and rude and didn't want to give me the name of the company (Certegy) who denied my check. I kept pushing and told him it was law that he had to provide me the name of the company who denied my check. I will be calling Champs in the morning and giving them an earful. I have spent ALOT of money in the past there and was embarassed to say the least. I will not go back to Champs.

I was at Craker Barrel and decided to make a surprise purchase for my husband's birthday. In order to keep it a surprise, I attemped to write a $32 check. Certegy denied my check. The next day, I contacted Cracker Barrel's Corporate Office - they gave me the contact number for Certegy - after 10 minutes on the phone with a mechanical man I finally reached a live human being. The only explaination he had for my check being denied was that they (Certegy) had not had "business" with my account before. He indicated that they were just trying to "protect me from fraud" - well and good, but a simple "I'm sorry this happened to you" would have done a great deal to make me feel more like a decent human (which I am) and less like a criminal!

I had been declined in October for writing a check for "fitting a computer module for possible fraud" and having nothing negative associated with my account, or check writing history.

Then why decline me if I have no negative history.

Their answer was to fill out an application to achieve "elevated VIP" check writing status with their firm, that still has no guarantee that I will not be humiliated again by having my check declined.

Out shopping yesterday for maternity clothes, I was declined again, for the same reason. My husband tried to purchase with a check right after me for the maternity clothes, and he too was declined.

I was given the same answer, nothing negative reflected on my account, in fact, they stated I had an extensive history with their clients. After having my bank contact them, I too was told they elevated me to VIP status, but that again, does not mean that I will not be declined again.

These people need to be shown that they cannot get away with humiliating us, with no good reason, by declining our checks. I will cease my business with their clients, until they too get the message that I/ We will not stand for being treated this way.