I ordered merchandise by mail from NorthStyle and paid by check. Today I received in the mail the order form back, my check was stapled to it wihtout comment from NorthStyle. Enclosed was double side printed slip (3 1/4in x 3in) from Certegy:



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Dear Customer:
We are sorry that your check could not be authorized based, in whole or in part, on information provided by Certegy Check Services, Inc. ("Certegy"), and/or Certegy's need for additional information. We value your business and apologize for the inconvenience.

To protect your privacy, we receive no personal information when Certegy does not authorize acceptance of a check. A code number is provided in order to convey the reason Certegy did not authorize your check. These codes and their meanings are as follows:


CODE 1 - In most instances this is based upon negative information on file, usually prior unpaid checks.
CODE2 - Although no unpaid check information is on file, Certegy did not have sufficient information available to approve the transaction, or this transaction exceeded a pre-established limit.
CODE3 - The format of the identification presented did not conform to government established guidelines for a valid ID.
(Over Please)
EQ100
041-102 21-1102

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Certegy Check Services, Inc ("Certegy") provides check authorization and warranty services to merchants and business nationwide. You have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to know the information contained in your file at Certegy. You also have a right to a free copy of your check transactions file from Certegy if you request it within sixty (60) days after you receive this notice. In addition, that any information contained in the file from Certegy is inaccurate or incomplete, you have a right to dispute it with Certegy.

(bold face) You may call Certegy toll free at 800-237-4851, or write to Certegy Check Services, P.O.Box 30046, Tampa, FL 33630-3046.

If you contact Certegy, please provide the following information so they can respond promptly to your request:

*Your Full Name and Current Address
*Driver's License (or State ID) Number and State
*Telephone Number
*Check Number
*Check Amount
*Checking Account Number
*Name of Financial Institution
*Date When Check Declined

For employee training and evaluation purposes, your telephone call may be monitored

:certegy (about 16pt)

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I used a pre-printed personal check, amount $348.70. It contains all the requested information, except the drivers license number. Sent on 1/30/09.
The date when it was declined was nowhere marked, but the envelope from NorthStyle was metered on Feb 5 2009. My check was NOT endorsed by NorthStyle.
I write approximately 200 checks per year, same bank for 20+ years, this was the FIRST NOT ACCEPTED. NorthStyles order blank provided for check payment.

Wrote all this down for some legal person to take up the case.
Hebnman

I will not waste the time with certegy and NorthStyle and watch out in the future.

I have been cashing my check at Wal-Mart for 3 years until today. Wal-Mart stated that I had to call the number on the printout to find out the reason. I received an automated service and gave the information to them. Then I finally spoke to a real person who stated that I would have to go to a place the does not use their system to cash my payroll check.

After much embarrassment in the store line, I finally left. While looking for the Certegy web site I found the site that cotained all the complaints against this company. What is Wal-Mart thinking for doing business with a company like this. Evedently Wal-Mart does not need the business of consumers or they would have checked this company out thoroughly.

Certegy is a joke company and I can't believe Wal-Mart has contracted with them.

I recently attempted make a purchase at Macy's writing a check for $286.00. To my utter surprise, check was declined. I asked the clerk to run it again, which she did and my check was declined a second time. I asked her to call to find out what the problem was. After holding forever, a Certegy representative told her I needed to call an 800 number and that my check was declined as a "code 2". I called the 800 number an received an automated response stating that my check was declined because it did not fit their check writing patterns and it was security measure to prevent identity theft and fraud. The message further stated that the check was not declined due to any negative information in my file and that information was passed on to the merchant...blew my mind. Naturally, I wanted to speak to a "live" person. When I did finally get someone on the phone, I was told that there was nothing they could do to override their system. So I asked I am going to be declined the next time a write a check that uses Certegy and she replied that she couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't be. The practice this company uses that may decline a perfectly good check is arbitrary and egregious. The represenative admitted as much, very flippantly.

I had to endure an embarrassing moment having a check declined for no good reason. I ultimately used my check card and completed the purchase with no problem. I later bought something else in the store and wrote a check just to see what would happen and the check was accepted without a hitch. I am assuming that the amount of the check was the issue. However, even if I never write checks, when I decide I want to I should be able to for whatever amount I need to, especially as a consumer who has never had any returned check issues. I probably won't be shopping at Macy's anytime in the near future. Perhaps I won't have to since 11 of their stores nationwide are shutting down for poor sales performance.

I went to our local Kmart today. I have shopped there and paid by check on numerous occasions. Until today I had never had a problem. They told me that certegy had declined my check. i called the number only to recieve an automated service, no real person to speak to at all. The only thing it said was that I was not declined because of bad check writing but instead it was due to prevenative measures for fraud. Prevenative measures my foot. When the automated service asked if I recieved enough information and I said no, they told me to apply for a gold standard and it would never happen again. Do i look stupid, you denied me for no good reason and think I am going to give you more personal information about myself. GET REAL!!!

My check for $249.63 was denied today for a purchase I was making at Sears by Certegy. Sears gave me the phone number to contact of Certegy who is their check service. My first call to the said number contacted me with a computer voice who took my information and advised that the denial was not because of insufficient funds or my personal history but that something triggered a factor that lay "outside their guidelines". A second computer voice invited me to provide more of my private financial information in order to enroll in their free "Certegy Gold" program to help prevent this from happening again. When I finally was able to speak to an actual person - they advised that they were not privy to exactly what it was about my check that caused it to be denied. No further information could be gleaned despite going up the chain to several supervisors. The incident was embarassing and an affront to my integrity. From reading these complaints I see that I am not alone. I intend to inform Sears that I will no longer do business with them because of this and am sharing my experience with my family and friends to warn them to avoid any business that uses "Certegy". They need to be reported to the FTC.