I used my Debit Visa card at Flying J Travel Stop, Exit 277, I-20, Tye, Texas for fuel. I purchased $20.04 in fuel and ran my card as a credit as I did not want to put my pin # in at the pump.

This was on 4-28-11 at approx. 8:15 am. Approx. l hr. later I was at work and decided to look at my bank account. Flying J had not only withheld the $20.04 from my acccount...they withheld $151.00 as well !!! These amounts were both taken out of my 'available' balance, so I had no access to the $151.00 they had withheld. When I called their customer service department, I got the 'run around'! First I was told the $151.00 will drop off within the hour. Well, the hour was already up! Then I was told, oh, it is your bank, call them, they put that on there so they can take it off !! Just to be sure, this guy was full of it, I called my bank and sure enough, they have nothing to do with it. As the girl said, how would the bank know you are getting gas, we don't monitor your account!

I get this guy in 'credit' named Patrick at Flying J back on the line and tell him all this and his response was..."I am just going have to send the bank a letter and turn them in as they do not know what they are talking about and their computer system is just not up to date". Hm...my bank is First Financial Bank, which a HUGE bank in the nation.! When I asked when they could take this off my account, he said if could be 4-5 business days!!! And, that he could not do anything about it!!

I thought, what if I had been traveling and had no access to the internet and had not known they were withholding $151.00 of my available funds, and I needed those funds for gas!!! I would have been stranded and would not have known why as I knew I had the funds in my account !! The $151.00 did not drop off my account until Monday, May 2! I had no access to that money for 4 days!!!

I called the Flying J travel stop in Tye and asked if it was posted on the pumps that they withhold $151.00 on cards. He went out and looked at the pumps and said no it was not. I asked if this procedure was on all cards run as credit or just Visa Debit. He said no, on all, American Express, Mastercard, Discover. Hmmm...Patrick in Credit adamantly told me it was only Visa cards which this happened to as that was their agreement with Visa!!! Obviously someone is not telling the truth!!

I sent a complaint email to Flying J/Pilot corporate and received an automatic response whereby they will call be in 7 or less business days. I have yet to get a call from them !!! I called them twice and left messages and still have not heard from them to date!!

I sent a letter of complaint to the State of Texas Attorney General's office, and have NOT received a response from them either !! !!

So, I guess the corporate can just screw over the consumer and get away with it!! I think Flying J's business practice is despicable and obviously I will never stop at any of their facilities again.