Something that’s been bugging me lately is how often I go through my receipts and come across Merchant names on EFT/CC receipts that are completely different to the shop name. Is there anywhere you can check the shop name from the name that’s printed on the receipt? Especially in view of all the scams around - sometimes you don’t know whether you are being billed for something you didn’t actually buy.
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I often find that these are also the ones that don’t process your payment straight away and you have to delve through your receipts to find out who they are and when you actually made the purchase when it finally shows up in your bank/card account, sometimes a week or more after you made the purchase.
If you get a charge receipt on the day the company name will be shown, and as you state they are usually not the shop front name for many small or medium businesses.
The business registry can be searched on the ASIC web site for what information there is to link business names with ownerships. Sometimes I have found a small P/L business to change hands but the credit card contract and thus the name on the charge remains in the name of the original (previous) owner (the principles/responsible officers will have changed) making it more difficult to follow along.
I know it’s not the easiest fix, but your bank should be able to tell you where the payment came from. I’ve looked through credit card statements before and have questioned the bank who have been able to give me alternative/common business names or more information that helped me decipher the payment.
Obviously this isn’t the easiest thing for the consumer! Companies that tell you in the checkout process that their name is different (particularly for online retailers) are very helpful - then there’s no confusion down the track.
– Tilly, Policy and Campaigns Advisor
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True Tilly. Please note I’ve also had several instances where the card provider has not been able to do so. In each instance the business was using a recently changed over card reader that had apparently been recycled from another business. The card readers held the details of the prior business user and had not been updated to the current user. The card provider managed the new business user account number correctly but reported the previous owners details against the transaction. We used our card in Townsville where we were living. The bill was reported against a business in Melbourne that was not related to where we had incurred the charges. The card provider was Amex - not sure which bank’s card reader was in use. Amex tooks several weeks to correctly identify and confirm the bill. Amex suggested it was our mistake for not keeping a paper copy and reconciling the value of every transaction on a manual record by dollar value. Should we still use tap and go without a care or fear of loss?
YES!!! The confusion this generates is excruciating! I spend at least fifteen minutes a month (not long, I know) trying to work out what the heck I bought at somewhere I don’t recognise. It does make me wonder if this is the reason for some charge backs. Is it possible people simply don’t realise what is on the statement may not match the receipt and vice versa?
It is very much an issue.
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Have often had the same problem. It would take nothing to add the real name of the trader to the credit/debit card statement. I’m surprised the banks don’t encourage as they must waste a lot of time on customer enquiries about ‘mysterious’ charges.
