December 2017 by W. L. F.
12/15/2017 On 12/13/2017 (Wednesday) my wife, who lives in SW Ft. Worth and was visiting with family in Burleson, pulled into Elk Food Mart to purchase some gas. She tried to use her credit card outside at the gas pump to purchase $10 of gas. She swiped the card reader once, and was given an error message. So, she swiped the card reader again. Still got an error message. Then, she went inside the store and told the clerk the problem with the card reader outside at the pump. The clerk was able to process her card, inside the store, so she went back outside and pumped her $10 of gas. Reviewing our credit card statement, today, Elk Food Mart was posted on 12/13/2017 for $10. No problem here. But, here is the problem: Not only did Elk Food Mart charge for the $10 gas, but placed a "pending charge" (as you may know, subtracts from ones credit card purchasing power, anywhere from 3-8 days, according to my credit card company) of $200 TWICE! YES TWICE! That's a $400 hold, on my credit card for a $10 gas purchase, anywhere from 12/13 up to 12/21! I have complained to my credit card company and they told me that they will be in contact with this merchant. $200 hold on a gas purchase is ridiculous, but $400 hold is outrageous! I will be sharing this info with the Department of Agriculture. Have notified family in Burleson to beware of this merchant's practices. Hopefully, this will help someone else, too.
