So, this past paycheck at work, my hours got messed up. I kinda expected it to happen, so it wasn't really a big shock, what was shocking is how on top of it my boss was. That same day an envelope was delivered to me with one of those ADP TotalPay prepaid debit card for the amount I was owed. I thought it was great, boy was I wrong!
Today, I got around to activating it. I was told to wait till I got a statement about it, so there wouldn't be any sort of problem. I was okay with that, I had already scheduled a transfer from savings to cover the missing funds. The card offered free bill pay, had the option of just transferring the balance to another account, I figured I'd be fine. So I call the number on the card, activate it, and proceed to the website to pay a couple bills.
What I didn't realize was that the pin I had set for the card on the phone wouldn't be used as the password on the site, and nowhere did it mention in the documentation (or on the automated phone system) what the password would be. So, I call back the number, put in the card number, push the button to talk to a rep and get that straightened out. No problem!
Then I check my balance, and I see a 50c charge for the previous phone call! And not only that, but the bill pay section won't come up (some stupid error) and there's nothing on there at all about transferring funds. I call up their support line, careful to not give them my card number. The only way I could find to get to a live rep without giving my card number and getting charged for using the automated service was to select the option for a lost card. On the phone with the rep, I explain, give her my information, and she looks it up, confident she can take care of it. But then she informs me there is no way to reverse the charge for the automated line. I ask if she has the power to do it, and she says no, so I ask to be transferred to someone who does.
Her supervisor is the only person she can offer me, so I accept and talk to her. She goes into a speech about how I used the automated phone service (to get to a rep for help with the website, which directs you to the phone number for the automated service for help) and that the fee can't be reversed. I ask her flat out "Do you have the power to reverse the fee?" and am told no. So I ask her to transfer me to someone who does, and she informed me that no one in the entire company can do it.
Frustrated, I decide to then at least deal with what I can, so I ask her about how I can access the funds transfer, since there is no option for it there, and the bill pay also doesn't seem to be working. She fiddles with something, I log out and back in, and the options are now there. Great, I end the call.
Then, I look into the funds transfer option, I want to get my money away from ADP as soon as I can. Fill in my bank account number and routing information and am presented with a screen that tells me it may take up to a week to verify the account! Well, at least I have bill pay, right?
Wrong! I switch over to that, and it takes me another another site that I have to sign up for. Asking for all my information again, I fill it in begrudgingly and proceed. At the end, another screen pops up telling me that now that they've got my information, I have to wait for an e-mail before I can do anything! So now here I sit, with over $200 of my hard earned money sitting in limbo where I can't use it how I want.
I know I can just take the card and use it anywhere Visa is accepted, but this is just crazy, they promote their services with these features that you just can't use without jumping through crazy hoops, and there's no easy way to get to a live representative for help without being charged extra money (beyond the one free call per week). Their phone menus are deliberately misleading.
I was tempted to take a stand. It is my money, but even if I do get my 50c back, the time and effort it would take to EECB ADP would not be worth it.
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