COLORADO SPRINGS – News5 Investigates is following up on a report we brought you about problems with a credit card reader at a car wash that charged some customers hundreds of dollars.
Genesys Technologies tells News5 they’ve pushed out a software update to the card readers at 17th and Uintah to solve the problem, and that they’ve initiated refunds to customers. If you’re one of them keep in mind the company says it could take a few days to register on your account.
COLORADO SPRINGS- News 5 investigates complaints from our viewers about a local self-serve car wash that is overcharging customers by hundreds of dollars. The people who used coins at the “National Pride” car wash near Uintah and 17th in Colorado Springs have nothing to worry about, but if you used a card you’ll want to check your bank statements. One woman used her card and later discovered it was a $624 car wash, not what she was expecting.
The National Pride Car Wash near 17th and Uintah in Colorado Springs is a popular stop for people looking to spray down their ride, but it turns out for dozens of people who paid with cards instead of coins it was the most expensive car wash of their lifetime.
One victim sent us her bank statement. Instead of a five to ten dollar charge she was charged $624 dollars for two card swipes. The fraud investigators at Ent Credit Union say they fielded a handful of similar complaints.
“Once we got more than one call we knew there was an issue,” said Victoria Selfridge of Ent Credit Union.
At least half a dozen customers who swiped their cards claim they were charged anywhere from $100 to more than $600. Investigators at local banks say this isn’t a skimmer issue, but a problem with the car wash card readers.
“You know our understanding of the issue is maybe there was something with the merchant’s processor that was processing those transactions incorrectly and sending the incorrect amount,” said Selfridge.
Most of the people who claim they were overcharged have been reimbursed by their banks, but it’s becoming costly and the banks want answers.
“We have a vested interest in investigating the cause of the problem and addressing it with the merchant so they can make it right because we’ve already made it right for our members,” said Selfridge.
There isn’t a phone number posted for the car wash management on site. Working with the Better Business Bureau we identified four potential phone numbers for the owners of the car wash, none of them were correct. 3 out of 4 were disconnected.
Until we can speak with the management of this car wash near Uintah and 17th in Colorado Springs we can’t verify the card reader issue has been corrected. So, we advise anyone who uses this car wash to check bank statements and to use coins until we learn more.
