Is Google Checkout As Safe As PayPal?

Another day.. Hopefully another dollar..

I wanted to share my latest Google Checkout experience with my site visitors.

Google Checkout Charge Fraud

I had registered a domain name through Google Apps last year. They had a special going on where $10 registered a dot com domain name and gave a registrant a year of FREE Google web hosting with the use of Google Apps.

To make a long story somewhat short, I didn’t like the setup after investing $10 and basically never used it. The domain i registered was just to test out the service and i soon forgot all about it.

About a month ago i get an email from Google Apps saying that domain was up for renewal and i needed to log in and renew it, otherwise it would expire. I just figured i would let it expire and that would be the end of that. Then on the 24th of May 2011 i get another email, this one was from Google Checkout saying they auto renewed my domain and charged my credit card on file $10 for another years registration.

This is where it gets interesting and Google’s lack of support rings true. I logged into my Google Checkout account to contact support about this unauthorized charge to my credit card on file and couldn’t find a link to contact support anywhere, and of course there was no phone contact number either. There was a link that said help, but that just served up a bunch of help pages that lead me around in circles like a dog chasing his tail!

I then used the one thing Google does well “Google Search” and came up with a link to contact support for unauthorized transactions and started filling it out. Note that the form does not have a text box to explain in further detail what the support ticket was about.

Two day’s later i did get a canned reply saying they couldn’t find the charge. Duuuuu.. It’s the only charge this month on my Google Checkout account! And Google couldn’t find it!

(here is Google’s email to me)

Hello,

Thank you for informing us about this issue. Unfortunately, we are unable to locate this charge with the information you have provided.

To verify that this charge was made using Google Checkout, please include the exact line item description as it appears on your credit card statement. If an order was placed with Google Checkout, the line item description will begin with Google*.

Please reply to this email if the line item does begin with Google* and we will be happy to further investigate this charge on your behalf.

As you have reported an unauthorized charge, we advise you to contact your credit card provider to ensure that no other unauthorized purchases are charged to your account. In addition, be sure to monitor your statement for any additional suspicious activity.

Sincerely,

Sam
The Google Checkout Team

I had already contacted my credit card provider who promptly canceled my card and is issuing a replacement. The card company also said that i could protest that charge if Google did not refund it.

I know it’s only $10 but it’s MY $10 and I did not authorize Google Checkout to place it on my card. They grab $10 here and $20 there, It adds up to their bottom line at the end of the year.

On another note, I have had a PayPal account for years and despite their horrible Internet reputation, I have never had the 1st problem that was not settled promptly and courteously. It’s easy to contact PayPal, just pick up the phone and give them a call.

Can’t say that for Google Checkout!

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UPDATED 06/03/2011

As instructed in the 1st email, I replied with the exact line beginning with Google*MerchantName That was on my credit card statement.

A few days later here came the official Google reply, telling me they still couldn’t find the transaction in my Google Checkout account, and to contact my card issuer to file a charge back.

Hello,

Thank you for informing us of this issue. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the transaction in our system based on the information provided.

We advise you to request that your bank or credit card issuer perform a chargeback for the charge listed above. They will be able to recover the funds and credit them back to your account.

For more information on credit card theft, please visit:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/cards.htm

We apologize for any inconvenience you’ve experienced.

Sincerely,

Sam

The Google Checkout Team

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Unbelievable.. Google Can’t Find It! The incompetency is almost laughable!

Google Apps - Unauthorized Credit Card Charge

If this would have been a PayPal Transaction the unauthorized charge would have been promptly reversed. I guess Google figures for $10 it’s not worth their time to investigate.

Sam, the Google Checkout representative must be a bot! LOL!