A Pre-Authorization should not be a difficult concept

[Ghel]

Phone call:

SC: I hate having to pre-pay for gas. I go in, they ask me how much I think it'll take to fill my tank. I have no idea! (Really? You don't know how much it usually costs to fill your gas tank?) They suggested $40. But when I actually pumped gas, it was $11. When do they pay me back the $40?
Me: They don't. They never actually charged you the $40. It was a pre-authorization.
SC: But it was on my online banking when I balanced my checkbook that night!
Me: It's gone now, though. It cleared off the next day.
SC: They charged me $40! They have to pay me back! I went back into the gas station to get them to refund me the $40, and they said I'd need to bring in a statement from the bank. I said that's private information!
Me: It's not going to show up on your statement anyway. They never actually charged you the $40. It was a pre-authorization. It drops off after they charge you the actual amount.
SC: What do I do with this $40 item, then?
Me: If you wrote it in your checkbook register, just cross it off.

If you hate pre-paying for gas so much, why don't you pay at the pump like a normal person?

Actually, I know the answer. This SC likes to complain. I think this is the 3rd time I've tried to explain pre-authorizations to her. I'm not sure it has sunk in yet.

ETA: She called 2 more times after this for unrelated things. -_-

[Kristev]

Is she safe to drive? Her comprehension seems rather, uh, lackluster, to me.

[earl colby pottinger]

After the third time I refuse to Pre-Authorizate her. I simple tell her to pay cash or go elsewhere. I do not think it is the law that you MUST take a pre-authorization payment.



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[Ghel]

Yeah, if I worked at that gas station and recognized her from the interaction she described, I would refuse to pre-authorize her, too. She's such a Karen.