Priority Pass Warning - wrong card charges

[Mark3000]

Hi,
I made the mistake of using the wrong priority pass card recently. I recently got the Amex Platinum Charge which has unlimited priority pass. By mistake on a recent trip, the app on my phone was logged in to my old Priority Pass account, which only gave one free use per year. I have returned from my trip to find 3 bills for USD $54.00 for each of 3 lounges I visited. The card associated with that account fortunately has been cancelled so they could not process the charges, but they have sent me the bills.

I contacted them to explain the misunderstanding, hoping that since I have an unlimited Amex Plat Charge priority pass they would just cancel them, but they are playing hardball and saying that the accounts are separate and cannot be merged.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice. I completely realise this is my fault, but at no stage did anyone at any lounge or the app tell me that I had run out of free visits and these would be charged at US$54 each.

I would be grateful for any advice if anyone has seen similar situation and hope that this may also help others avoid my same fate - be very careful which account you use, as they will not warn you that you will be charged.

 

[Archipelago]

My thoughts are that unfortunately this will be a USD$162 lesson for you.
Lesson here - if you have two different priority passes, make sure you've got the correct one on your app.
Doubt you have any avenue to refund or recompense on this.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

You could consider making your case on social media. If they remain unwilling to write off the charges completely, you could request a partial reduction as a goodwill gesture.

 

[Pleb Status]

It would appear that the OP is completely at fault here. PP did not charge the wrong card, the OP did!

Pay the bill that you authorised and rack it up as a 'learning' experience...

 

[BudgetFly]

You could try contacting Amex Platinum Charge to see if they could assist?
I take it you were travelling with someone hence the $54 USD charge rather than the standard $27 USD?

 

[Strategic Aviation]

It would appear that the OP is completely at fault here. PP did not charge the wrong card, the OP did!

OP acknowledged they're at fault. But seeking reconsideration in these particular circumstances is not unreasonable given they were entitled to free access anyway. I don't imagine PP sustained any different costs compared to if the OP had entered with the correct account, so a goodwill gesture on their part should not be at all onerous.

I've stuffed up with PP and didn't contemplate anything other than paying the price for that lesson. In the OP's circumstances I would be seeking reconsideration.

(Take it to VCAT? hmmm ... )

 

[Buzzard]

I do sympathise with the OP but clearly they ate obliged to make good their mistake. Haven't we all made a mistake and sucked it up?
My question though is what happens if the bill is simply not paid?

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Haven't we all made a mistake and sucked it up?

I did as per my post, but there were no mitigating circumstances in my case. There are mitigating circumstances in the OP's case.

My question though is what happens if the bill is simply not paid?

In that case it wouldn't be at all surprising if they took action against the OP's other account (which would be ironic).

P.S. Viewers of this thread might also have opinions about non-payment of international parking/traffic fines mentioned in this thread

 

[Buzzard]

P.S. Viewers of this thread might also have opinions about non-payment of international parking/traffic fines mentioned in this thread

In the US I was pulled over for speeding (1990's) and issued a fine. Cop asked how long I'd be staying in that state. When told only a few days, he said don't pay it, keep the ticket as a souvenir .
I never paid it.

 

[straitman]

In the US I was pulled over for speeding (1990's) and issued a fine. Cop asked how long I'd be staying in that state. When told only a few days, he said don't pay it, keep the ticket as a souvenir .
I never paid it.

You criminal.

 

[Renato1]

Hi Mark,
Do you actually have two Priority Pass accounts?

The instructions that came with my Priority Pass card that was attached to my Citibank Signature card was that I use the Priority Pass card or digital version at the airport, and that my credit card would be charged.

So when you cancelled the Credit card, the Priority Pass card you used at the airport should have flagged that you no longer had any membership active, and that there was no credit card attached to it. Those details disappeared immediately from my Priority Pass account as soon as I cancelled the Citibank card, just as the conditions with the Credit card said they would.

The fault, in my view, is entirely with Priority Pass.

While I can still log into my Priority Pass account, all I am offered is the option to pay the membership. I am pretty sure that I can't go and use the card at an airport and be charged US$27 per person, if I haven't paid the membership. How is it that you can?

Ring them up, ask to speak to somone in authority, as you are outraged that Priority Pass have such an appalling IT system that has malfunctioned, both in charging you when it should have declined you, and not being smart enough to note that you had two accounts, and in effect depriving you of your ability to use your free visits associated with your Amex card.

You don't want to let this matter slide - they might put something very negative in your credit rating.
Regards,
Renato

 

[ozbeachbabe]

SO has a Priority Pass with the Amex Plat charge and the thing is when you arrive at a lounge and sign the eftpos receipt no prices appear on the docket as it's more of an attendance record for billing purposes later on.

 

[Mark3000]

Thanks Renato, helpful advice.
I really don't understand why companies sometimes are so aggressive at upsetting their customers.
Yes the problem is that I have 2 accounts, and old one with my Visa card, and the new one with the Amex Platinum Charge.
They can see that I have unlimited priority pass with the Amex Platinum Charge. I have not cost them any money or taken anything I was not entitled to.
They told me the old account would be cancelled when my Visa card was cancelled. If I had been told at the lounge that the account was cancelled and I would have to pay, I would have been able to use the Amex Plat Charge.

It seems like they are screwing me on a technicality, yes I made an honest mistake and used the wrong card, but it seems harsh to be trying to charge me when I am legitimately entitled to free access.

Hi Mark,
Do you actually have two Priority Pass accounts?

The instructions that came with my Priority Pass card that was attached to my Citibank Signature card was that I use the Priority Pass card or digital version at the airport, and that my credit card would be charged.

So when you cancelled the Credit card, the Priority Pass card you used at the airport should have flagged that you no longer had any membership active, and that there was no credit card attached to it. Those details disappeared immediately from my Priority Pass account as soon as I cancelled the Citibank card, just as the conditions with the Credit card said they would.

The fault, in my view, is entirely with Priority Pass.

While I can still log into my Priority Pass account, all I am offered is the option to pay the membership. I am pretty sure that I can't go and use the card at an airport and be charged US$27 per person, if I haven't paid the membership. How is it that you can?

Ring them up, ask to speak to somone in authority, as you are outraged that Priority Pass have such an appalling IT system that has malfunctioned, both in charging you when it should have declined you, and not being smart enough to note that you had two accounts, and in effect depriving you of your ability to use your free visits associated with your Amex card.

You don't want to let this matter slide - they might put something very negative in your credit rating.
Regards,
Renato

hanks

 

[Renato1]

Thanks Renato, helpful advice.
I really don't understand why companies sometimes are so aggressive at upsetting their customers.
Yes the problem is that I have 2 accounts, and old one with my Visa card, and the new one with the Amex Platinum Charge.
They can see that I have unlimited priority pass with the Amex Platinum Charge. I have not cost them any money or taken anything I was not entitled to.
They told me the old account would be cancelled when my Visa card was cancelled. If I had been told at the lounge that the account was cancelled and I would have to pay, I would have been able to use the Amex Plat Charge.

It seems like they are screwing me on a technicality, yes I made an honest mistake and used the wrong card, but it seems harsh to be trying to charge me when I am legitimately entitled to free access.



hanks

No problem - as I said, demand to talk to someone in charge and ask them why your dead account worked when by the conditions under which you got that account, it should not have worked. Tell them they are at totally at fault.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[N860CR]

I made this same mistake. They can't charge your card, so can't do anything. I just ignored the email with the "bill"

 

[Mark3000]

O

I made this same mistake. They can't charge your card, so can't do anything. I just ignored the email with the "bill"

oh that’s really good to know, thanks so much

 

[durbrain]

They can see that I have unlimited priority pass with the Amex Platinum Charge. I have not cost them any money or taken anything I was not entitled to.

It seems like they are screwing me on a technicality,

How do you know that it has “not cost them”? Do you know the reimbursement arrangement between Amex and PP? Does Amex pay PP for each customer visit? If so, they wouldn’t have been paid when you presented the non Amex account.

They may be ‘screwing you’ because they have not been paid for your use of the lounge?

 

[Mark3000]

How do you know that it has “not cost them”? Do you know the reimbursement arrangement between Amex and PP? Does Amex pay PP for each customer visit? If so, they wouldn’t have been paid when you presented the non Amex account.

They may be ‘screwing you’ because they have not been paid for your use of the lounge?

You are the perfect person to work in their call centre with that helpful comment.
If you think that is helpful, why not elaborate on the reimbursement arrangement?
There is no reason why they cannot attribute those visits to the Amex account anyway.

If the lounge has to contact priority pass to determine whether entry should be granted or not, it should not be difficult for priority pass and the lounges to warn the customer whether they will be charged or not. It is very easy for them to sit back and profit from confusion in cases like this.

 

[love_the_life]

My take on this is that stuff ups happen. It was the OP's error in the first place. It's not like it's '000s of dollars anyway - only about $A200 and that's a drop in the ocean for many people. I'd just pay the bill and chalk it up to experience. YMMV.

 

[durbrain]

You are the perfect person to work in their call centre with that helpful comment.
If you think that is helpful, why not elaborate on the reimbursement arrangement?

I’m not sure you understand the concept of a question. Generally a sentence that ends in a question mark is an enquiry not a statement of fact.

There is no reason why they cannot attribute those visits to the Amex account anyway.

Ah how about the fact that the Amex linked card wasn’t swiped??

If I have multiple Amex credit cards and I use the ‘wrong one’ to make a purchase do you think it’s easy to just transfer the purchase to another account? Good luck with that.

IT systems aren’t designed to accomodate every possible situation that may arise. Especially obscure ones that occur in very select situations that are entirely the customer’s fault.