Just use a check card. Saves the people behind you in line the time it takes to write your check out.

Actually I had this problem trying to write a check at Value City in Des Plaines, IL. I don't remember the third-party company that authorized the checks for them, but the kicker was that I came back the next day, at the suggestion of the salesman who helped me find and fit five suits in their mens department, and the check went through just fine. I too never got an answer as to why. This was about ten years ago.

I'm not sure if declining a check constitutes effectively declining your credit, maybe others can weigh in here. If the two are connected (e.g. declining a check is effectively turning down your credit) then they must, by law, provide a reason why.

Other than that, if it's not considered a credit denial, it's probably not regulated now (and probably should be...)

Reminds me of South Park: underpants + *something* = profit!

"I emailed K-Mart complaining about being the embarrassment it caused me."

As someome who has worked retail and is familiar with certegy I don't understand why you would complain to Kmart. I'm sure they wanted your money. We got just as frustrated with Certegy as the customers. Also you should be embarassed. Stop using checks. Save some paper.

We had checked into using a recovery service for my coffeehouse some time back, and ended up deciding just to not take checks from customers we didn't know, but we did find out something of an interesting fact from both Telecheck and Checkrite. Both companies can return a deny code on a check if they have no info on you. So if you have not bounced a check, and not written a check at a merchant that uses them they will deny your check simply because they don't have a file on you. When I asked the Telecheck rep how a customer would resolve this I was told they could give Telecheck information to start a file, including SS #, DL#, home address, work address, work and home phones, etc.

Kind of scary when you think about it. You can be a good, honest person and still be made to look like a criminal by these companies.

Sounds like a nice way to blame the algorithm they were using, without ever actually saying it.

They got a kink in the formula they use, they don't know what it is, and they aren't going to bother looking for it.

Thats basically it.

"Certegy"? Then there's "Chex Systems". Who's the idiot that names these companies?

Shopping at Kmart and writing checks. Sounds like a post left over from the 1960's

@Dobernala: There are some people for which a check card is not a viable option (i.e. financial risk, lack of familiarity with the system, large purchases). I almost always use my credit card to buy things, but there are certain times that I prefer to get out the checkbook. (Canceled checks make good tax records!)

@Soldmysoul:

Why should someone be embarrassed to write a check? While I use my debit card for personal use, I write checks on my business account for bookkeeping reasons on a regular basis, also some banks don't issue debit cards for businesses.

It's really irritating when someone is in the checkout line at a grocery store or retailer, and at the last possible moment, pulls out the checkbook and writes a check.

I second the statement by thirdbase. Join the MFing 21st century already.

Currently working for an unnamed, large consumer electronics retail corporation, that uses Certegy, I can tell you they have some basic catch-alls for people with no history. They look for two things, check number and amount. If I try to process check #105 for $300+, it's going to get turned down, no questions asked. The funny thing? Once you've had a declination, you're "in the system", and can most likely come back the next day and write the same check, although the clerk may have to call in to Certegy's "verification line". Also, there is a soft-limit system in place on a per day basis, so if you've just written a check for $800 at another Certegy-using business, don't expect to pass anything over $100 with them again that day.

Where I work is also a little different in that we have 3 or 4 codes that roughly state why the check was rejected. 90% ended up being no or insufficient check passing history, the rest are dead-beats who actually bounced large enough amounts for Certegy to care. Note also that Certegy does not guarantee a check won't bounce, only that they provide a risk assessment.

Overall they've been decent for us, as I'd say <2% of all the checks I've processed have been outright declined. Of those, 9/10 were probably for the best, as they were either very low check numbers on a very new checking account, or people trying to float $500+ checks when I could see the debit card in their wallet that was most likely linked to the same account. As my coworker says ad nauseum, a check is nothing more than a promise to pay, and retailers use Certegy to gauge the weight of that promise.

I hate checks.

I wish they'd decline them all so that people would stop WASTING TIME writing them out.

My usual cleaners takes my check. I only use one because she doesnt take credit cards. I have no idea why anyone these days would expect a major retailer to take a check

Google certigy. There are absolutely TONS of similar stories at just about every major retailer and grocery chain. There is also a class action suit for a data breech.

The only time I had something like this happen was at Old Navy. The clerk said my phone number didn't match the one on file with their check approval service. So I played "guess the phone number" for a while with the clerk and ended up tearing up the check and using my card.

My mom had something like this happen at Best Buy. Check refused with no reason listed. When she called up Best Buy, they blamed Certegy. Certegy said, our computers are to blame, but we'll make the correction. Your check will work tomorrow. When she did, same problem. And now Certegy says, we don't know when your check will work. At least best Buy sent her the obligatory gift card. But if you want to accept checks, don't make your customers play russian roulette and get really embarassed for no reason.

After you've been bent over and screwed proper by the credit card companies, checks begin to look mighty good again. As does cash.

Moving forward, if one of my checks were to be declined, and I KNEW the funds were in my account, nevermind the retailer... my bank is getting the heat. First thing I do is go straight to the bank, demand the Head Idiot in Charge, and ask him to 'splian me why my check was declined when I clearly have $XXX,XXX.XX in my account.

This has happened to me within the last 8 months. Did exactly that. My MORTGAGE payment was declined. Of course this brings up all kinds of implications. Late fees, credit damage... when all the while more than adequate funds were available in my account.

End result: My bank bent over backwards to do their part in fixing it. Customer service departments all over the country may very well screw you on a daily basis, but when you've got a paper trail as concrete as Trump's wig, they can't very well weasel out of it. And the word "FRAUD" goes a long way in getting things resolved.

fyi

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@hossofcourse: as mentioned already, many business accounts don't provide debit card access. That means check or cash, and large purchases plus the need for good records means a check is gonna have to work.

Now, for tiny purchases I agree, and for those people who don't fill as much out as possible ahead of the register. Argh.

My current company (Supervalu) and my old company (GameStop) both use Certegy. At both companies, Certegy has brought nothing but headaches.

The fun part is there is a strict set of information that must be on the check for Certegy to honor their agreement. A check has to have the person's name printed, their phone number, and their street address. If a PO Box is present instead, and the check bounces, Certegy will usually not insure the check.

I don't know why companies use them. They cost money to use, cause headaches for both the staff and the customers, and do jack all to help companies recoup losses from bad checks. I agree with others here - stop taking checks altogether.

LOL I love all these people saying "Don't write checks!"

I've gone to the same person for the last, oh, 20 years to get my hair cut. When I first started going to her, she was at a big salon and spa that took checks and credit cards and lord knows what else. Then she moved to a private practice and since she couldn't take credit cards (she was too small and it was too expensive) she took checks from her well-known clients.

Now she's actually phased out checks too... she wants cash. But the funny thing is, she didn't tell me that for several years... she just kept taking my checks because I'd been doing business with her for so long.

So why don't I just use cash? Well here's the kicker (and why she still takes checks from me)... when I started getting my haircut there, it was like $15 (20 years ago). Over the years, her prices have gone up somewhat - I think it's around $25 now for a haircut. But since then, I've gotten married (so my wife goes there) and had three kids (all three get their haircuts there) so every time we go, it ends up being around $150 for all five of us. We like her quality, so we don't mind the price. But I don't like going there with 150 bucks in my pocket - having to remember to take the money out, carry it around, etc.

So she's just always taken my checks, and it's the only place I pay by check.

So my point is, sometimes there's a very good reason for paying by check.

What is with the check haters? Don't you people have lives? It takes all of about 30 seconds to fill out a check, the same as it takes me to run a debit card. Ease up. Or, better yet, how about minding your own business?

Heh...been there, done that! I've gone my rounds with Certigy. What a bunch of asshats, but since they're on the hook if the check bounces, they get to make all the rules.

Seriously though...I've just stopped writing checks for anything but the mortgage and associated monthly bills. Cash or debit for the smaller stuff, CC for the bigger stuff, when I want the protections a CC (usually) provides.

That way, they never get to decide if I'm good for it or not. In my mind, that's the ultimate FOAD...

What the hell is wrong with people when you can't wait an extra twenty seconds for someone to write a check? I'd say you've been watching too many of those "life takes visa" commercials. I am getting so fed up with the people in this country who think THEIR life and time is so important that they either have to have a bluetooth headset stuck in their ear 24/7 just in case someone needs to get a hold of them - you know, they can't take the time to put it on for that one call, that probably just takes thirty seconds - or drives with the cell phone glued to their ear while speeding, jumping lanes, and acting like a maniac on their way to pickup their bag of $.99 double cheeseburgers..... I hate people >:|

@timmus: Everything else was taken. These are the corporate name leftovers, alas.

Maybe they should do what Target is doing and implement a system that checks available funds and withdraws the payment right away when paying with checks.

They say it works just like a debit card but with a check.

I can't believe that anyone is in such a hurry that they can't wait for someone to write a check. If a business takes checks, then customers can pay by check, even if that mean you have to wait a few minutes. Grow up and stop being so self-centered.

@acasto: If it took 20 seconds to write a check it wouldn't be a big deal. But while Soccer Mom Sally is digging her check book out of her faux Coach purse and attempting to keep little Johnny from knocking down end caps, I could have paid and been gone.

Who am I kidding. They don't try to control their kids.

Oh god I started to twitch just reading the headline. Certegy is the biggest pain in my ass.

I want to cry when I check someone out and I see

VOICE APPROVAL IS NEEDED
CALL CERTEGY
1-800-xxx-xxxx

Whilst I call, I get hung up on six times, have to recite EVERYTHING off of the check, and get the stink eye from the customer.

In one case, the (very large) gentleman blamed ME for his denied check, and almost came at me over the cashwrap.

The part that really sucks about Certegy is that when you see that screen pop up, you know that there is a 90% chance that it's going to say "Code 2 Denial". It's like, why don't you fucking tell them that? Because now it's YOU left with the angry customer.

So if your check ever gets denied by this piece of shit, please please please don't blame your cashier/salesperson. It's really not our fault.

Decline, that is.

@PricklyPete: The person writing checks can stop being self-centered and save everyone having to wait an excessive amount of time.

Put CERTEGY down for Pep Boys also...

We were trying to buy $500 worth of tires- already installed, etc. I wanted to write a check to document the purchase- lame answer but I don't care. CERTEGY denied us but we were able to use a different account which we had a card for along with us. Pep boys helped out and bent over backwards but I did some research into CERTEGY.

In a nutshell CERTEGY is another credit reporting bureau of sorts plus the company is affiliated with sister companies which data mine big time. Big red flags but you should be able to request a free credit report from these yehoos each year...

Well, I always write a check for my rent. At my complex, the alternative is to fill out a form authorizing them to charge my credit card each month (I don't use credit cards) or to debit my bank account each month (give my landlord access to yank any money they think I owe them right out of my bank account, over my dead body).

I used to work for a retailer that used Certegy and they can reject your check for a ton of reasons. Low check number, multiple checks written that day (at Certegy stores), "suspicious" account or routing numbers, previous returned checks, large purchases, pretty much anything that might possibly indicate fraud will get an auto reject. The reason companies still put up with this and Certegy is so strict, is because check fraud is so easy to commit and so common. You either need to have insurance in the form of one of these companies or just not take checks.

@parad0x360:

Unless Target has changed in the last two years since I worked there, they also use Certegy for their check processing.

@Shadowfire:

My understanding is that there are two types of services offered. One is where they guarentee the full value of the check. It bounces, they give you every penny of the amount and then try to collect on the full amount.

The other agreement, they guarentee a fixed % of the check amount, pay that to the retailer, and then work to collect the additional balance.

Usually this collection is no more than re-depositing the check to see if it clears. A check can legally be represented up to 3 times. The original and two redeposit attempts.

I wonder if Certegy can tell Kmart why for so many people the local Kmart store falls outside their proprietary guidelines for shopping there.

Aren't checks supposed to work just like a debit card? Why can't they validate you have the money and pull it out instantly?

When I was in the Navy, we returned from a 6 month deployment...we had a big squadron welcome back party that night so we went shopping...my friend's check was declined by one of these services, the reason? No checks written in the last 6 months! Guess we should find places to write checks while forward deployed in order to keep these check overlords happy.

Certegy is known to have issues. They'll request ID typically if you've never written a check against a store they're backing, they'll deny the check if the information on the checking account doesnt match the drivers license entered when requested. They'll also deny if you've bounced a check through their service before. Also, if you're high risk in general (for reasons we've never been able to find out) they'll deny you. Don't write checks often enough, or written too many in a windowed period? Denial. Whats even more frustrating is the stores have to give out a cookie cutter response as to why it was denied -- we dont get told either. Honestly, neither will you. Chances are you can turn around and swipe a debt card from the same account and get approved without any issues.

Frankly though, why waste the time writing a check? You still cost the business money, you don't save any time, it doesn't make tracking your spending any easier and most of all...there's less insurance. A credit/visa-debt card atleast provides protection against some amount of fraudulent transactions. A check sure as hell doesn't.

@humphrmi: i agree, but the most we would probably get is the government to require a free annual "check worthiness" report from annualcheckworthiness.org, which would soon get picked up by a scammy company with a catchy jingle offering you a "free" report from freecreditworthiness.com

I tried to pay with a whole bucket of wampum beads (really first rate beads) and they REFUSED !

I brought 12 of the freshest eggs from my henhouse and they said no. FOR NO REASON !

I have never been so embarassed ! They would not accept my greenzap points !

Okay- substitute "personal check" for the above example and you may see a pattern. These are things that once functioned as money- a means of exchange that both parties recognized- that are no longer fungible. Get a check card and you will be putting the asshats at Certegy right out of business.

@ideagirl:

Maybe it takes YOU 30 seconds to fill out a check and have it run, and maybe the check verification companies never choose to randomly deny your checks. That's fine with me, I'd have no problems if you chose to do so while I was waiting behind you.

The problem is that the check writing->verification->possible retries can take FAR longer than the same process using a credit/debit card or cash. You've absolutely never been held up in line for several minutes for someone who just had to use a check?

I do not see why any sane person would not simply use a debit card at any location that takes both checks and debit cards, if that person does not wish to use a credit card or cash. The old argument of "float" is obviously long gone. I have read one good argument in this thread, that being of something like a $150 bill for an entire family getting haircuts at somewhere that only takes cash and checks. In that situation, writing a check is obviously acceptable.

To the person who uses business checks for bookkeeping purposes, how is that harder to do with a debit card? And the same poster's point that some banks do not issue businesses debit cards sounds to me like an absolutely stupid argument. If the bank does not issue you a debit card, use a different bank. What would you do if you needed to buy something online for your business, and did not have a business credit card? How many online retailers actually let you mail them in a check? Not many.

To the folks who chide anyone who's in "such a hurry" that they can't wait for a check to be written in processed, would you like it if I was in line ahead of you and decided to pay my bill in unrolled pennies? No, you probably wouldn't, and I wouldn't be so stupid to do so since I could use larger coins and/or notes instead, or just use my credit card and gather up some extra miles/points/cash back.

So it's not that I'm in "such a hurry." But my time is indeed valuable to me, and checks DO take significantly longer to write and process, generally without any added benefits for the consumer who is using the check. If the customer ahead of me is getting some useful benefit out of using a check at the register, then I have absolutely no problem waiting. Therefore, I believe there is very seldom a reason to use checks for PoS transactions, because I do not believe there are very many situations where the consumer actually benefits from doing so.

@acasto: If it was 20 seconds, I'd be totally cool with it. The problem is that it's not an extra 20 seconds. It's more like an extra 5 minutes. You've got to wait for the person to struggle to figure out how to write the check - and I'm being totally serious, I've watched people try to figure out how to spell such words as, "fourteen". After that, you wait for them to record the transaction in their check register. Then you wait for the cashier, who probably had 5 minutes of training on checks 6 months ago, who fumbles their way through the process of check approval.

People who write checks in the store should have to go to a special line and pay double. Is it really so hard to get a fraking debit card? Every bank I know of gives them for FREE if you have a checking account. If you're writing checks, guess what, you've got a checking account, and can get a free debit card. If you've got a crazy bank that doesn't do this -- get a new bank.

And yes, my time is important, just like yours, and the rest of us stuck in line behind you. I'd rather be out of the store doing stuff with my family, getting work done, heck, even going to the dentist instead of watching you write a check.

@psychos: It would seem to me that it would be easier to track for book-keeping with a debit card. After all, now you don't have to keep track of tons of little pieces of paper (i.e. cancelled checks), rather, you track 12 statements, and you've got the whole year's purchases.

Telecheck will deny you for writing a check at a certain time of day even if you've had the pleasure of having to use their service before. Apparently writing a check at 1:03pm on a Tuesday afternoon is considered 'suspicious activity'. I don't actually know the specific time or day, they wouldn't disclose that information

@Dobernala: Yeah, you're right. Paying with an accepted form of payment is pretty self-centered because YOU (and others) have to wait an "excessive amount of time." Get over yourself.

Using unrolled pennies is not equal to writing out a check. Stop being extremist. And yes, there is a benefit to using a check vs. a credit card. Writing a check doesn't cost you 31.99% interest like Bank of America charges me to use their stinking visa card.

Impatient? Too bad. Not my problem. Get a prescription for some Valium. You're probably the same guy that can't wait to pass me when I'm already doing 60 in a 40 zone. Because for you types, the only thing that matters is you.

Again, not my problem. It's YOUR problem. Your stress, your anxiety, your bitching and complaining.

Another entity that loves electronic transactions is the credit card companies themselves. They can't wait to get their grubby fingers on your routing number.

I always tell 'em: The check is in the mail.

What the hell is wrong with you check haters? You guys have some serious scheduling problems if losing a minute on somebody writing a friggin check is giving you that much trouble in your lives.

Like you all have never held anybody up for anything, ever. Good lord.

Lol @ all the check lovers :)

Checks are ridiculous. Plastic is quicker and safer.

@Soldmysoul: I agree. Best Buy uses Certegy as well and we have had some *very* well-to-do customers have their checks declined for no apparent reason other than a bad combination of "issues" at Certegy's end. We hate it, too, as there is no reason we would want a customer to be declined when he's being checked out... Complaining to K-Mart is pointless, they can't override that decision.
I ditto the plastic comments, use a check card, it's a lot faster and you can get a refund quicker.