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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Lauren Rooney |
State Rep. Frank Andrews
Shimkus |
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Hosed at the pump when using your debit card? Shimkus working to limit account freezes for fuel purchases
HARRISBURG, May 25 – Has this ever happened to you? You purchased a tank of gas with your debit card and then your card is denied for some other purchase because the gas station placed a hold on your card account in excess of the price of the fuel you pumped.
State Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus, D-Lackawanna, calls that an unfair trade practice and has introduced legislation to stop it.
House Bill 1372 would prohibit fuel vendors from placing a hold on a customer’s debit card account in excess of the price of the fuel.
“When you buy a gallon of milk, you pay for a gallon of milk -- nothing more, nothing less. The same should apply when you buy a gallon of gasoline,” Shimkus said.
Shimkus said the policy varies from one big oil company to another, but the hold can be for as much as $75 over what was purchased and can stay in place for days.
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