Charged $11.35 CDN between my Paypal account and Mastercard and have received 0L$.

[Redzephyr]

So, tonight I decided that I'd buy Lindens for the first time. Simple enough prospect, right? Apparently not.

I link a prepaid Mastercard that I have, and attempt a transaction for 1500 Lindens, which comes to 6.35US I believe, or 6.58CDN. It repeatedly gives me "We were unable to makechanges to the current invoice" errors, and I keep trying in frustration. Not only does the site refuse to give me anything other than this error, but it won't even let me try to purchase a different amount; every time I try, it gets to the next stage as a purchase for 6.35US.

Eventually I decide to switch tacks, and link my Paypal account. Mess around with that for a short period of time, trying to buy smaller amounts of Lindens instead. This, too, does not work.

So it is that I check my account balances with both the Mastercard and Paypal. The former has been dinged 3.98 in service charges, two at 1.00 and two more at .99. The latter has been charged 6.35, emptied the small amount of cash that I happened to have on hand in that account, and then pulled more from my bank account to make up the difference.

I will be checking again in the morning to see if these charges have been reversed as another Answer would lead me to believe they ought to be, despite the fact that that same Answer would lead me to understand that no money ever changes hands in these little transactions, which is quite a different story than my Mastercard's balance is telling me right now. Oh, and the 6.35 that my Paypal was dinged for certainly doesn't look like a service charge, to me.

I would call billing support right now, but I am somewhat cautious of the fact that I might be inclined to choice words over the terrible service this system has provided me in the last hour. For now, I am too frustrated to even think about this any further.

[Irene Muni]

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Redzephyr wrote:

 

... I would call billing support right now, ...

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This ( https://support.secondlife.com/billing-support/ )

[LoveAngeL Lyre]

Hello Redzephyr.and welcome to SL Forums.  The charge of 1,00 US$ is not an actual charge, but an authorization that we request from your credit card company. Once the authorization is received, which confirms the account is valid, LL then rescind the authorization. At no time is the US$1.00 actually charged, though the authorization may appear on a credit card statement as such.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Officia​l:Billing_FAQ#Why_was_I_charged_.241.00_on_my_cre...

I don't know really if your problem is relative with the planned maintenance we had earlier Live Chat and Case submission systems. http://status.secondlifegrid.net/ For now, at first try to clear your browser's cache, or try a different browser and relog in your dashboard. If the problem remains (still after the maintenance) as already Irene mentioned, contact Billing Support. There are toll free numbers, available 24/7 You can also mail to: support@payments.secondlife.com

[Lindal Kidd]

Yes, you'll need to contact Billing.

The small charges made to your card were "test transactions" to see if the card would work.  They should not show up on your next statement. But you should still check.

Note that Linden Lab does not accept most pre-paid cards.  If you have such a card, the best way to buy $L with it is to use a reputable third party site such as VirWox.

Also, avoid very small transactions.  LL charges a fixed transaction fee to purchase $L, and for small purchases that fee becomes a larger percentage of your cost.  I try never to buy less than $20 USD at a time, and generally more.

(My personal preference is to use PayPal, so I think you've made the right move, once you get the mess straightened out).