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ELECTRICISTA HELP!KOHO (and Stack) Cards)

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Elexpatriado
  4/20/2022 18:44 EST

Electricista-

I will send you a PM shortly

I need your opinion

I have always pushed KOHO prepaid credit card as the cheapest way to send money to Colombia from Canada (as 4commended by Electricista).

With no fees when you use a Davivienda ATM and giving you Visa International exchange rate plus "Zero" percent (all the big five banks charge you Visa rate plus 2 to 2,5% bank fee).

However KOHO recently shut off my account (with $400 in it) and refuse to tell me why or give memy money back. Just basically ignore my messages.

I have been checking on-line and there has been numerous complaints to the Ontario Business Bureau about exactly the same thing happening to a lot of people.

They have saved my thousands of dollars over the last 3 years (thanks for the tip electricista) but this really seems like a third world , scuzzy, crooked move on their part. No reason or answer? They wont tell me for "security " reasons.

This may have come about because my card was comprimised in Medellin (but thats another story-a telenovela comedy of errors I will relate later when I have time Medellin IS NOT my favorite city in Colombia

I may decide to get a STACK card, but they are owned by the same Financial institution, as KOHO, -Peoples Trust in Burnaby-so same issue, and I dont know if they will even give me a card if I get blacklisted from KOHO.

Maybe I have to try something else-world remit or xzoom.

Wildstubby
  4/20/2022 21:47 EST

Maybe Justin has your number!

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Elexpatriado
  4/20/2022 23:16 EST

always thre with the serious useful post WS

Actually my friend says something simiar as well- and he was 100% dead serious

Maybe he told Scotiabank-Colpatria to take $315 out of my account aftr giving me "nada" at their ATM as well


All they have to do is get CRA to audit me and raid my bank account (like they did once) they dont have to getthe banks to dotheir dirty work for them in a "round-about" way

whole thing causing lot of stress when I dont need it

Electricista
  4/21/2022 08:04 EST

I am still using both cards without a problem. I personally use the Koho card without paying premium fee therefore my exchange rate charge is 1.5% instead of zero. I used it just last week in Pereira.

I gave the stack card to a Colombiana to use and she withdraws money from Colpatria ATMs without a problem. The exchange rate fee on stack card has been 2.5% since February. She used the card Monday.

I always freezes both cards after each use. I normally make a deposit into the accounts within 24 hours before a withdrawal is made. Anyone looking at the account activity would see that I am in control of the card as a thief would not make deposits to the card's accounts.

I find that it is very easy to interact e-transfer funds from TD to either of these account with my cellular.

I have noticed that Davivienda now supplies free WiFi at each of their ATMs so one does not need data on their cellular to unfreeze and freeze their card before and after an ATM withdrawal.

It appears you need to talk to the bank and prove that you are you and all is good with your card activity.

Electricista
  4/21/2022 08:09 EST

Text message can not be verified by the bank. You need to call them and they will ask you all the verification questions to insure they are talking to you and not a thief. Once they know it is you, they will then unlock your account. I had the same problem with Tangerine when I attempted to make ETFs greater than $30K.

Elexpatriado
  4/21/2022 09:35 EST

I Called them (Koho) 8 times.

No answer..they just say " call back later..or leave a message"I left a couple messages..no attempt to call back

I Just sent them a long winded letter to the 2 Koho email addresses

If you look online at the Better Business Bureau of Ontario website..there are many complaints about Koho with people in similar situations to me.

Freeze bank accounts with money in it for no apparent reason...and no respondes to customer

My next step is to talk to Peoples Trust Help line and if this doesnt work Better Business Bureau and ombudsmen.

I talked to STAcks, but because of 2.5% charge, it is a better choice than a TD debit card at Banco Colombia, but not as good as Koho or even XE or World Remit ( allthough these are very inconvenient)

The best solution is for my sister to get a Koho card for me but because of what happened, she being a nervios nellie, is very leary of identity theft and her credit rutina being affected if ths happens again.

BLENHEIM In your PM you say to hell with Xzooom..get a Canadian bank card..that is what ame are talking about here..and as far as Canadian Big Six banks..to hell with them..they all charge 2.5% for exchange rate..and their credit cards are not accepted for cash advances in Colombian ATMs and debit cards only if you accept the outrageous fees and exchange rate..wont be accepted if you " decline" the conversión. I just went through this with my TD cards. Ended up paying 10% total from Bank Collombia at an ATM.
As a matter of fact it is very risky using them.in Colombia.Because I was trying my TD bank cards out on different ATMs i ended up getting money deducted from.my TD account without recieving any cash.I think it was Colpatria Scotia Bank ATM.It is being investigated.
I have had this happen with My TD card before at Davavienda ATM

So to hell with Canadian big 6 banks for taking money out of ATMs in Colombia..horrible idea
Best was to use the KOHO card like I did for 3 years but this blocking of the account with money in it , not giving a reason why, not answering chats (except with form prescript responses)teléfono help line calls or returning phone calls seems like an extremely corrupt, scuzzy and third world situation with KOHO

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Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

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Electricista
  4/21/2022 09:44 EST

I also sent you a couple of PMs

Elexpatriado
  4/21/2022 11:20 EST

Thanks Electricista..I will read them later

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