# Planned Parenthood WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450 "2012-11-09T03:56:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/1 "2012-11-09T03:56:06Z")
No, this is not an anti-abortion rant. As a result of losing a wager in the elections forum I must donate a hundred bucks to PP. No prob. In the last half hour I went to their website and found the page to donate. The usual online transaction type page, fill in your info and click submit. I used a credit card and I get a “your card was declined check your info” thing. Knowing my card is good but I could have hit a wrong letter or number I checked my info and hit submit again. Same thing. I then checked my CC website and it showed two donations of $100 each within 3 minutes. What the fuck? I have done many online transactions. So I call the credit card company and explain. They are sympathetic but PP customer service is closed till morning. They told me to call tomorrow and hopefully it will be resolved. The point is that I am not opposed to PP, but what the fuck is this bullshit on their donate page? “your card was declined but we will take your money anyway” That’s fucked up! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/2 "2012-11-09T04:02:55Z")
The first one is probably a hold rather than an actual transaction. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/3 "2012-11-09T04:05:23Z")
Thanks, you are probably right but I have never seen it posted like that. But then again it could be karma…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/4 "2012-11-09T04:06:33Z")
But that doesn’t explain the “your card was declined” message ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/5 "2012-11-09T05:13:05Z")
You are on their records as being _barada nicto_. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/6 "2012-11-09T06:08:37Z")
They haven’t taken your money. Your credit card company has put two holds for $100 in case the transactions go through. When they find out they didn’t, the holds will come off. It happens all the time. It might take a day or two. Speaking as someone who lives at the same mailing address as someone who once donated to Planned Parenthood, all I can say is, “Hahahahahahahahaha, hahahahahahahahaha.” Your tombstone is going to be getting solicitation letters. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/7 "2012-11-09T13:14:05Z")
Maybe they’re helping you plan for parenthood, which will be difficult and will cost twice as much as you think. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/8 "2012-11-09T13:15:42Z")
I had a similar situation recently, but the message was not “Your card was declined”. The message was “We didn’t receive a confirmation from your CC company, so we can’t complete the transaction on our end.” But the CC company received the request, and sent out the confirmation, so from their end it looks like a completed transaction. If the card was declined the transaction didn’t go through. It sounds like something different happened here. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/9 "2012-11-09T13:17:26Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Maybe they’re helping you plan for parenthood, which will be difficult and will cost twice as much as you think. … and what will also cause you to wonder, many times, WTF??? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/10 "2012-11-09T13:49:13Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Maybe they’re helping you plan for parenthood, which will be difficult and will cost twice as much as you think. Congratulations, it’s twins! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/11 "2012-11-09T13:49:42Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Speaking as someone who lives at the same mailing address as someone who once donated to Planned Parenthood, all I can say is, “Hahahahahahahahaha, hahahahahahahahaha.” > > Your tombstone is going to be getting solicitation letters. This is why we can’t have nice things. I once donated to a charity and they spread my name to all other charities who bugged me day and night. Learned my lesson well I did. ETA: I once donated non anonymously. I of course have chipped into donation boxes occasionally. I also occasionally give to public radio but make them promise not to send me a bunch of begging mail, which they _usually_ abide by. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/12 "2012-11-09T13:54:33Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > But that doesn’t explain the “your card was declined” message I just donated some money to PP and it accepted my card. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/13 "2012-11-09T13:55:20Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > But that doesn’t explain the “your card was declined” message Probably simply a programming bug. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/14 "2012-11-09T14:40:08Z")
That reminds me of the time I used Travelocity several years ago to buy a couple of plane tickets. My purchase didn’t go through the first time (the page timed out) but seemed to go through fine the second time. A few days later I got a call from a customer service person (in India) who told me my purchase had not gone through. I said, “are you sure? I saw the confirmation page.” He said no, it did not go through but he could complete the purchase for me. I said fine, and confirmed my purchase. Following week got a notice from my bank that we were overdrawn. Bitches had sold me two sets of tickets. And wouldn’t issue a refund for almost a month. I yelled at three levels of supervisors and send a written letter (no response). I haven’t used T-city since. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/15 "2012-11-09T14:42:01Z")
I’ve heard that in the case of _legitimate_ online payment mistakes, credit cards have a way of shutting that whole thing down - you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/16 "2012-11-09T14:42:36Z")
I went through the same thing with my son’s apartment complex. [Thread here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=657688) I’m assuming your charge is still showing up as pending. Give it three or four business days and your money should be credited back to your account. That’s what happened with me. ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/17 "2012-11-09T14:51:19Z")
I think Planned Parenthood has gotten considerably better about the “let’s annoy our donors” thing. I signed up online for a recurring monthly donation two years ago, and all I get is a monthly “Thank you for your donation” confirmation email and two letters around year-end for their annual matching funds drive. I think two solicitations a year is pretty reasonable. ETA: This was addressed to **Erdosain** and **Ludovic** , not the OP. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/18 "2012-11-09T14:55:10Z")
> [@mischievous](#): > > I think Planned Parenthood has gotten considerably better about the “let’s annoy our donors” thing. I signed up online for a recurring monthly donation two years ago, and all I get is a monthly “Thank you for your donation” confirmation email and two letters around year-end for their annual matching funds drive. I think two solicitations a year is pretty reasonable. I think the key there is you have a recurring automatic contribution. Of course they aren’t going to bug you. It’s the people that gave once and never again that they desperately try to get back. I estimate I’ve gotten at least one mailing PER MONTH and sometimes more than that. I should save it all up for a year just to see what the total is. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/19 "2012-11-09T15:08:28Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Maybe they’re helping you plan for parenthood, which will be difficult and will cost twice as much as you think. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450/20 "2012-11-09T16:08:29Z")
I had something similar happen with another organization (pretty sure it was This Is True, but I could be misremembering) several years ago. Their checkout system was screwing up and reporting that transactions had failed when they in fact had succeeded, and I ended up buying the same thing three times as a result (they just reversed the two extra transactions when it became clear what had happened - no problems getting it resolved). So, you may very well have been double-billed because of a software screwup. I’d wait a few days to make sure the transactions are real and not just holds, and then tell them what happened. You can always file a dispute with the CC company, but as a courtesy I’d just do that if other methods fail. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planned-parenthood-wtf/640450.md?page=2)