Although the Navy says they have processed refunds for every family who they accidentally charged twice for Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) services, some of those Navy MWR charges still have not been reversed, according to at least one family.
A computer glitch late last month resulted in $5.5 million in duplicate charges, as well as overdraft fees to customers who used Navy MWR or child care services in the Pacific and at one stateside base between January and June of this year. The Navy, which processed charge reversals within a week of the incident, has pledged to reimburse overdraft or other fees caused by the charges and has offered MWR grants and two weeks of free childcare to those impacted by the mistake.
Still, at least one family who contacted Military.com says three charges totaling over $2,000 have not been reversed on their credit card, while other duplicate charges also made by the Navy were. Navy officials say they have asked banks that the charges be reversed, and it is now up to individual family's banks to do their jobs and process the reversals.
If the reversals are not done, Navy officials said, families should file transaction disputes -- a move they originally asked families not to make and could take up to 60 days for the bank to process.
Still, the situation is causing problems for at least one military family caught up in the glitch.
"This whole situation is beyond frustrating. I feel as though I am forced to correct their mistake," said an Air Force family stationed in Guam who asked that her name not be used. "I guess I have to wait for the dispute to be resolved with my bank and pray that it is sooner than later. We plan to purchase a home at our next duty station and I'm unsure if having this balance on my card will be a factor in our approval of a loan and the interest rates we receive."
The family member, who said they will soon PCS , said the bad Navy MWR charges are causing her family major stress. Her bank has told her that she is not responsible for the charges while they are in dispute, but she is still paying the minimum anyway just in case not doing so impacts her credit score.
The Navy has also offered to pay whatever fees she faces as a result of her bank not processing the reversal, she said. But they do so by check and since her family is about to move she does not currently have a forwarding address for them to use, she said.
Navy officials said they are doing everything they can to help this family and any others that come forward with ongoing charge problems.
"In all cases, families should work with their bank or credit card company to resolve the charges at this time," said Fred Henney, a spokesman for Navy installations command. "We can and continue to provide information on individual transactions based on inquiries received in the e-mail box."
To help the family who contacted me, Navy officials provided them with the reversal transaction tracking numbers so that their bank could find the request. Meanwhile, the family member said she is just hoping the Navy MWR charges eventually fall off her card.
"This has just been a very frustrating time for my family, and I just wish more was being done to get this resolved," she said. "I feel as though this was their mistake, but I am dealing with the stress of trying to fix it."
