My cheap card reader cost me 40 bucks in overdraft fees

I needed to deposit a check last Friday and my bank's app was down. So I grabbed this no-name card reader from a gas station for 15 dollars. Figured it would just work for mobile deposits since that's what the box said. Turned out the thing was basically a paperweight, it kept giving errors and never read a single check. By the time I got to a branch on Monday, two automatic payments had hit my account and I was overdrawn by 12 bucks. The bank hit me with two 20 dollar fees for that. That cheap reader ended up costing me 55 dollars total and I threw it in the trash. Has anyone else had a mobile deposit gadget just completely fail on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindaowens1mo ago

Did your buddy end up buying a better one after that?

nancygrant1mo ago

My buddy actually did. He got a DeWalt after that Craftsman let him down. He's been running it for about 6 months now and no issues. For me I learned that with any tool you gotta stay on top of the maintenance. Simple stuff like keeping the blade clean and lubricated makes a huge difference. Also dont push the tool harder than it's meant to go. That's what killed the first one.

alexc931mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah and that's the thing with power tools, you gotta know their limits... my uncle had this old Skil saw he used for like 10 years and he treated it like garbage, never cleaned it once. He finally killed it trying to cut through some kind of pressure treated lumber that was way too wet. @nancygrant your buddy's story about that Craftsman reminds me of how people just expect tools to be invincible. Lubing the blade is something nobody ever thinks about until it's too late. I watched a guy ruin a brand new Makita just by being too heavy handed on the plunge... simple stuff really does make all the difference.