New 12 at 11, July 2, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga.---Bud Ridenour is mad.

Each time he swipes his debit card - chunks of his money is put on hold. Not just the purchase amount- but sometimes triple the amount. It happened as recently as two days ago.

"I felt like I got robbed, I was like where's my money?" says Ridenour.

Its called "blocking"--"pre-authorized" amounts for debit card transactions. Merchants use the method to make sure consumers have to funds in their checking accounts to pay for goods or services, generally when the actual payment amount isn't known upfront. Hotels, restaurants,just about any business that displays the Visa/debit logo can put a block on your card...Ridenour says he even questioned his bank about the practice.

"Tthey claimed that when I set the account up,that I did get information about that i don't remember, my be that's in the small print you can't read that was in there somewhere."

In the small print - possibly - but it can cause big problems to your account...In Georgia, the merchant sets the amount of the hold, but the bank that issued the card is responsible for the length of time of the hold. While the hold with the merchant generally lasts for not more than a day, some credit card companies allow up to three days for banks to clear transactions and remove the hold - a big hassle - for some to have to wait for their money.

Rideour says that having his funds "tied" up is not his issue. He simply wants to know what the banks are doing with the money and while the banks are not drawing interest, in conjunction" with some merchants - will 'hold' a set amount to ensure there is enough money.That's considered a "double hold." While the merchant has a legitimate reason to make sure it's a good account, there's not always a legitimate reason to hold it for so long.