No valid explanation for credit card block

<p>On lst March around 6p.m. I booked on the internet a return flight booking from Cape to Johannesburg on the 24th and the 27th March and processed the transaction through my Standard Bank Credit Card.</p> <p>Almost immediately I received an SMS from Standard Bank asking me to answer Y to confirm that all the 3 transactions (flight to Joburg , flight back to CT and the Travel Agent's fee) were indeed initiated by me. I rep**** Y.</p> <p>Two hours later I received a SMS from the Travel Agent that the payment was declined. I live in a duplex and my cell phone was upstairs so it was only when I went through the process of shutting down my PC did I read a 20.06 email message - again from the Travel Agent - that "Unfortunately your credit card payment has been successful for 1 of the 2 tickets booked. The unsuccessful amount is R 1896.00. Please contact your bank to make sure you do not have a limit for large amounts that possibly blocks any payments. When you want us to try to process the payment again kindly contact us urgently by email at ******<br /> Please advise us by 21h00 today latest since your booking is subject to fare increases and/or cancellation and we can only guarantee the fare until 23h59 on the same day that the booking was made." </p> <p>At 21.52 I was at last successful in having the outstanding amount accepted and processed.</p> <p>Phoning Standard Bank Credit Card Division the next day I was told that the first flight CT to Jhb was earmarked as suspicious and possible ***** and had hence been blocked for authorization.</p> <p>They could not give any explanation why 1 of the three transactions authenticated by me by my Y answer to their SMS was blocked.</p> <p>I find it astonishing that their system does not cater for communication of any kind from them in respect of such a "block" and that it was left up to the Travel Agent to inform me about this eventuality.</p> <p>I pay up fully - every month - the total transactions that goes through my Standard Bank Card so there is certainly never a matter of not sufficient credit being available on my credit card.</p> <p>I am planning an overseas trip later this year and will now go with great trepidation as to the blocking of an overseas transaction where I would not necessary have no facility for Standard Bank to contact me regarding a blocking.</p> <p>No that that would be a problem since a blocking was not communicated via the Bank with me, their client, on even a local transaction.</p> <p>Standard Bank in your endeavours to serve your customer by asking them to validate transactions you seriously need to investigate your Y and N process.</p> <p>This is an exceptionally annoying occurrence locally - if it happened out of the country it would be beyond the pale.</p> <p>Protect me by all means but investigate and rectify your internal processes that invalidate - for no rhyme or reason - your clients' validations to credit card transaction.</p> <p> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </p>