ghost transactions

I'm not sure what a "ghost transaction" is.

But I have both Q2005 and Q2006, and I download from BofA (All Other States) on a very regular basis to Q2005, and somewhat frequently to Q2006 (checking and savings accounts; I have no credit card accounts with BofA). I've never seen anything that would remotely qualify as a "ghost transaction"; I get the transactions I would expect and no others.

There have been occasions with BofA - and other fi's - when I have not gotten a few transactions that should have downloaded.

And there have been occasions when I have seen zero amount transactions in credit card accounts (like Discover, or Chase) ... but those are just transactions that represent the merchant checking on the availability of funds for a charge ... nothing to worry about: even if you "Accept" those, they do no harm).

I also do not take any organization's tech-support at face value. Finger pointing is a way of life.

Apparently "ghost transaction" is the name of the defect in BofA technical support. I visited the Intuit Forums after posting my message, and on that forum it is called "duplicate transactions".

08&threadID`0010950&messageID`0053742#600053742 Based upon numerous posts to that forum, it is evident that many users are experiencing this defect. Perhaps I missed it, but I had not seen this issue discussed on this newsgroup, and I concluded that I was the only one. So, I called BofA, and they said many customers are experiencing this problem, but have no date when it will be fixed.

Best, Christopher

08&threadID`0010950&messageID`0053742#600053742 When Tod replied to the post you refer to here, he was implying that there were no duplicate transactions downloaded: those duplicate transactions are almost always created by user error. He encouraged the op to search the forums; where the user would see the hundreds of responses that were posted there explaining how the problem is caused, how to fix the existing "errors", and how to prevent the problem from occurring in the future. (I suggest also searching the forums for "transfer transactions" and "transfer duplicate".)

Many users do experience a problem with duplicate transactions, but those duplicates are created by the users by incorrectly processing transfer transactions ... not by a "defect" at BofA or in Quicken.

There may be a new problem that I am not aware of - though I read all the posts here and in the Intuit Forums; but without more detailed information, I have to surmise that it is just the same *old* problem and there is nothing for Intuit, or BofA, to fix.

[If the problem is the one I believe it is, I think the BofA tech support people are probably not likely to understand it, or to know how to prevent it. So they may just be unintentionally giving out misleading information.]

I did search the forum, and I tried my best to read past the numerous search-the-forum responses, but I never came across any solutions. It would be most helpful if you could post a link to the solution.

I'm a long-time BofA and Quicken customer, and I may very well be doing something wrong, and I will certainly review the link to any solutions posted, but that said, FWIW, I should note that I first began observing this problem on two different computers with two entirely different sets of BofA credit card and checking accounts at the same time period that BofA technical support says the defect first appeared. In addition, BofA technical support says they field many questions regarding this problem, claim that Intuit is aware of the problem, have no date when the problem will be resolved, and suggest deleting the duplicate transactions as a workaround until a patch is released.

Best, Christopher

I am willing to help discover if you are experiencing a different problem than the one you suggest many others are experiencing ... but not so willing to repeat a solution to a user problem that has been posted hundreds of times. I found

*many* answers to the problem I am referring to using the search criteria I proposed. If that is your problem, you need to read the results of your search - I absolutely guarantee you that the solution to that problem has been posted MANY times.

You have not provided any additional information to help make the determination, so ....

1.) I'm not clear on what version of Quicken you are using; please clarify the version/year and release.

(I don't get that you are using Q2007, but if you are; please note if you are using Express Web Connect to download.)

2.) Are the transactions you are having a problem with, "transfer" transactions? Are they transactions that involve the "movement" ("transfer", "payment", etc.) of funds from one of your Quicken accounts to another of your Quicken accounts? 3.) Do you use "Accept All" to accept your downloaded transactions? 4.) Do you visually examine your downloaded transactions while they are in the "Accept transactions into register" window (before you Accept them)? If so: do you see two downloaded transactions for the same real-world transaction in that window? If you don't examine your downloaded transactions before you "Accept" them: shame on you.

BofA may be right ... and they may be wrong. For purposes of trying to identify what the real problem is: nothing you have said suggests that they have anything useful to offer.

Quicken 2006 Release QA 5 (and other versions and releases as well).

No.

Yes and no. The duplicate transactions occur for both credit card purchases and payments. Paying the credit card company each month is done via a Quicken checking account on-line payment, so I'm guessing this is a yes to your question, but the duplicates also occur randomly for credit card purchases, which are not transfers or payments.

The duplicates appear in the "Accept transactions into register" window prior to any "Accept All" or "Accept" action. The dates of the duplicate transactions are different by one day. For example, a credit card purchase may appear on 1/3/07 and also on 1/4/07 (I'm guessing these are the credit card transaction date/posting date).

Yes, I examine them before accepting them, but it's not easy to determine which credit card transactions are a) real (e.g. purchasing the same amount from the same store two days in a row; which does happen on ocassion), b) the vendor double billed us (also rare, but sometimes happens) or c) Quicken duplicate that should be deleted.

Best, Christopher

Based on your answers, you don't have the same problem I was referring to. The problem I was referring to is always associated with "transfer" transactions.

The reason for the confusion was that you incorrectly identified your problem with a problem that has been discussed literally hundreds of times in the Intuit Forums and is typically referred to there as "duplicate transactions". Indeed, if you carefully read the op in the thread you posted a link to, you will notice that the poster was referring to duplicate transactions relating to "transfers". That problem is probably close to, if not, the most reported problem in the Quicken forums and is caused by user error.

To the best of my knowledge, you are the first person to post of receiving true duplicate downloaded transactions in one download (identifiable while they are still in the "Accept transactions into register" window).

If BofA says they have heard a lot of complaints about the same problem you are describing, I think they are the only ones who have heard a lot of complaints about it. I think it's more likely that other users have complained to BofA about the known user-error ... not realizing it was their user error ... and BofA has not distinguished the difference between the two problems. Users often do not describe their problems very clearly ... and first level tech support personnel are often not up to the task of making fine distinctions.

If you are up to the task, you can determine for yourself if the problem is with BofA or with Quicken. Following a download, you can look in the OFXlog file and see all the data that was downloaded; if the same transaction was present twice in the downloaded data, it would be a BofA problem. You would need a basic ability to interpret HTML type tags (which I, or others, could offer you assistance to do), but it's a long way from rocket science.

If you're not up to that, the best I can tell you is to post your problem in the Intuit Forums "Product Feedback ... " forum and/or at the Intuit Support site bug report link. But don't describe it as *the* "duplicate transaction" problem.

Quicken > duplicate that should be deleted.

A word in edgewise from the checks and balances corner.....

I fully acknowledge ahead of time the convenience and time savings derived from downloading transactions ... ** BUT ** ... for those of us who enter (non-investments) transactions from credit card receipts and the like at or soon after time of occurrence, subsequent downloads result in "Match" and when "New" appears, that is a blaring announcement all is not well. I/my wife may have forgotten to record a transaction from paper slip or email confirmation of scheduled autopay, we entered some detail erroneously, vendor billed twice, FI hiccuped, and so on.

Easy then to focus on issue and solve before much harm is done.

$0.02-worth, unreconciled.

Jay

It's not quite that easy if you manage all the credit card purchases for all the employees in even a modest sized company. With approximately one in eight transactions randomly posted as duplicates, it's quite tedious and frustrating to determine that each duplicate is in fact a duplicate and not two purchases or a double billing.

Best, Christopher

Aha! Didn't catch in previous posts wiff of a running business, sorry. Made my comments from 'executive' chair brought home upon retiring into a simple life.

P.S. While you earlier answered John Pollard that you used "Quicken 2006 Release QA 5 (and other versions and releases as well).", I hope you run the business on Quickbooks or something a bit sturdier than Q06. As your business grows eventually one of R.C. White's professional descendants will want to audit data AND controls.

Jay. Just rocking time away... .

Yes, Quickbooks and other applications are used to maintain the books, but the credit card companies dictate the choice of Quicken vs Quickbooks to monitor credit card purchases, not the user. Some cards are compatible with Quickbooks and not Quicken, and some cards are compatible with Quicken and not Quickbooks. I don't know the details, but I assume there are licensing arrangements between the banks and Intuit.

Best, Christopher

OK, I'll monitor the OFXlog files. The duplicate transactions have different dates and are sent in different Updates (we update daily), so I'm guessing I must save multiple OFXlog files and then compare them.

Best, Christopher

While I originally understood you to say that you were seeing the duplicates in your "Accept transactions into register" window (and my question was asking if there were two of the same transaction in the same download), it is not material to the analysis.

Yes; "Save" the OFXlog from one download, then save it again when you think a subsequent download contains a transaction that was in the first OFXlog you saved.

When you locate (and assuming you locate) the duplicate transaction in the second download, pay particular attention to the (Financial Institution Transaction ID) of the two transactions that appear to be duplicates. From what we mere mortals have been led to believe; Quicken will not offer up to the user a transaction whose has already been downloaded.

I can't tell you where the filtering is supposed to take place; on the Intuit server (so a duplicate would never be downloaded, or appear in your OFXlog), or in Quicken (meaning it could appear in more than one download, but still not in more than one "Accept transactions into register" window); so I don't know whether seeing the same transaction in two OFXlogs is incorrect or not (personally, I don't recall ever seeing the same transaction in two OFXlogs ... but I have never made any serious attempt to check for it).

I am reasonably certain that Quicken should never offer you the opportunity to "Accept" a transaction with an that has already been Accepted in the same Quicken file(set) ... no matter where the filtering takes place.

Below are the fields for a duplicate transaction.

24164067008694912900035-38.000701080070108TRACYS NAILS

24164067008694912900035-38.000701080070109TRACYS NAILS

Notice the two are identical execpt for the second date field. Should Intuit match on the id portion only, or must the entire string match?

Best, Christopher

The "entire string" is the FITID. So assuming that there were not two real-world transactions at "TRACYS NAILS" on two different dates for the same amount ... it appears your financial institution is downloading duplicate transactions.

While it is conceivable that Intuit could have screwed up the FITID in passing it along to Quicken; I think that is very unlikely.

In any event, I think you have to begin by talking to your financial institution. I realize that may be a significant task, but I think you need to make them aware.

But: I think that if you can demonstrate conclusively that those two (or any two) transactions are real-world duplicates, and that they were downloaded to your pc by a specific financial institution: you should definitely post the pertinent information on the Intuit Forums (you must include the name of the fi, if you do so). I have seen Intuit respond to this type of problem in the past in the Forums, and to the best of my knowledge, they have gotten the problem fixed ... if it was fixable. (Some patience may be required.)

I encourage you to post this problem - with all the specifics, especially the specific OFX transactions - in the Intuit Quicken Forums.

The financial instituion is BofA. I manage six BofA credit cards on two computers using two different releases of Quicken, and this is a common problem for all these cards. BofA technical support said this problem started last October, and that jives with my recollection of when I first noticed the problem. The duplicate transactions are random. Perhaps one in six or one in ten transactions are duplicated.

OK.

Best, Christopher

Dear CHristopher, I thought I was getting feeble minded when I noticed that People's United Bank was double Posting debits from my acct. Reading this blog has given me the confidence to protect myself and not submit to the double-speak the banks are dishing out. Currently, I am downloading and printing my acct activity every day, because they will do it again. And of course, I am also looking for a new smaller bank or credit union. Meantime, No more auto-payments! My account has been breached twice by scamming debt collection agencies, and while the bank got my money back from the skeezy slimebags, they kept the $200 or so that the unauthorized payments cost me. Last week, I had a very calm but pointed conversation with the bank teller the other day and informed her of this issue. I told her that my family is trying to recover from the dirty bomb Wallstreet detonated at my house. I then charged her to go home after work and think about the fact that she was working for a bank that fleeces its customers, and the difference between right and wrong,etc. She pretty near froze up solid. I felt good. The truth is still powerful. Maggie

Perhaps IF you dealt with widely known banks, rather than hole in the wall institutions, you might have better luck. I have almost all my regularly occurring transactions, both debits and credits, fully automated, for many years, and NEVER a problem. I figure I have saved THOUSANDS of hours not having to write checks, address and stamp envelopes etc. Ditto, not having to go online for every separate effing bill to pay. NADA. NEVER. Just because a bank or credit union is smaller does NOT mean that it is any better.