Phone activated functions on an RV???

[rockhillmanor]

omg, Thought I'd seen it all but guess not.

There is another thread where an RV'er is locked out of opening his slides and awning on his RV.

WHY? Because he is using his cell phone to open them and it is malfunctioning. :S

First of all I did not know that there is an app you can buy where you use a cell phone to operate almost all of the functions on an RV.
https://www.asaelectronics.com/downloads/dl/file/id/832/jrvcs105_in-command_owners_manual.pdf

Have we as RVers gotten that lazy that we need to use a cell phone to operate our RV's when our RV 'comes with already installed' buttons/switches to operate everything?

Not to mention the lack of security of using a device like a cell phone having access to all of your RV inside an out.

I certainly would NOT want to own an RV that is hackable, 'phone activated'.

What happens when you don't have good cell phone coverage where you are parked? Do you sit there refusing to go inside the RV and flip the switch to activate your slides?

How many of you would use a phone app to operate your RV?

[toedtoes]

Oh, last month, I went to the bank for the first time in over a year - used the drive up ATM to deposit a check.

[toedtoes]

pnichols wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I use my debit card because I simply don't want to deal with that payment to the cc company - for me, it's just one more thing to deal with.

I here ya regarding "just one more thing to deal with"! (K)eep (I)t (S)imple (S)tupid is the name of the game.

However, of course one doesn't have to do anything to service one's credit card(s) each month. i.e. I have our credit cards set up for autopay, so they take care of themselves.

To me, keeping track of a how much I can put on a debit card each month based on how much running balance I have in my checking account each month is as much effort as properly keeping on eye on a checking account versus the checks I would be writing against it each month. Way too much non-KISS hassle.

P.S. I just called my high payback points CC company. I'm almost eligible for $500 back from all the everyday stuff, groceries, and vehicle gas I've put on it the past few months ... nice.

I don't have enough going out in bills, groceries, etc., to get much back in the way of points. And so when I finally do get enough points to actually be useful, it has been well over a year since I started earning them and the friggin' program changes and they start eliminating points on an expiration, company transfer, etc., so my points are suddenly deleted down to an unusable amount... I finally just quit considering points programs as a benefit to credit cards.

As for auto-pay on the credit card - for me, that doesn't work as easily as just withdrawing from my checking for each purchase. With debit I don't lose track of what I'm spending on a regular basis and I don't have to adjust things after the fact. With my process, I adjust before I make the purchase. Just works better for me.

But again, I use all the tools available - debit, credit, cash, etc. I don't refuse to use any one type of transaction because they all have their purposes.

[pnichols]

toedtoes wrote:
I use my debit card because I simply don't want to deal with that payment to the cc company - for me, it's just one more thing to deal with.

I here ya regarding "just one more thing to deal with"! (K)eep (I)t (S)imple (S)tupid is the name of the game.

However, of course one doesn't have to do anything to service one's credit card(s) each month. i.e. I have our credit cards set up for autopay, so they take care of themselves.

To me, keeping track of a how much I can put on a debit card each month based on how much running balance I have in my checking account each month is as much effort as properly keeping on eye on a checking account versus the checks I would be writing against it each month. Way too much non-KISS hassle.

P.S. I just called my high payback points CC company. I'm almost eligible for $500 back from all the everyday stuff, groceries, and vehicle gas I've put on it the past few months ... nice.

[Crowe]

ou all need to find a better bank to do business with. My wife's balance was whacked from 4500+ to 0 one morning with fraudulent charges made at an Apple store in Philly, we live near Pittsburgh. She discovered it early morning on the way to work at 5 AM. Called the bank when they opened. Stopped in at 3:30 PM, had her funds restored and a new card on the way in the mail at 3:35.

They ABSOLUTELY need to find a better bank. Have had a similar situation as above with a similar outcome.

99% of the time Credit Cards work for everything. If I want cash, which is not often, I'll cash a check to keep a few extra bucks with me. As I have mentioned before, I have never had an ATM card (they keep asking when I go cash a check, LOL).

What are you going to do when everyone stops accepting checks? A lot of places not longer take them. I don't have the time nor energy to write out checks, put them in the mail and hope the PO doesn't lose them. The only time I've ever had my identity stolen was off of a check years ago. Have I been hacked-yes, multiple times but I KNOW I've been hacked immediately-I monitor all my accounts online daily. I don't have to wait for a paper statement to come. Many banks also will not send out a paper statement any more. Each to their own but my time and convenience are far more valuable than worrying about the risk.

[Mr_Mark1]

2oldman wrote:

Crowe wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I DO NOT use my phone for online banking. That seems crazy to me.

Why? Use your data plan and not Wi-Fi. Much easier to check balances, transfer money, etc., than running back to the unit to use a laptop or having to wait until you get home. It's no more dangerous than using a credit card at a store or online, possibly even less. If the want you they will get you.

x2

If you don't use your phone, what do you do? Go into a bank?

I, too, don't use online banking by phone or computer, never have and don't have any plans in the future.

99% of the time Credit Cards work for everything. If I want cash, which is not often, I'll cash a check to keep a few extra bucks with me. As I have mentioned before, I have never had an ATM card (they keep asking when I go cash a check, LOL).

Safe travels,
MM.

[toedtoes]

pnichols wrote:
I've never understood any real good reason for using debit cards.

Just use a credit card and pay it off every month. That way you have both fraud protection and an immediate source of big money for an emergency -> the way we had to use our credit card when our RV's transmission failed as we started down the driveway on an RV trip with friends waiting for us.

A debit card would have been useless, as no way did we have - or want to keep - that kind of money laying around in our checking account ... and it would have take a few days to get the money out of our retirement account.

I use my debit card because I simply don't want to deal with that payment to the cc company - for me, it's just one more thing to deal with.

As for big unexpected expenses - I keep more money in my savings account. I can easily move that money over to the checking while I'm at the counter and then run the debit card through. No keeping tons of money in my checking, but easy enough to get to if needed.

Of course, sometimes I will just put it on a credit card and then pay it off at the end of the month. And, if I get a 0 percent interest deal, I'll use it and pay it off over the allowed time frame.

I don't see one way as inherently better than the other, just different. So I use them as suits me. I'm not afraid of either (worrying about fraud, etc.).

[2oldman]

Crowe wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I DO NOT use my phone for online banking. That seems crazy to me.

Why? Use your data plan and not Wi-Fi. Much easier to check balances, transfer money, etc., than running back to the unit to use a laptop or having to wait until you get home. It's no more dangerous than using a credit card at a store or online, possibly even less. If the want you they will get you.

x2

If you don't use your phone, what do you do? Go into a bank?

[toedtoes]

Since we're in the subject, overdraft protection is not a good thing for most people who use debit cards for that exact reason - until the bank fraud unit sees a red flag on withdrawals from your account, the withdrawals will continue even if funds aren't available.

IF you use debit cards regularly, cancel the overdraft protection on the connected accounts. That way the most they can get out of you is what is in your checking account.

For me, I use debit cards almost exclusively. I do not have overdraft protection on any account (why? I know exactly how much money I have). I also have 2 separate checking accounts and 2 separate saving accounts at 2 separate banks. One bank is used for "big" bills (insurance, taxes, etc.) and the other is used for monthly stuff (groceries, electrical, etc.).

I have my pay deposited into the two savings accounts. Then I move what I need for the month into the checking accounts. This way, if someone gets my debit card or number, they can only get a small amount of money before that checking account is empty. But I still have the bulk of my pay in the other 3 accounts and I can easily pay bills, etc., with my other checking account while the corrupted account bank resolves the fraudulent activity and reimburses me.

Oh, and there are specific rules about what gets reimbursed. If your actual debit card is lost or stolen, you have 3 days (iirc) to report it gone. If the number has been stolen but you still have the card, then you have until the statement that the fraudulent activity appears. You are not liable IF you report the loss/theft/fraudulent activity within the appropriate time frames.

I had one instance of a stolen number. It happened right after thanksgiving. Using the setup I explained above, I was not adversely affected for the 2 weeks before the bank reimbursed the money - even though that was over Christmas (which is why it took 2 weeks instead of 3 days).

That incident happened because I paid for our work t-day lunch with my card from a restaurant. The restaurant's online ordering system was where my info was stolen (with the way I use my accounts, it was very simple to work out the data breach on my end) so I called and told them. Within a month, they had redone their system.

Please read the laws regarding debit cards - they are protected far more than they used to be.

And if you use debit cards, cancel the overdraft protection for the attached account(s) - all that protection does is PUSH more money to a thief.

[Ralph_Cramden]

drsteve wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:


Visa's Zero Liability* Policy is our guarantee that you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your account or account information. You're protected if your Visa credit or debit card is lost, stolen or fraudulently used, online or offline. 

Sure, they will fix it... eventually. I didn't mean to imply that you'll be SOL if someone drains your bank account, but until the bank gets it straightened out, you will not have use of your funds. With a credit card, all you're looking at is a temporarily bigger number on your monthly statement.

You all need to find a better bank to do business with. My wife's balance was whacked from 4500+ to 0 one morning with fraudulent charges made at an Apple store in Philly, we live near Pittsburgh. She discovered it early morning on the way to work at 5 AM. Called the bank when they opened. Stopped in at 3:30 PM, had her funds restored and a new card on the way in the mail at 3:35.

[pnichols]

I've never understood any real good reason for using debit cards.

Just use a credit card and pay it off every month. That way you have both fraud protection and an immediate source of big money for an emergency -> the way we had to use our credit card when our RV's transmission failed as we started down the driveway on an RV trip with friends waiting for us.

A debit card would have been useless, as no way did we have - or want to keep - that kind of money laying around in our checking account ... and it would have take a few days to get the money out of our retirement account.

[afidel]

So let me tell you about a friend who had a Visa debit card. He had the number stolen in the Target breach. Some criminal bought three bigscreen TVs and wiped out his balance. The bank did their usual thing and lined up the biggest purchases first and then everything else. He gets hit with overdraft charges for everything he bought over two days to the tune of $25 a piece. He disputes the fraudulent charges and after about 3 weeks the money gets restored, but the bank insists that he still owes the overdraft fees. He's out several hundred dollars, I tell him to take them to small claims court but since he works as an independent contractor he'd be out as much in lost earnings as he would get from the bank even if he won. So it's not simple paranoia, it's learning from other peoples misery and knowing that a bank will do everything it can legally do to separate you from your money (federal law limits your liability in credit card cases to $50, $0 if you report your card stolen in 48 hours and $0 if it's just the number that was stolen).

[ctilsie242]

I recommend a credit card separate from your bank account. Trust me on this. It saves you a lot of frustration and filling out forms.

As for a phone, call me a Luddite, but no way. I have seen app based systems before, and when the maker decides to stop updating the app for your specific device, you are housed. In fact, things like multiplexed wiring can be liabilities when you need to replace an A/C unit or furnace, and find the wiring doesn't support the new model or revision.

RVs already have issues, so I prefer the KISS solution. That way, if one subsystem fails, it won't impact others.

As for apps, I worked at an IoT maker before. They have zero interest in security because there is no money to be made by spending any time on it. I don't want some 12 year old who had his XBox taken away by his mom at the campsite to find a make/model RV with a "smart" system, find an app, then do things like extend/retract the awning until the motor burns out, run the generator and turn on appliances until the breakers trip, and so on.

[drsteve]

Ralph Cramden wrote:


Visa's Zero Liability* Policy is our guarantee that you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your account or account information. You're protected if your Visa credit or debit card is lost, stolen or fraudulently used, online or offline. 

Sure, they will fix it... eventually. I didn't mean to imply that you'll be SOL if someone drains your bank account, but until the bank gets it straightened out, you will not have use of your funds. With a credit card, all you're looking at is a temporarily bigger number on your monthly statement.

[Ralph_Cramden]

afidel wrote:

drsteve wrote:

free radical wrote:



I use debit card for almost everything,,but to be safe I set up email allert to get notified every time I use it..
Then just log into my acount to see the balance left..simple and easy..

I use a credit card instead. If someone steals your credit card number and makes a bunch of fraudulent charges, your credit card company has a problem. If someone steals your debit card number and drains your bank account, you have a problem.

Exactly, when they came out with the Visa debit cards I ignored them until one day a new card showed up unrequested and it was one of those. I called my bank and asked for a new ATM only card, they said sure, that will be $5/month. I told the wife to just never, ever swipe the bank card. I would have switched banks but every bank with more than a handful of ATM locations around here has the same policy. I love my credit union but ATM availability is their one weak point even with the network of credit unions they are part of. That reminds me, when traveling their network might actually be superior to my regional bank, should ask them for a card to access the savings account.

If you're that paranoid you had better get some mason jars, withdrawal your funds, and bury them in the yard out back. Lots of misinformation in this thread based on opinion. If you're being held liable for fraud committed against a debit / check card, that's instituted by your bank of choice whose name is on that card, the card issuer, or both. Get another bank or card.


Visa's Zero Liability* Policy is our guarantee that you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your account or account information. You're protected if your Visa credit or debit card is lost, stolen or fraudulently used, online or offline. 

Visa's Zero Liability Policy does not apply to Visa corporate or Visa purchasing card or account transactions, or any transactions that are not processed by Visa. For specific restrictions, limitations and other details, please consult your issuer.

[afidel]

drsteve wrote:

free radical wrote:



I use debit card for almost everything,,but to be safe I set up email allert to get notified every time I use it..
Then just log into my acount to see the balance left..simple and easy..

I use a credit card instead. If someone steals your credit card number and makes a bunch of fraudulent charges, your credit card company has a problem. If someone steals your debit card number and drains your bank account, you have a problem.

Exactly, when they came out with the Visa debit cards I ignored them until one day a new card showed up unrequested and it was one of those. I called my bank and asked for a new ATM only card, they said sure, that will be $5/month. I told the wife to just never, ever swipe the bank card. I would have switched banks but every bank with more than a handful of ATM locations around here has the same policy. I love my credit union but ATM availability is their one weak point even with the network of credit unions they are part of. That reminds me, when traveling their network might actually be superior to my regional bank, should ask them for a card to access the savings account.