Consumer complaint received 2022-12-18
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: MO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem when making payments
Sub-issue: Problem during payment process

Complaint:
I signed up for an IKEA " XXXX '' XXXX ( which is processed through Comenity Capital Bank ) on XX/XX/XXXX for the purpose of purchasing furniture. 

The terms of the card state that the balance of the card are interest free for 12 months ( unless you fail to make payments ). Through various purchases, the total balance on the card had been ~ {$1700.00}. ( This is including late fees of ~ {$30.00}. Please see the following ) I have been attempting to make payments online through the designated portal. To do so one must enter a username and password. This is simple enough. However, I have either not recorded my username properly or the system is not accepting it. 

Most systems would have a relatively easy process to recover a username via inputting a recovery email. This is not so for the IKEA Projekt/Comenity Card . To recover my username I must enter my username. This is an impossible ouroboros. The alternate option to recover my user name is to enter my account number. On all of the paperwork for this card, the account number is voided with only the last four digits visible. ( I have attached a screenshot of the username recovery portal as well as a photo of the mentioned documentation. ) I have attempted for numerous weeks to call customer support and account representatives to simply get one of these two ( what should be ) easy pieces of information ( username or account number ) so I can make payments on this card. At every turn I get sent from one phone tree to another. On the rare occasion I do get to speak with a live individual, they are universally representatives from outside of the US that either hang up on me when I explain the situation, or do not possess a command of XXXX necessary to communicate fully with me. 

The first time I was able to speak with a live representative from within the US was today, XX/XX/XXXX ( on a Sunday morning during a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) when a collections agent called me demanding I make payments and pay late fees. 

This afternoon I spoke with several different individuals, each of which then stated it was not " their department '' that could get me the information I needed, and would give me a number for a new person and the cycle would continue. I was ultimately informed that the department that could get me my account information was only available on weekdays ( this is unrelated but I am extremely frustrated that a company will attempt to collect from people on weekends, but is also not willing to assist with payment information on the same days ). 

The final payment representative I spoke with, upon explaining the situation, repeatedly told me that I was incorrect, and that my account number was clearly located below the perforated section on my paperwork. I have attached a photograph of this paperwork, clearly showing that the first twelve digits of my account number have been redacted with asterisks, and only the last four digits visible. 

I can not help but feel as though this entire process has from start to finish been set up to be as predatory and untenable as possible for customers to actually make payments without being abused with endless late fees and credit damage. All I want from this situation is the ability to make payments, and this company ( IKEA/Comenity ) is physically withholding all methods of doing so.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief