Consumer complaint received 2021-08-16
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: HI
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Communication tactics
Sub-issue: Frequent or repeated calls

Complaint:
XXXX allowed seller, XXXX XXXX, to lie about their location and the quality of their product in advertisements on their platform. I attempted to purchase a mask from XXXX XXXX at the beginning of the pandemic. The masked was advertised as being comparable to a XXXX mask and manufactured in the US. But, the seller was actually located in XXXX, and the mask is not comparable to a XXXX mask ( see attached pics ). In fact, it's vented, so it can't even be worn on an airplane. And, I wasn't able to ascertain any of this until it was too late because it took 3 1/2 months, plus to get the item. I tried to cancel multiple times throughout the process as well, but the seller refused every attempt then cutoff all contact, despite asking for a call tag. 

So, I filed a claim with Comenity Capital Bank, and they temporarily removed the charge while they conducted their " investigation '' which consisted of nothing more than confirming that XXXX XXXX had received payment ( see attached Denial Letter ). That was it. They did nothing else. Then they reinstated the charge. 

After being given the runaround for a month or so, I filed an appeal. In the appeal I proved Comenity Capital Bank did not do their due diligence by providing links showing that XXXX XXXX had been shut down for fraud. But, Comenity Capital Bank did not budge ; thereby, committing fraud themselves via collusion. 

The links supporting my argument are as follows : 1. XXXX ( SHUT-FOR-FRAUD ) : https : XXXX ( see attached PDF ) 2. https : XXXX 3. https : XXXX 4. https : XXXX I have records of most my interactions with Comenity Capital Bank showing what was and was not done throughout the entire process as well , including, where Comenity Capital Bank refused to close the account, despite making two requests in writing . They even mailed me a new card after my second request. So, if theres a question, ask. I probably have record of it.

Comenity Capital Bank then referred the fraudulent account to collections, despite the evidence, so I'm now getting 3-5 calls per day from different numbers with different area codes where the caller hangs up once I answer ( see attached Call Logs, pg. 1-3 ). But, when I call the number back they all lead to Comenity Capital Bank. What's more, Comenity Bank has been sued for this in the past, yet they continue the scam. In fact, by doing a quick XXXX  search you can see that Comenity Bank was sued for these exact same practices in XXXX and XXXX, and that they settled out of court each time ; yet here we are. 

Or, to sum up, it's almost like Comenity Capital Bank had grown so accustomed to scamming their marks ; I mean, customers, via acts of fraud that they've got the process on speed dial. And, the game of trolling " customers '' while holding their credit hostage along the way is just an added bonus. 

Furthermore, the responses to the fictious claims made by Comenity Capital Bank in Complaint XXXX are as follows : 1. When referencing the provided review sites with the pages upon pages of reviews just like mine Comenity responds by stating, " We reviewed the websites you provided. The overwhelming majority of complaints were related to delays in shipment and were not regarding receiving the merchandise ordered, which you did receive. '' This statement alone proves Comenity didn't do their due diligence because there are literally hundreds of complaints on these sites just like mine. All you have to do is take the time to actually read, instead of cherry picking what confirms your bias. Best part though, they completely ignore the fact that the seller lied about their location because they knew people wouldn't buy from them due to being located in the region from where the virus originated.

2. Comenity also states " We previously investigated your dispute and provided a provisional credit during the investigation. It was determined that you did receive the ordered merchandise. You provided no evidence to us, upon receipt of the merchandise, that it was defective. '' This is lie two-fold. One, I told Comenity I emailed the seller asking for a call tag because it wasn't a XXXX comparable mask, but I didn't get a response because the site had already been shut down for fraud. And, two, Comenity never ask for proof of the item being defective, nor did they allow me to respond to their assertion. They simply denied the claim then closed the case. In fact, Comenity went so far as to create a portal via their Secure Message Center, and it quickly became obvious that it wasnt really an attempt reaching an understanding. It was so unorganized and disconnected that it was clearly just an attempt at XXXX while continuing with the steamroller tactics ; hence, documenting the interaction ( see attached PDF.

3. They further go on to claim " Comenity Capital Bank attempts to contact customers whose accounts are past due in an attempt to resolve the matter. It is not our practice, however, to call customers and then hang up. We acknowledged in our XX/XX/XXXX, response to you that, during our review of the calls placed to you, we identified two calls that were inadvertently disconnected. '' Seriously, STOP LYING!!! You've been repeatedly sued for it in the past and all you have to do is call the highlighted numbers back on the attached call logs ( see attached Call Logs, pg. 1-3 ).

4. And, Comenity 's final incompetent response, " As explained in our XX/XX/XXXX, correspondence, your second dispute claimed that the charge was fraudulent and we opened a new account with a new account number which could be used for additional purchases. When a customer claims a charge is fraudulent, its our standard practice to close the account with the alleged fraud. However, since your account ending in XXXX was closed at your request on XX/XX/XXXX, we shouldnt have opened a new account when we received your second dispute in XX/XX/XXXX. The second account was closed on XX/XX/XXXX. Both accounts are closed at this time. 

Ok, great, but the first claim should have never been closed because you failed to do your due diligence. There was no communication. There was simply denial for profits ' sake, the steamrolling, the scare tactics then attempted extortion as you hold my credit score hostage. Truth of the matter is this is a scam two-fold, you know it, you're doing everything in your power to cover it up, and you're busted.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation