Consumer complaint received 2017-04-02
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: MO
Product: Prepaid card
Sub-product: Gift or merchant card
Issue: Unauthorized transactions/trans. issues

Complaint:
My son, bless his heart, gave me a {$25.00} Mastercard Gift Card for XXXX last year. He paid {$3.00} to have it activated. I put it away to use in a few months for something I really wanted - the card was NEVER OUT OF MY POSSESSION in fact IT WAS NEVER OUT OF MY HOUSE. I signed up online to validate the card but then I put it away. When I finally tried to use the card about 3 months later it was denied and when I looked online 3 charges had been made that used up the card. The card has never been out of my possession and it is very suspicious that all 3 of the charges were made at a XXXX Gas Station in XXXX, Missouri and XXXX, Missouri which is close to where my son bought the card. I called right away and was told to fax in a bunch of stuff which I did and had to pay for the fax fee. Then later they said MAIL US SOME STUFF which I did and paid for postage - a month later they wrote me and said SORRY YOU WAITED too long - there is a 3-month time period you have to contact us by. They did n't say 3-months past what? It should n't matter because THEY CHOSE to allow charges to be made without the card present. But it does n't matter to them because they got their money so XXXX me and my son too. But it was not 3 months past the last charge was added but there is no warning that people copy the 3-digit code and can use these. They say KEEP IT IN A SAFE PLACE which I did - they do n't warn you that you better check it EVERY DAY or someone might steal your money. So this is just wrong - they let the money be stolen and they do n't warn you when you buy it that they will let someone steal your money. If I had the card locked up in a bank vault somewhere would have made no difference. They do n't care they got their money - they had me jump thru their hoops and they ignore the attorney general and I am frankly XXXX this is LEGALIZED THEFT. If its a credit or a debit card you have some recourse but with " Gift Cards '' ( should be called ROB YOU OF YOUR MONEY CARDS ) they thumb their nose at you and send a letter after you jump their hoops saying " we 're so sorry ( yeah right ) but there 's nothing we can do because its past 3 months ''. They CAN do something - they can do the right thing but they do n't want to because they are crooks. I have alread spent so much time and money pursuing this - my son did n't give me this gift so I could waste 40 or so hours trying to get {$25.00} - he got screwed and so did I but TOO BAD. So I contacted the Missouri Attorney General and took great care getting all the documents and attachments just right and they finally wrote the company and the company ignored them so it is nearly a year now since my son gave me the card and I have spent 100 's of ours pursuing this and I have had expenses jumping thru the company hoops after which they told me WE ARE SO SORRY WE CA N'T HELP YOU ARE TOO LATE. Too late? As soon as I found out I contacted them - I thought since the card was with me locked inside my house it was safe but NO ONE CARES.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief