Consumer complaint received 2021-09-27
Company: TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY
State: TN
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
On XXXX, for Black Friday XXXX, Target had the following promotion : Free {$20.00} Target Gift Card ( GC ) when you buy {$100.00} in XXXX XXXX, which I purchased for a total of {$96.00}. ( 4 % discount for using my Target Card ) On XXXX, I tried to redeem my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX and an error appeared. I immediately called XXXX Support. XXXX stated that, unbeknownst to me, Target deactivated my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX a mere two days after I purchased it. XXXX gave me the case number XXXX ( in case Target needed to reference any information ) & stated I must contact Target for a resolution. 

I then called Target, who gave me the case # XXXX. Throughout this process, Target Support has consistently failed to forward info to move my case further along forcing me to make a multitude of calls. I have been hung up on repeatedly & have wasted numerous hours without reaching a resolution. All calls to Target & XXXX Support regarding this case are attached via screen captures. 

On XXXX Targets " research team emailed me ( attached XXXX XXXX ) stating my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX had not been activated properly & my refund request was being processed. Targets statement directly contradicts XXXX assessment, stating Target deactivated it two days after my purchase, which begs the questions : If my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX had not been activated properly, then why was my Target RedCard still charged? Also, why did I have to ask for a refund months later if Target admitted they didnt activate it properly ; why didnt Target credit my account immediately? 

On XXXX, I logged into my Target RedCard account which showed an incorrect refund of only {$76.00}. I immediately called & sent another email ( attached XXXX XXXX ) for my case to be looked into further. 

On XXXX, I received what looked like a copy and paste response of an email ( XXXX XXXX attached ) that completely mischaracterized and misrepresented the specific elements surrounding my case which stated : [ my ] refund will be reduced by the value of the promotional gift card if the qualifying purchased item is returned without the promotional gift card. The gift card needs to be returned unused if returning an item that qualified for a free gift card with purchase. If gift card isn't returned, the return value will be reduced by the amount of the free gift card. I hope this better explains the reasoning behind why your refund was for {$76.00} and not the {$96.00} that you paid. If you would of returned the promotional gift card with the XXXX gift card, then we would of been able to refund the full {$96.00}. 

Targets response is a poor attempt at an excuse that is not relevant to my case. 

According to Targets email, my refund would be reduced by the value of the promotional gift card if the qualifying purchased item is returned without the promotional gift card. 

I had already used my free {$20.00} Target GC in XX/XX/XXXX, having no idea that when I went to redeem my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, that Target deactivated it. Why would I have not used my free {$20.00} Target promotional gift card? Is it Targets expectation that promotional gift cards be redeemed only when the consumer confirms that Target has not yet made the original item purchased unusable, unredeemable, and ironically, nonreturnable? When I redeemed my free {$20.00} Target GC, I expected my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX would still work when I went to redeem it in the future. Why would I have returned my free {$20.00} Target GC if it was my intention to redeem my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX as I thought it would work as it should? 

Target also states in its email The gift card needs to be returned unused if returning an item that qualified for a free gift card with purchase. If gift card isn't returned, the return value will be reduced by the amount of the free gift card. 

I didnt use my {$100.00} XXXX Gift Card . I couldnt. Target deactivated it. 

Targets email also claimed If [ I ] would of returned the promotional gift card with the XXXX gift card, then we would of been able to refund the full {$96.00}. 

First, my {$100.00} XXXX Gift card was not returnable ; Target deactivated it without my consent or knowledge. How could I return a gift card that, according to Target, wasnt activated properly and had a {$0.00} balance? Also, per Targets return policy on their website, XXXX XXXXs can not be returned. 

Even in Targets email, they reinforce the argument I am trying to make that what I purchased was indeed worth {$120.00}, by claiming that if I had returned my free {$20.00} Target promotional gift card and {$100.00} XXXX XXXX, they would refund me {$96.00} - just not when Target themselves deactivate said XXXX XXXX. Targets own mistake mysteriously makes my refund worth {$20.00} less? 

Again, Target stated they would give me {$96.00} for returning {$120.00} in gift cards. 

But because I used my free {$20.00} promotional GC, I only received a {$76.00} refund. {$76.00} + {$20.00} = {$96.00}. 

Targets own argument does not make mathematical sense in my case. 



On XXXX, after receiving Targets email, I called & reached someone who stated Target was not going to issue a further {$20.00} refund to make me whole. 

Target is trying to justify that if they deactivate your {$100.00} XXXX XXXX for no reason & without your knowledge, they will force you to pay for the {$20.00} GC that you were supposed to get for free by taking it out of your refund when you ask for it. Why should I be financially penalized because of Targets mistake? 

I paid {$96.00} for {$120.00} in product for which I have yet to receive or be made whole via a further {$20.00} refund. Target believes I should be content with my {$76.00} refund and free {$20.00} Target gift card, totaling {$96.00}, although this is not the amount in gift cards I paid for in XX/XX/XXXX, per the attached receipt. I paid {$96.00} for {$120.00} in GCs - a {$100.00} XXXX XXXX  & a free {$20.00} target GC. I am still short! Targets claim that my refund should be {$76.00} is incorrect - their math & reasoning for not providing me with a full refund of {$96.00} do not add up. 

If Target reversed my {$76.00} refund & sent me my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX to replace the one they deactivated, I would be whole as that equals {$120.00}, since I used my free {$20.00} Target Gift Card. So, why would Target think that only a {$76.00} refund would suffice if it was my intention to purchase {$120.00} in GCs? 

Target failed to uphold the terms of the promotion/sale by deactivating my XXXX XXXX for no reason and without my knowledge. Why should {$20.00} come out of my refund for something that was supposed to be free due to Targets mistake? Targets justification for trying to make me pay for something that I was supposed to get for free is nonsense as it was my belief that my {$100.00} XXXX XXXX still worked up until I tried to redeem it on XXXX. Their refund of {$76.00} is {$20.00} short of what I am additionally owed. 

If I were to spend {$100.00} on a pre paid dinner reservation for 2 at a restaurant, with a promo to receive a {$20.00} free dessert, and when I sat down my meal never came and only the dessert did, and I asked for a refund, and the restaurant refunded me {$80.00} of {$100.00}, because I got a free dessert, is this not an example of the same deceptive business practice Target is trying to defend? 

When a deal is advertised that the seller has no intention of actually following through, isnt that illegal? How many other peoples gift cards has Target deactivated without their knowledge while simultaneously offering free {$20.00} Target Gift cards, and then subsequently forcing the customer to eat the difference after redeeming them and requesting a refund? This predatory behavior exhibited by Target exemplifies bad business practices.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief