Consumer complaint received 2023-09-13
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: MO
Product: Credit card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
I am filing this complaint against Comenity Bank. 

For context, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone solicitation from a travel company ( called XXXX XXXX ) for a vacation package costing {$490.00}. I agreed to purchase it after the company told me I would have XXXX  days to review and would receive a full refund if asked. The credit card I used for this purchase was a " XXXX XXXX XXXX '' which at the time was issued by XXXX  XXXX XXXX. I've documented my interactions with the travel company in the attached file. In short, I asked XXXX Worldwide for a refund which I was entitled to but they did not grant. I then opened a dispute with XXXX  XXXX XXXX, who shortly thereafter told me they had transferred the dispute along with the entire account to Comenity Bank. The card is still active now under Comenity.

Comenity 's response to this dispute has been reprehensible. XXXX, they were clearly unable to abide by their own guidelines in terms of responding to the dispute. They said they would have XXXX days, but initially appeared to have lost the dispute or closed it out somehow before that period. Over the next 6 months I had to attempt to reopen the dispute multiple times. I asked for updates repeatedly using their website 's message center and by calling their customer care line numerous times. 

XXXX, in all of those interactions, they clearly instructed me NOT TO PAY the dispute transaction amount. I paid for the rest of my statement balance every month. As interest on the disputed transaction started to build, I repeatedly asked if somehow the disputed transaction could be set aside or put into provisional status so that the interest would not accumulate while they were taking their time investigating the dispute. They repeatedly told me that it would " be fine '' and just to keep paying the statement balance as I had been doing. When the dispute was processed the interest would go away with it. 

XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX ( in a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX ), fully XXXX  months after I initially filed my dispute with XXXX  XXXX XXXX, Comenity notified me that my dispute had been denied due to a technicality in the XXXX Worldwide 's terms and conditions. I strenuously disagree with this finding as I had in fact followed XXXX Worldwide 's verbal instructions and they sent their terms and conditions XXXX days later than my purchase date. There was additional context which makes me believe XXXX XXXX was essentially tricking customers into paying the fee upfront. This complaint, however, is against Comenity as they NEVER once contacted me to discuss the situation. They made a simple judgment that was incorrect with no explanation for why my dispute rationale was incorrect. I tried repeatedly to reach some in the Dispute Department to discuss the situation, but was finally told after talking to many customer care supervisors that there's no way anyone ( even Comenity employees ) can contact the Dispute Department and that their decision is final. An " investigation '' that does not involve questioning the parties involved is not an investigation. Comenity 's process in this area needs to be fixed. 

XXXX, beyond the disputed transaction itself, I spoke with Comenity customer care about the interest charges. Again, I had only accumulated interest charges because of Comenity 's own REPEATED instructions to me not to pay the dispute or the interest. After the dispute was denied, I was told to by customer care that I should " probably '' just pay the full balance of the dispute with the interest. I should then file another dispute specifically around the interest. I did so, and this time it was rather quickly denied in letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, because " we are beyond the 60-day timeframe '' of the original dispute. This is the definition of unfair and unjust treatment of a customer. Of course we are beyond the 60-day timeframe because of Comenity 's own flawed process and instructions to me. 

I have tried to speak with Comenity about the insanity of this statement, but to no avail. As such, I am opening the complaint hoping to inspire regulatory action.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief