Consumer complaint received 2023-08-30
Company: Incomm Holdings Inc.
State: FL
Product: Prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-issue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online

Complaint:
I submitted complaint XXXX : " For XXXX, I received a Vanilla Visa Gift Card from my dad. As a broke college student, I decided to wait until an emergency to use my card for food and toiletries. I opened the card months after receiving it and immediately saw two issues. When I opened the cardholder, the card was STUCK in the package. There was a piece of glue/adhesive from the manufacturer that glued the card and paper package so tight that it ripped some of the card patterns off. I had to rip the package off of the card in order to get the card out of the package. Once I got the card out, I noticed that the card was missing the last 4 digits of the 16-digit card code. Even where the pattern was ripped off the card, there are no digits near the rip, the last 4 digits are just missing. I figured that it was no big deal since the CVV on the back had not been tampered with and thought that I could still use the card for physical purchases. When I went to XXXX to purchase some necessities, my card was promptly declined. I was unable to set up a pin since I did not have all 16 digits. I searched online for the default pins and every single one was a failure. Embarrassed, I had to put everything back and immediately I spoke to my father to get advice on the situation and he did not know what to do. I asked him how much money was put on the card, he told me he did not know since he deposited the change from XXXX shopping. I asked him for an estimate he said " Maybe XXXX? '' and I asked him if he could take the card back to the merchant and get a refund. He informed me that he no longer had the receipt since the purchase was months before our phone call. I decided it would be best to call Vanilla 's customer. I called customer service 3 times on 3 separate occasions and have NEVER spoken to a human. I was sent on a loop of automated messages even though I called within normal business houses XXXX XXXX XXXX. I waited on hold forever on every single call, hoping to speak to a human, but I never did. After my last call and waiting on hold only to be hung up on, I looked online and saw that MANY people had this problem. I was referred to file a complaint with the CFPB by a user on XXXX and now I am here. '' I am unhappy with the resolution. They lied saying I experienced card tampering when in actuality it was a defective card that was the fault of the manufacturer. I asked my father how much was on the card that I was unable to use, and he told me he believed it was {$65.00}. I informed the company that I was put in terrible predicaments where I genuinely had to go without food and toiletries due to this situation. As a resolution, I asked for {$100.00} on a gift card to compensate for the times I went to bed hungry due to this issue. I planned on using this for my books for my university classes. I received a swift response that denied accountability blaming the issue on a third party, and a new gift card with LESS than what my father put on the card. I got the short end of the stick, and now I am here during my first week of school, unable to purchase my books because a Visa does not want to take accountability. I work an XXXX XXXX for 40 hours a week. This situation is ridiculous and shows how little Visa cares about its customers. My biggest issue is the fact that I was told a replacement card was shipped out due to someone " tampering '' with my item when it was Visa 's fault. So many people online experienced this issue, and they had the nerve to send me a gift card with LESS than what my father put on the original card. I attempted to call several times OVER THE SPAN OF 7 MONTHS and I wasn't properly compensated for my time, effort, or the money my father spent on this stupid card. I feel scammed and do not see myself purchasing a vanilla gift card again. 

So basically I got inconvenienced and went months unable to purchase my items although I had an unusable card with money sitting right there, and my father loss money because they didn't even replace it with the proper amount, ON TOP OF THE TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE???? 

Take accountability for the manufacturer 's error and send me a new card with the PROPER amount. Do not tell me you'll send me a replacement card if it is not even the same amount that was put on the card!!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation