Consumer complaint received 2022-04-12
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Add-on products and services

Complaint:
To Whom It May Concern, I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card with JP Morgan Chase Bank. The card offers add-on features including a Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance XXXX I have XXXX  young children, and both me and my husband have family including the grandparents abroad whom we visit often. For this reason, at the time that I applied for this card the steep annual fee of {$550.00} was justifiable to me considering all the protections that this card promises to provide. 

Around XXXX XXXX, our travel plans got disrupted due to my family being XXXX to XXXX and XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX. Our physicians vehemently advised us to XXXX consistent with governmental authorities expectations, which caused our travel plans to get cancelled. Two vendors had strict no-refund policies : our hotel in XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX XXXX for a flight originating from XXXX, XXXX to XXXX, XXXX. 

Upon reviewing the Guide to Benefits for the card, it became clear to me, a reasonable consumer, that I could submit the necessary documents for an insurance claim ( see Exhibit 1, Guide to Benefits, Pages 40-45 ). Even though we were disappointed that we couldnt take our children to visit their grandparents XXXX XXXX ( something that we had planned for in early XXXX before XXXX  ), we were glad that at least we had the travel disruption insurance through the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and we wouldnt be financially harmed due to matters outside of our control. 

I filed on XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ; the claim number is XXXX ( see Exhibit 2 ). The subject of the claim were the following non-refundable travel arrangements : Our hotel reservation in XXXX, XXXX for a total of {$1300.00} A roundtrip flight with XXXX XXXX for me and my husband from XXXX, XXXX to XXXX, XXXX for a total of {$210.00} I gathered the documents, including the no refund policies and filed my claim on XX/XX/XXXX. The page requested a set of documents reflective of the Guide to Benefits list, and I uploaded all the requested items. ( See Exhibit 2 ) After the filing a month passed without any communication, I called a few times but they said due to a high volume of claims, they are slower than usual. But then the following tranches of information requests started to flow my way. 

XX/XX/XXXX ( See Exhibit 3 ) : Statement that the trip was purchased with the credit card. 
o I informed them that it was provided as part of the XX/XX/XXXX filing. ( see the Exhibit 2 document list : XXXX and XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX ( See Exhibit 4 ) : They requested the following : o A copy of your hotel receipts again, already provided as part of the XX/XX/XXXX document upload. ( see the Exhibit 2 document list under XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Your booking is confirmed at XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX, but they asked me to email it to them again, and I did. 
o A brief statement outlining the cardholder 's relationship to the other traveler XXXX XXXX. 
I informed them that he is my husband. 
o An email from the hotel and airlines stating you did not received any refunds or credits. 
I informed them that due to the nonrefundable nature of the disputed items, I received no vouchers or refunds. Also, the Guide to Benefits page 45 states that I should provide any unused vouchers, tickets, or coupons which dont exist in my case. They said : I should prove that they dont exist. I informed them that I can not prove that something doesnt exit. They suggested that they would reach out to the third parties on my behalf and I accepted. 

Regardless, to help expedite the case and to stop the further accumulation of interest on these purchases, I obtained a copy of my XXXX XXXX XXXX Wallet online with a list of reservations, showing I only had that one booked flight that I couldn't take and a XXXX balance in the Digital Wallet. They said the XXXX XXXX was not enough, and I didnt understand the reason that they provided. I couldnt get a hold of anyone from the hotel. 

After they said theyd reach out to the vendors, I called them again to check the status of the claim. They said the hotel expense was fine because the hotel refund policy clearly states that the reservation is non-refundable, and they only have to verify the airline. They informed me that they had reached out to the airline on XX/XX/XXXX, and I should allow another month for the airline to respond. On XX/XX/XXXX, 20 days after they said they would contact the airline themselves, I was copied on their email to XXXX XXXX ( See Exhibit 5 ), does this mean the airline was not contacted on XX/XX/XXXX? The airline has not responded to date. 


I called them again today XX/XX/XXXX, and they informed me that I needed to provide them with a proof for lack of a credit for hotel as well, which contradicts what they said before. They said that they themselves have tried, but have not been able to obtain this information. 

At this point, I feel helpless and frustrated. Here is a summary of my grievances : Unreasonable time to process this claim : The case has taken over two months and there is no indication that it will be closed any time soon.

Poor customer service : I get asked to provide information that I have already provided, and they seem to not do their part timely ( I took them 20 days to contact the vendors on my behalf ) Interest on purchase : I am being charged interest on the total amount of {$1500.00} Deceptiveness : o Marketing : This credit card benefits package is deceptive. The list of required documents to benefit from the insurance feature seems reasonable on the disclosure, but in reality, it is not.

o Fulfillment / unavailability of what was promised : Their claims specialist require items above and beyond what is explained in their disclosures the disclosure does not state that I need to provide letters from the vendors for proof that they havent given me a voucher or credit ( see Exhibit 1, Guide to Benefits page 45 ) Lack of Standards : They dont have standards for their expectations regarding the refund/ voucher and I get conflicting information. At first they told me that a voucher proof is not necessary from the hotel, but on the next call they changed their mind. 
Unfairness : Despite trying, I can not prove that a refund doesnt exist. This request is unfair. 

I demand for my claim to be expedited and granted, all the interest reversed, and a statement credit or points for all the frustration that Chase Sapphire Reserve e-claims line has put me through.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation