Consumer complaint received 2020-03-10
Company: Google Compare Credit Cards Inc.
State: CO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge 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:
My husband makes periodic charges on Google Play on behalf of my XXXX daughter. Because Google automatically keeps our credit card information on file, he has to take the extra step of removing our credit card after each purchase. If we could get a history of activity on Google, you would see that he does this every time he purchases something from Google Play on behalf of my daughter. Google keeps this information in their data files. On XX/XX/XXXX, he authorized a charge on Google Play for {$19.00}. He removed the card before he handed the tablet back to her. 

Unbeknownst to him, Google kept the card on file and my daughter accidentally charged {$1500.00} in XXXX charges between XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. I learned of the charges on XX/XX/XXXX and contacted Google for a refund. They said it didn't qualify since our card was in their system. My husband is very careful about removing the card after each purchase and says it had been removed. 

In order to prove that he removed it, I asked Google for documentation concerning the account activity ( each click and command given ) for XX/XX/XXXX and I was told they could not provide that for me. This is the only way I can prove that my husband had removed the card so I have no recourse in getting these unauthorized charges refunded. 

I understand that Google had to refund millions of dollars in unauthorized charges such as these back in XXXX and I don't understand why they are refusing to refund me now. 

We have disabled all purchase capabilities on Google due to this issue. My complaint is not only that we can't get a refund for charges we did not authorize, but that Google makes it hard to keep from being charged by automatically keeping your credit card on file and ready to be used after any purchase made. They should use it one time only and only store our card information if we expressly say we want it stored. The default should be a one-time use. For all the parents of children who like to make app purchases, this is the only protection we have from unauthorized charges. 

We did all that we knew to do to avoid unauthorized charges and yet, when it happened, Google won't refund us or provide the data needed to show that we removed the card. As of this writing, our credit card company, XXXX XXXX, also won't refund us. They say that Google disputes our claim that these charges were unauthorized so they won't credit the charges either. XXXX XXXX  's fraud services failed us in notifying us of international charges XXXX XXXX is based in XXXX XXXX as I had indicated on our alerts and the fact that a company was charging our card repeatedly -- 20 charges in less than a few hours -- and didn't send me an alert. I feel as both Google and XXXX are not offering the proper protection against the unauthorized charges that I've incurred.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation