Consumer complaint received 2023-02-07
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: SC
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: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I cancelled my Insurance Policy with XXXX XXXX with immediate effect and changed my insurance company to XXXX XXXX XXXX. My cancellation was processed by XXXX. During the term of my policy, my bill was paid by autopay to my Credit Card by Barclays Mastercard. The last autopay to my card was made on XX/XX/2023 for {$340.00}. XXXX refunded monies owed to me by check. Unfortunately XXXX processed a renewal for all my insurance policies without my request or approval on XX/XX/XXXX and charged my Barclay card for {$410.00}. I immediately called XXXX and they confirmed this was a mistake and that my policies were cancelled but they refused to reverse the payment from the credit card. They said they would have to send me a paper check. This was not acceptable to me as I would have to pay the credit card bill and I was not in a position to do so. I wanted them to reverse the charge. They said no so I attempted to dispute the charge with Barclays. I called Barclays and they told me that they could not dispute it while it showed pending, and that I had to wait until it cleared the account. I called Barclays again on XX/XX/XXXX, once the charge had cleared the account, and they told me I still could not dispute it for 15 days beyond XX/XX/XXXX because I had authorized it as a recurring charge. I said I had not authorized a recurring charge because I had cancelled by policies on XX/XX/XXXX and I did not give approval for XXXX to further charge my account. There is no current authorization in place for any recurring charge for XXXX. 

I was told by Barclays that I had to dispute the prior charge made in XXXX. This can not be the correct advise because 1 ) the change made in XXXX by XXXX was correct as my Insurance policies were in force at that time, as I did not cancel them until XX/XX/XXXX, and 2 ) The amount, should I dispute it, would be incorrect because I am disputing a charge of {$410.00} made on XX/XX/XXXX, not the charge of {$340.00} made on XX/XX/XXXX. There is little point in disputing a charge for which there was a recurring agreement in place for a correct amount when I want to dispute a charge for which there was NOT an agreement in place for an incorrect amount. I declined to dispute the amount charged in XXXX because that charge is not in dispute. I was told this was my only option or wait for 15 days. Barclays are advising me to incorrectly dispute a valid charge. How ridiculous. 

I asked the representative to show my the procedures that indicate a consumer may not dispute an incorrect, and fraudulent charge for 15 days and I explained this was the second time that I had called and this was not explained to me the first time. She told me it was coming up on the customer web page dispute screen. Well, that all well and good but I asked to see the written procedures that explain why I can't dispute a charge made to my account without authorization for 15 days because XXXX do not have any authorization from me to charge my account as I have no policies in force. I don't much care what a XXXX XXXX has written on a website screen. I'd like to know why I can't dispute a charge for which there is no recurring agreement in place, and I know there is no recurring agreement in place because I do not have any insurance policy in force with XXXX and I did not agree to them renewing my policy and charging my credit card, I'd like to know why I am being held to 15 days in order to report this fraudulent charge. 

I asked to speak to a supervisor and no supervisor was available. I was given a case number, and the charge remains on my account.

So 2 phone calls to Barclays and no resolution. And it would have got so messy if I had agreed to dispute the prior charge made in XXXX which is what I was advised to do.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation