Consumer complaint received 2022-04-07
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: HI
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:
My credit card company continued to honor charges from the XXXX XXXX XXXX after I cancelled my subscription. I disputed the charges, but the XXXX XXXX XXXX requires subscription cancellations by phone ( for all but Nevada and California residents ) so there is no documentation to support my requests to cancel my subscription. After {$220.00} in fraudulent charges and 10 months of trying to resolve the matter with both the XXXX XXXX XXXX and the credit card company, I ultimately closed my credit card account. The credit card company would not confirm that additional charges by the XXXX XXXX XXXX on the closed account would not continue to be honored and if honored, I would be expected to pay them. The credit card company could offer no other resolution. The XXXX advertises " cancel any time '' subscriptions on their website. However, there is no actual way, apparently, to cancel the subscription. First of all, cancellation requests must be made by phone call ( except for CA and NV residents due to state law ). Not only do they keep you on the line for 20 minutes trying to talk you out of canceling, they do not keep any record of your call ( even though they say the call is being recorded ) and there is no documentation of any phone call. I called twice, and was told there was no record of previous calls. I was also told that my subscription would be cancelled and there would be no further charges to my credit card. This was a lie. They continued to charge my card and, in fact, after 5 months, increased the charges by 10 times the original amount. The second time I called, I was told they do cancel the subscription, but not until the renewal date. So I had signed up XX/XX/XXXX at an introductory rate of $ XXXX. I called to cancel my subscription in XXXX, XXXX. I was told ( after 20 minutes ) that the subscription would be cancelled and there would be no further charges to my account. In XXXX, as I reviewed my account charges for my taxes, I noticed not only the $ XXXX charges had continued, but in XX/XX/XXXX, the charges had increased to $ XXXX. I disputed all of the charges after XX/XX/XXXX with my credit card company and awaited their response. I had no documentation to provide, because per XXXX requirement, the cancellation had been done via voice phone call. The credit card company initially removed the charges pending review, but then re-applied all of them due to lack of documentation. I then called the XXXX again to cancel my subscription in XX/XX/XXXX. After 20 minutes of trying to convince me to keep my subscription, I was told the same story that my subscription would be cancelled and no further charges made. I have zero reason to believe them. And so, for my own protection, in XX/XX/XXXX, I called to ask for a replacement credit card with a new number. I had been told in XX/XX/XXXX by the credit card company that this would resolve the matter. I had a trip planned that month and did not want to travel without a credit card. So when I returned from travel, I call the credit card company to ask for a new card/number to be issued. I was then told by the credit card company that the XXXX subscription would continue on my new card. I asked to close my account, which I ultimately did, but I was told that even then, it was possible that the XXXX could continue to bill me for the subscription on my closed account and that I would be expected to pay for the charges. How is this legal? Is there literally no way to cancel a subscription with the XXXX? How are there so few protections for consumers? This is unacceptable business practice on the part of the credit card company and the XXXX.

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