Consumer complaint received 2018-10-11
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: NY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2018 I was in discussion with a merchant XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX regarding the possibility of hiring them for work. The CEO of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, named XXXX XXXX, offered to me in writing a risk-free guarantee. He offered to do 90 hours of work free in an effort to win my long term business and if I was not satisfied with the work, I would not have to pay. Period. 

On XX/XX/2018 XXXX XXXX illegally and without my prior authorization used my credit card details to charge my card for the amount of {$1500.00} XXXX admits to this in writing. He claims that his payment processor " XXXX '' used my card details to charge my card immediately when he generated the invoice and sent it to me. This is a patent lie as XXXX himself used my credit card details and charged my card unbeknowst to me. 

On the night of XX/XX/2018 I noticed the charge and opened up a Fraud case with USAA Banking over the unauthorized charge. 

Throughout the end of XXXX and the beginning of XXXX I maintained communication with the merchant in attempts to resolve the dispute I had with him regarding the nature of the work. XXXX XXXX, XXXX in fact never provided me ANY work -- which would have consisted of computer code. All I received was a 2 page write-up that included numerous errors which I brought up to the merchant. Furthermore the company was charging me for 90 hours of work when it was clear that only a few hours of work had been done. I brought up my displeasure with the work many times which was never resolved to my satisfaction. In short I was not satisfied with the work and I was waiting for my bank to reverse the unauthorized charge. I tried to negotiate a settlement with the company but was waiting for the money to be back in my account before I made any payment. I told this to the merchant as well. 

I found out later that the merchant went behind my back to my bank in order to convince them that I had authorized the charge. He used details of the conversations he and I had in order to convince USAA that no fraud had been committed. However he sent in a screenshot of a communication he and I were having in which he admits in writing that he charged my card without my authorization. 

On XX/XX/2018, I received a letter from USAA that they had concluded their fraud investigation and as a result of their conclusion they had concluded that it was not indeed " Fraud '' because I knew the merchant and therefore it wasn't technically fraud. In the documents they sent over to justify this adjudication, USAA included the document which shows in writing the confession by the merchant himself that he charged my card without my authorization. 

On the same day XX/XX/2018, I opened the case as a dispute with USAA dispute department because this is what I was told to do by both the fraud people at USAA sinec I technically knew the merchant and therefore it wasn't fraud. 

On XX/XX/2018 without even considering my case, USAA dispute department sent me a letter indicating that an error did not occur because fraud had already done an investigation. In other words, USAA dispute department never even bothered to research it as a dispute nor did they even reach out to me at any point to get my details. 

Additionally over this time, I sent numerous emails and made numerous phone calls to USAA regarding the particulars of this case. I requested on no less than 4 occasions a call back from a member of the fraud team and the dispute team. Each time I was told I would receive a call back but I never did. I was given false promises every single time. I have attached a copy of the full case as I sent it to USAA. 

On XX/XX/2018 I sent a demand letter for refund to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have attached a copy of the demand letter sent to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/2018 USAA reversed the temporary credit they had issued to my account without ever talking to me or responding to my numerous emails with written proof that the charge was done without my authorization and that the merchant anyway had offered me the work without any conditions other than I would have to be satisfied. In other words the company XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX basically stole my money and USAA did nothing.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation