Consumer complaint received 2023-09-26
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Banking errors

Complaint:
A common merchant I order from with my Ally bank account was placed on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. I refunded {$180.00} of product at the 30 day mark via mail. According to that merchants policies, it may take 30 days for the processed return to show. Upon seeing that I was not credited I reached out to the merchant, and they said some banks may take up to 10 days to process. According to both parties, the refund was sent XXXX XXXX XXXX. After reaching out to the merchant, I reached out to my bank and was told multiple different things from many different supervisors. I may have spent a total of 15 hours if not more and multiple phone calls. Including the credit company XXXX, and everyone just kept saying this makes no sense why it was blocked due to fraudulent suspicion. Mind you, this was a credit to my account from regularly used merchant. Customer service was terrible and frustrating and the managers would give me reference numbers that I was later via following up told basically mean nothing. Then again on XX/XX/XXXX beyond frustrated because I have spoken to the merchant I finally did a three-way call with a supervisor who then advised and filed a dispute. As the merchant confirmed to him that it went through. No one seems to be able to understand why it was blocked as fraudulent. It was processed yet Ally bank says it was rejected and they didnt get the funds. Then the dispute was closed after saying I did not follow up after receiving its rejection via mail, which I did not get before it was finalized as rejected and said too many days 60 have passed. Which is far from the case I was within the 60 day range. It also said accommodation could be made if I was on vacation or hospitalized, and I was actually XXXX XXXX and had XXXX  done so I sent that information along to the head of the dispute department. If they have truly documented the amount of times that I have spoken to supervisors along with the credit card company. The supervisors one in specific that I physically spoke to who wa supposed to follow up with me did and left me a voicemail to call back. So, yet again, I called back with his name and reference number and was told it was useless, and meant nothing. The first time I reached out was on XX/XX/XXXX and advised to call and file a dispute and at no point from that timeframe until XX/XX/XXXX had any of the supervisors told me to file a dispute and to just keep calling the merchant, thats why I ended up suggesting if we could do a three-way call which I have recorded, although the screen recorded did not save the audio. The dispute was filed for the full amount which was not what I was disputing. It was the {$180.00} credit from that purchases returned items. I kept checking online and most the time the web browser or app wasnt working properly, and I did not receive the letter by mail at an appropriate time. I then received an email from the dispute department, basically telling me that 60 days have passed, and unless I was in the hospital or on vacation which I was XXXX XXXX at that period of time, according to whatever codes that basically, there was nothing they would do for me I was just out the money that they blocked. I may also add that I was told that they dont block credits to accounts yet I have it in writing, because I also spoke with their chat bot. Again terrible customer service. The merchant has confirmed with me multiple times and will not accommodate sending it again because they said it went through and because of the poor customer service which included hours of phone calls one which lasted 3 1/2 hours to the point where my phone couldnt even download it and save it. I was told to wait for the dispute to process, most the time I was unable to login to my account due to whatever errors, and at no point was told I had a five day to respond, and then it was rejected and I didnt even receive the notice it in the mail until they close the dispute. The back-and-forth and not giving me any solution and just contradicting themselves. I had to keep checking the app/web which most the time wasnt working. There should have been nothing fraudulent about crediting me my return from a merchant that again I use regularly. As mentioned I was XXXX  not hospitalized, and I had XXXX  done within this timeframe and so I sent that information along to the dispute lead, and she just again sent me so sorry we will not refund your money contact the merchant again and I had attached two different times documentation from having to reached out and gotten written emails from the merchant, saying that the money went through to Ally. I do not find this acceptable. I think it is fraudulently irresponsible of all of the supervisors, customer service, call representatives, and of Ally Bank to not take the responsibility to refund me a credit that they said via chat box was blocked and I was also told that they dont block The supervisors one in specific that I physically spoke to who were supposed to follow up with me did and left me a voicemail to call back. So, yet again, I called back with his name and reference number and was told it was useless, and meant nothing. I am completely disgusted with how all of this has been handled and the amount of time that it has consumed of my personal life on top of me dealing with health concerns.

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