Consumer complaint received 2019-04-14
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: IL
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:
In XXXX of 2018 I setup a secured credit card with XXXX bank for {$500.00} against a {$500.00} secured savings deposit. 

On XXXX 2018 I went to pay the credit card off at which time maybe had {$250.00} worth of known charges on it. When I arrived to the bank branch I was made aware that the card balance due was nearly {$1700.00} due to a charge from XXXX XXXX XXXX. My first issue here with XXXX bank is that they even allowed a charge {$1200.00} over the credit limit post to my account without verifying the legitimacy of the charge as this would seem suspicious to an other banking institution I bank with. My second issue here is that I DID NOT authorize this charge on my account. ( Note : I have been a XXXX XXXX XXXX customer for over 10 years. I travel often for business and have a XXXX Rewards account with XXXX where by they have a totally different card on file with me whereby ALL rental car charges post to. including but not limited to gas, toll roads, rental charges etc. ) Once I informed the bank branch management of this they suggested I open a fraud case to resolve the matter. Despite my request being that they reverse the charge all together as it was well over the credit it limit and should not have been approved in the first place. Nevertheless I was told this was the appropriate means in which to resolve the issue. 

After several follow up visit to the branch and a few calls from the fraud department. The claim was ultimately denied as they claimed my relationship with XXXXt XXXX XXXX is evidence that I do business with them. Despite the fact that I ONLY use the card on with budget rental and that regardless of my relationship with them my 2 points remain. 1. The charge was above the limit of the card in questions. 2.  I did not authorize any XXXX XXXX XXXXr charges on that card. 

XX/XX/XXXX I went back into the branch to appeal the decision and spoke with the branch manager who offered no logical or acceptable reason for the cause of this bank error. Therefore, I requested that my case be appealed and re-reviewed. At my request this matter was escalated to the Regional VP who contacted me direct but explained that we would need to open a whole new case. After receiving various conflicting stories and explanation within as to the status of the case I called the number provided by the VP to file a new case. I'm not sure to this day what happened with that second filing as I have no record of it from XXXX to speak of. 

XX/XX/XXXX after not hearing from anyone on this matter for some months I go to branch the card was originally setup in to speak to the person who created the account. She was just as appalled as I to learn what happened. We called the fraud department and was told the appeal had not been processed and that we would need to refile. Additionally she called XXXX XXXX XXXXr to have them run in their billing system the card number for the account and there were no charges on record for this account. The appeal was filed and I submitted per her instructions submitted a written statement via email that she was to submit along with the appeal stating we called XXXX they can not verify the charge on their end. 

XX/XX/XXXX I emailed the branch manager who helped to file my appeal for a status update. She informed me she had no further assistance to offer me and instructed me to call the fraud department. In doing so I learned that the fraud department had indeed receive my appeal but had not processed it. They explained that someone would contact me in 48hr to review my case. 

XX/XX/XXXX no one has yet to call me from fraud and I have now exhausted all possibilities of resolving this matter within the XXXX organization and am seeking help from Consumer Finance and any other means. 

This has had a HUGE negative impact on my credit score and as a result prevented my from several business opportunities and continues to do so the longer is stays unresolved. The level of dis-concern I been treated with throughout this organization on a matter that should not have ever happened in the first place as the card should have flat out been declined from the beginning is alarming.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation