Consumer complaint received 2020-09-11
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
I was apparently a victim of Chase 's shutdown pattern in XXXX, never having a late payment, and having consistent credit scores of XXXX. They cancelled All three of my Chase cards on approximately XXXX XXXX, XXXX ... The strange thing was that I never did get any answers as to why they closed my accounts. 

Fast forward to XX/XX/XXXX, and I have to cancel a reservation for a campsite I made on XXXX in back on XX/XX/XXXX due to COVID. There were three separate refunds processed, each for {$50.00} a piece. Totaling {$150.00}. Because I booked the reservation with my Chase Sapphire card that ended in XXXX, ( that was closed on XXXX XXXX, XXXX ), XXXX apparently processed the refund back to that card. I had had a few other refunds processed due to the pandemic, and it was easy enough for me to call to request my refund via a check. But since I had not made any charges, or had any recent refunds on that account, I had not logged into my online account for awhile. So a few days after the refund is apparently processed, I log into my account, and that particular card ending in XXXX isnt showing up. My other two closed cards are still showing up, with their zero balances, but no sign of the card that should have a refund for {$150.00} posted. I still have the physical card, as I keep all of them once closed for at least a year in case any problems arise. So, I call and when I enter my card number into their automated system, there seems to be zero record of this card ever existing. Keep in mind, the card had not even been closed for 6 months. So how does it disappear? I'm pretty sure there is something illegal about them doing this with my information. Isnt there some record retention law that states they must keep information about that card on file for at least a year? So finally they tell me they are unable to give me any specific information about this card ( why? ), and when I finally get through to someone, I am told I will need to fax them so they can launch an investigation. Fax? So I do that. I send pictures of the card, etc. 

I finally receive a letter in the mail explaining that they PURGED my account ( that has not even been closed for 6 months, mind you ), and so the refund never posted to my account. They claim they returned the money back to XXXX 's bank on XX/XX/XXXX, and gave me three reference numbers. I have attached that letter. When I get back to XXXX, they tell me they are only able to trace one of the {$50.00} refunds, but that is it. They said they can send me the {$50.00} but that I will need to contact Chase again about the rest of the money. I have attempted to escalate the issue with XXXX to no avail. Something about all of this seems extremely fishy. I just want my {$150.00} credit that I am due! When I ask XXXX for some tracking numbers or more information so that I can take the issue back up with Chase, I get no answers. They aren't willing to send me any proof, or which tracking numbers Chase sent that they are unable to trace. They are only willing to send me the {$50.00} and that is it. I have not heard back from Chase regarding this issue. It is difficult for me to call them since they have zero record of this account ever existing, and it takes forever to get past the touch tone prompting system. 

A little background ... I had been a Chase customer for years, and had 3 commercial credit cards to my name, all from Chase bank. I have always had exceptional credit, always paid my bill on time, always paid my annual fee. All was well for years until I moved to XXXX  from my home state of XXXX   after a divorce and changed my name back to my maiden name in XXXX of XXXX. I was able to change my address successfully with Chase as soon as I made the move. The following month, XX/XX/XXXX, I was finally able to legally change my name back to my maiden name. I called the customer service number on the back of my card to get the details on the information they required for this name change : a copy of the divorce decree, my social security number, a copy of my drivers license, and possibly a 4th piece of identification, but I dont remember exactly. I remember sending more than the required information to all 3 cards. They were big envelopes due to the requirements of the divorce decree. I had to send a letter to each card, so three sets of information. It took about 10 days and new credit cards were issued in my new name. 

Then, around XX/XX/XXXX, which is 6 months after my name change, I got the dreaded letter outlined in an article from XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   seemed like a phishing scam to me ... the letter seemed to be photocopied onto the paper, was addressed to my married name, and said it was in regards to my account ending in XXXX. Thats right, there was not the last 4 digits like normal when a credit card sends you correspondence. Just a single number. Also, of note, was the fact that the information in the letter where they would drop in identifying information about each particular customer like in a template, was blank. Like someone sent it out in a hurry and didnt bother to double check it before mailing. It requested my tax info, another copy of my social security number, and a w4. Fishy!! I was suspicious. So, rather than calling the number listed on the letter ( really thinking it was likely a phishing scam ), I called the customer service number on the back of my card to inquire. 

I told them of the letter, read what it said, and explained why I thought it might be a phishing scam. I wanted to know if I should do anything about it. The guy on the other end was dumbfounded, said my account was in excellent standing ( I have always had a credit score of XXXX ) and wasnt sure why I would get that letter, and that I should disregard it. So, I did. Big Mistake. 

I never heard anything more until about the XXXX or XXXX of XXXX when I went to make a purchase and my card was declined. I attempted to use my other 2 cards to find out they didnt work either. I called and was informed my account was closed. This is where it gets really frustrating. No one would give me any information. I spent somewhere around 10 hours on the phone, getting passed around from department to department, no one hearing of this or knowing what to do, who I could talk to. And I experienced extremely RUDE individuals, not believing I had ever called customer service about the letter ( apparently there was no record of my phone call ), I mean, just mind-boggling. I was able to get someone to resend me the letter with the requested forms, sent them out, With additional proof of my name change including my passport, and never heard a peep from anyone. Of course, then the pandemic hit. 

I finally just gave up because I decided it wasnt worth all the time and energy I was putting into all of this, and ultimately decided I will never be a customer of Chase ever again. I do believe they are possibly involved in fraudulent activity. Of course my credit score took a huge hit and I am now residing in the XXXX while I rebuild my credit from ALL of my cards being cancelled. I did seem to possibly figure out that it had something to do with my name or address change, but it blows my mind because I know there are people changing their names all the time. The one thing that stood out, was that my name on my ONLINE account was never changed to my maiden name. The only time I noticed it was when I went to make a payment on the app ( which is what I used the majority of the time to manage my account ), it would show my maiden name. I never thought too much about it, but I had sent a couple emails about it and made a couple calls about it, but no one seemed to know what I was talking about or how to change it and I just chalked it up to an IT department glitch with the app. 

Whats even more maddening, is that I called each credit card, and requested which specific details of my information they needed to process my name change, and not a single one of them ever suggested that I actually had to send the information to an additional department. What I think I figured out is that the credit department and the lending department do not communicate or share information. So it seems that even though I was able to successfully change my name with the credit department and obtain new cards with my maiden name on them, I was somehow supposed to know that I also had to contact the lending department to inform them of my name change also. Again, somehow thats something Im supposed to know, that the credit department and the lending department do not communicate or share information? Seems like a shady, XXXX business to me. Why should a customer pay the price of a blow to the credit when I did everything ( to my knowledge ) correctly? And from reading your article, I dont think I fell into any of those categories of suspicious activity, but I did use my cards for every purchase, and paid them off every single month. I never kept a balance. So is that the new red flag for them? 

Whats even crazier, is that I have kept my cards due to all this craziness going on. I was getting a lot of refunds from trips and concert tickets from cancelled shows from purchases make at the end of the year and beginning of XXXX due to Covid. So several times, I had to call and request that they send me a check for my refund. It has never been a problem until ... 

And back to my issue of me never receiving my {$150.00} refund I am due. I will include attachments of the chase letter, of correspondence from Recreation.gov, and copies of my receipts from Recreation.gov. 

I just really need and want my {$150.00} credit. My dog has XXXX and is going through XXXX treatments and I could really use this money to help pay for this. It is wrong that I am again having to spend so much time on the phone with both companies, and no one is giving me the information I need to investigate further. 

It would be nice to know WHY they closed all three of my accounts, then PURGED the credit card account I used the most, and now is refusing to give me the refund I am due. But most important, I just want my {$150.00} refund ( three separate credits of {$50.00} each ). I will never ever be a Chase customer again.  And likely, will never book with XXXX again.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation