Consumer complaint received 2020-05-20
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NY
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:
Hello, On XX/XX/XXXX, someone made a purchase on my credit card at a merchant named XXXX, in the amount of {$420.00}. The next morning ( XX/XX/XXXX ), as soon as I saw the purchase, I called my bank, Bank of America, and notified them that a fraudulent purchase was made on my account. The bank immediately reversed the charge the next day. The merchandise that the person purchased ended up being shipped to my house. I contacted the merchant, explained that this was a fraudulent transaction, asked them to change my password and information, and the merchant provided me with a return label. I sent the merchandise back to the merchant. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, the fraud dispute once again appeared on my statement, showing a balance of {$420.00} in regard to the same transaction. I immediately explained the issue to Bank of America, and they reopened the claim. I sent Bank of America an affidavit explaining the situation and provided tracking information to show that the merchandise was returned to the merchant. One again, I explained that this was fraud. 

It has been almost three months since I reopened the fraud dispute. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Bank of America to get an update and they informed me that the sent out a letter on XX/XX/XXXX, that simply stated that nothing has changed and that they will not reverse the charge. No explanation given. 

I have been a Bank of America customer for close to 15 years and the treatment that I have received throughout this process has, quite frankly, been appalling. I have a checking account, savings account, and credit card with the bank. I have never missed a payment or had to make a fraud dispute prior to this. As soon as I identified the fraud I notified the bank. As soon as the charge appeared on my account again, after Bank of America denied my fraud dispute, I notified the bank and provided them with the information that they requested. I can not believe that they would treat such a longstanding customer in this manner. 

The amount of time and effort that I have had to put into removing a fraudulent purchase from my account has been shocking. I have called at least ten times throughout this process and been on the phone for close to 20 hours. I am often given a direct phone number to call to get an update. That number is incorrect. Every time I call the number back, I have to be transferred at least one or two times. 

I have never experienced customer service this terrible. It has been almost 5 months since someone made a fraudulent purchase on my card. Bank of America has been slow to respond, sneaky in how they notify me that the charge is being added back to my card, and have provided me with a shocking lack of information as to how I can finally get this resolved. 

Somone fraudulent purchased over {$400.00} of underwear on my credit card. It should not take this long to have the charge removed and rectified. I have tried to remain calm and respectful throughout this process, and provide the bank with the necessary information. I now have a minimum payment due in 5 days. I am worried that my credit score will be impacted because of this. I hope that this can be resolved soon. I do not want other customers to have to deal with the level of frustration that I have had to deal with. 

Thank you for your time and help.

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 monetary relief