Consumer complaint received 2021-02-22
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: VA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Struggling to pay your bill
Sub-issue: Credit card company won't work with you while you're going through financial hardship

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2021, I contact USAA in regards to my XXXX XXXX and my Visa XXXX card as they have left a message trying to collect a debt since I was behind by a few weeks. I spoke to Member debt dissolution department and I had advised that was I have been financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and need help. They took information from me to update and asked questions about my husband work. They also asked me if I had received my Stimulus check from the government and perhaps I could pay the debt with the money. I was mad at the comment and I told the gentleman on the line ( which they keep recording of it I forgot his name ) why would he even ask me that? I told him the stimulus money was for me to make sure I have food for my XXXX  children all under the age of XXXX. That I could not use that money to pay a debt, I told him I would rather have a XXXX FICO score than take food away from my children that was no brainer. I asked if that was even legal of him to ask me that since we are living such unpresidential times? to which he responded never mine ill transfer you to the to the credit card servicing debt. I got transfer and the lady advised that I qualified for a 3 month forbearance period and my next payment would be in XX/XX/2021 and that two letters will be following explaining the terms and all the information needed. A week went by and on the XXXX of XXXX I received another phone call from the member debt dissolution center department trying to collect a debt, I had advised that I had already spoken to the Credit card servicing debt department and that had already approved me of a forbearance until XX/XX/2021 that I did not need to worry about it. I asked why were they calling me if this had already taken care off, the guy on the line advised that he could not see that on the system, I told him to please look at his notes as I know they take notes and it should show on the file that I has this conversation on XXXX  of XXXX on regards to this. He look and proceeded to transfer me again to the Credit Card Servicing Debt department in which after looking they saw that yes it was done and added an additional note that I had been approved and that the debt collection department did not have to call me. They also advise two letter were going to follow up explaining the forbearance process and that I did not have to pay anything until XX/XX/2021. On XX/XX/XXXX I get another call from the Member debt dissolution department I spoke to XXXX ID XXXX she advised that I had a debt that they needed it to collect, from this point forward it became a XXXX hour called back and forth with different representatives, she transfers me to XXXX in the Credit Card servicing solutions, XXXX goes and tries to run both cards for the forbearance and advices that the system gives her a prompt stating that I was approved on XX/XX/XXXX of the forbearance for both card the XXXX XXXX and the XXXX Visa, I asked her why the debt collections department can not see this- she added that she did not know. she added a detail note on this and advised me that I was fine but she could not understand why the system was not creating the mail for prove that I have been approve of this forbearance she transfers me again and I am back at the debt solutions department on the line with someone which I did not know that I was transfer to that department as I was on hold with with XXXX since she was verifying why I was not receiving my letter and they were not showing on the system. She trasnfer me back to the Credit Card Servicing dept and I was on the phone with XXXX ID XXXX she was on the phone with me but could not see why I was not receiving the approval by mail but the system seems to have approved me since the XXXX of XXXX at this point she transfer me to XXXX she refused to give me her ID number as they are management and they are not allow to give it ( I did not understand why she could not give it but I was not going to have an argument about it, I was already frustrated as it was 2.5 hours on the phone already with zero resolution to this matter ) I told her to please look at the notes because she kept telling me I was not approve but she was not even reading the file with the notes from 2 prior calls, she finally was able to see that I had been approved for a forbearance until XX/XX/2021 for both cards XXXX XXXX and XXXX Visa and advised to give it a couple of day. I told her I have been waiting since the XXXX of XXXX I told her the only letters the system is generating are the ones trying to collect a debt, nothing else. she said that she can see that I have been approved but can not figure out why it was not generating the necessary paperwork for me to have on record. she went ahead and said she will sent this to IT that maybe there was a glitch in the system. Nothing got resolved. I spoke to her in regards to the fact that on a previous call I was ask to pay with my stimulus money and she advised that USAA is not supposed to be asking customers to pay with their stimulus. she said that she would escalate the situation. today is XX/XX/2021 and the system has yet to generate my forbearance approval and I am still getting harassed by the USAA debt collector department.

Company public response: Company believes complaint represents an opportunity for improvement to better serve consumers
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief