Consumer complaint received 2020-05-01
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms

Complaint:
I booked a ~ {$1500.00} XXXX vacation for my boyfriend and me for our two-year anniversary using my Chase XXXX  XXXX card, as it is marketed as the best card for travel with point benefits and travel insurance. We were supposed to leave on XX/XX/XXXX, but two nights before that, our dog experienced XXXX. As my boyfriend was trying to calm the dog down and the dog was coming out of the XXXX, he was very disoriented and scared, and bit my boyfriend in the face. We spent the next 12 hours taking my boyfriend to the hospital, and then our dog to the vet. Needless to say, given the gashes on my boyfriend 's face and the possibility of the dog having recurring XXXX, we decided to cancel our trip. 

I called Chase on XX/XX/XXXX to ask what action I should take to start filing for trip insurance. I was advised to cancel with XXXX ( please remember this part, as it's important ), and then to file a claim thru XXXX. I immediately spent hours going back and forth with XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, getting all the information they requested - proof that we had visited the vet that night for my dog, proof of our visit to the hospital for my boyfriend 's face wounds, proof that XXXX did not reimburse or refund my money, proof of XXXX 's terms and conditions when a vacation package is cancelled, the full card benefits guide and a personal letter to the claim reviewer stating my situation and where in the guide am I referring to when I say I believe my entire purchase should be covered, etc. 

After a few days, I received a prompt via email that XXXX wanted me to prove XXXX   partnership with my boyfriend, otherwise only my portion of the trip would be covered - so only ~ {$750.00} would be recouped, and I would lose the {$750.00} for my boyfriend 's portion of the vacation package. I called Chase 's benefits department, and two different representatives disagreed with this - they were horrified at my situation, and read through the benefits guide, and believed I should be covered, as it was my purchase. However, XXXX disagreed because they said only the cardholder and cardholder 's immediate family would be covered. They told me that if I can not prove that my boyfriend and I are in a XXXX  partnership, then only my half of the trip would be covered. This is extremely misleading because I am the cardholder, and I purchased the trip as a gift - it is solely MY purchase, so in the event that I have cancel the trip for whatever reason, my full purchase should be insured. Half of my purchases are things that my boyfriend and I share - groceries, transportation, etc. This trip was a gift to him, and I wasn't going to go on it alone - it is so misleading to consumers that Chase markets all these lavish benefits, but when it comes to the INTERPRETATION of the benefits, NONE of that lies with Chase and it is solely up to the discretion of XXXX, and their sole objective is of course to prevent payout to customers as it is in their best interest. 

I called Chase again in late XXXX, and the benefits representative said there wasn't anything she could do for me, and supervisors are all tied up as well due to COVID-19 and a huge increase in call volume. She did offer to pass me to the charge dispute team, and I accepted as I felt like I had no other options left. That team told me that because I had cancelled the trip instead of XXXX doing it on their end, that there was no recourse for me. So the very first instruction Chase gave me to kick off the trip insurance claim also ended up being the very thing that prevented me from getting my money back. I also don't see how XXXX would be able to cancel on their end because it's not like the package was suddenly unavailable - I doubt they would cancel on my behalf just so I would be able to file for trip insurance, as there are probably ramifications on their end as well. 

At this point in late XXXX, I have spent literally HOURS either waiting on hold or speaking with Chase representatives with the frustration bringing me to tears - 4 of which said they strongly believe I should be covered, 2 of which said they could not advise on the matter and I needed to speak with XXXX directly. This goes to show you the disorganization at Chase and the fact that their representatives don't even know what is covered. It also makes clear that they do not value customers ' business - their marketing and the claims process are completely disconnected. Chase can promise customers the world when it comes to their card benefits, but will not even raise a pinky to help a customer because they outsource the dirty work of the trip claims process to XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation