Consumer complaint received 2023-01-10
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
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:
I fell victim to a deceptive and extortionate merchant, who charged my credit card for dubious sweepstakes, while also claiming to be engaged in raising funds in a charitable endeavor. The merchant refused to refund my money, so I disputed the charges with my credit card company ( Chase ) under the claims and defenses procedures of the Fair Credit Billing Act. However, after 6 days of filing the dispute, Chase summarily denied the dispute, claiming that I can not dispute the charges and that they are valid charges. The details of the matter are chronicled below. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX are affiliates and the owners of a competition ( Organizers ) called XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, which supposedly brings women of XXXX XXXX XXXX and over to compete for the title of XXXX XXXX  XXXX. Purportedly, the prize is a 2-page feature in XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX Winners are decided via public voting by supporters of the contestants, and the contestants advance through various stages of the competition until a winner emerges. Apparently, XXXX  is the non-profit arm of the affiliation, while XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX is a for-profit entity. 

My wife was a contestant in the XXXX XXXX XXXX competition see attached Screenshot of her Competitor Page XXXX XXXX XXXX  ). She was randomly recruited for the competition on social media by an agent of the Organizers after she posted pictures of her XXXX birthday celebration in XX/XX/XXXXXXXX There were various rounds in the competition, including Top XXXX, Top XXXX, Top XXXX, Top XXXX, XXXX, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals. My wife advanced to the Finals. However, as she advanced in the competition and we got to know more about the business practices and reputation of the Organizers, it left us with a disquieting feeling that we were pawns in an immensely questionable campaign resembling a Ponzi scheme. She regrets having been lured into this contest, just as I feel having been misled into contributing to this opaque and questionable contest. The total amount that I personally paid into this contest between XX/XX/XXXX XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXXXXXX for the purpose of voting for my wife is XXXX See the receipts attached as XXXX XXXX 

I was under the impression that this was a contest conducted on a level playing field, where there would be transparency in the process and the Organizers would run a conscientious and honorable contest, but my experience and that of my wife says otherwise. 

For example, first, the full population of contestants in the competition was always kept hidden. You could not tell what the totality of contestants was at any time. The contestants were siloed into different groups, and you could not determine how many groups they were in total. 

Second, the contestant ( or anyone else ) could neither see the full list/number of votes cast for them nor who the voters were. The contestants XXXX only displayed limited information/data like top voters or XXXX most recent voters, but never the full population. See attached screenshot of the Dashboard XXXX XXXX XXXX ). 

Third, how the Organizers tabulate the votes and its system and process for crediting votes remains a mystery. There are two categories of votes, XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. For the former category voters literally pay money to vote ( usually {$1.00} for XXXX vote ), while for the XXXX XXXX category voters are limited to XXXX vote daily. Additionally, for Free Votes, there are different numbers of votes credited for each vote based on the method used to verify the voter. Verification is either by XXXX or by credit card, and two votes are credited for the latter versus one for the former. 

Abstrusely, randomly and from time to time, every vote cast ( either XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX ) was given double credit ( 2 for 1 votes ). It is unclear if the Organizers gave precedence in their tabulation system to votes purchased via XXXX XXXX versus votes cast via XXXX XXXX. Some contestants have vociferously complained that votes from their supporters via XXXX XXXX were routinely not credited or accounted for, in subordination to Hope Votes. See the catalogue of complaints lodged by contestants and voters alike ( reporting the XXXX XXXX XXXX competition as a scam ) on : XXXX, an excerpt of the online reviews is attached herewith as XXXX XXXX. 

Additionally, my wife used the services of a media outlet ( XXXX XXXX and XXXX ), which has viewers/listeners in XXXX countries and has millions in its subscriber/mailing list orbit, to promote her candidacy in the competition. XXXX XXXX and XXXX confirmed that tens of thousands in its audience voted for her using XXXX XXXX. However, there is no record of this activity on the Organizers portal or that the votes were credited or accounted for in their tabulation. This observation mirrors complaints on online forums like XXXX 

Fourth, there are unresolved questions about the competition money : where the money goes exactly, what specifically are the fees/costs/salaries/expenses that the Organizers or its partners claim from the total stake, and so on. The Organizers provide pro forma and nebulous answers in this regard. 

Lastly, I believe that the competition was a ruse to fleece supporters of the contestants and the public in general. I was constantly bombarded with messages from the Organizers to donate to support my wife. I feel like I have been extorted. Consequently, my wife quit the competition before the results were announced, and I requested a refund of all the money I paid to the Organizers on XX/XX/XXXX, but they refused to return my money. 

Consequently, I filed complaints against the Organizers with the following : New York Attorney Generals Office ( XX/XX/XXXX ) ; Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office ( XX/XX/XXXX ) ; the Federal Trade Commission ( XX/XX/XXXX ) ; and the Internet Crime Complaint Center ( XX/XX/XXXX ). 

I filed a credit card dispute with Chase on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to XXXX in the Disputes Department. Chase subsequently left a message for me to contact them, so I called them on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to XXXX around XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and then I spoke to a supervisor called XXXX. XXXX was terse and final in his declaration that I can not dispute the transactions. I was shocked at this seemingly bizarre stance, so I called back the same day and I spoke with XXXX, an Accounts Customer Service Supervisor around XXXX XXXX, who forwarded me back to Disputes Department where they maintained their position of the denial of my dispute. Chase subsequently sent me a letter confirming their position.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation