Consumer complaint received 2019-06-13
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
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: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2019 I rolled {$4400.00} over to USAA on what I thought was 0 % APR loan offer. I took advantage of the same offer one month prior and thought the offer was valid through XX/XX/XXXX. I did the transaction online. USAA 's online balance transfer user experience is sub-par in the industry. Compared to competitors, it is visually confusing. At no point during my online transaction was I clued in that I was signing onto a variable regular APR loan at 18.15 % ; the terms looked identical to the 0 % offer I used only one month prior. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I discovered an interest on Balance Transfer fee of {$50.00} on my USAA statement. I called USAA to inquire. They informed me I had not selected a 0 % loan, there was no available 0 % offer to transfer me to, and they could not refund my interest charge fees. I accepted responsibility for the mistake, while simultaneously expressing confusion as I am a responsible credit card consumer with a history of only using 0 % loans. While on hold I walked myself back through the online experience. That's where I began to see how confusing the online Balance Transfer experience is, especially when compared to XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, etc. I no longer felt 100 % accountable for this error. I asked them to look at my 22 year history with USAA and please refund the interest charge so that I could move the balance to another card, lick my wounds and move on ( I paid 3 % to transfer to USAA with another 3 % to transfer out again ; I would be out {$260.00} regardless ). 

The rep repeatedly said they can not refund interest fees but elevated my case to executive resolutions and gave me a case number. She said they'd get back to me within 48 hours ; she would try to expedite my case. While chatting I asked her to tell me the balance I needed to pay to close the loan. She said {$3300.00}. I said that's not possible, the {$4400.00} loan was only 1 month old and I hadn't paid into it. She recognized the mistake and said she'd elevate that complaint as well. 

On XX/XX/2019 I called USAA and spoke with the executive resolutions team. They said they were not under obligation to call me back and apologized for the incorrect information. There was also no record of the incorrect balance amount conversation.

After 2+ hours on the phone with USAA this week I am gob-smacked at their lack of compassion for human error, lack of acknowledgement of their misleading web experience and inconsistent customer service. My entire time on the phone I felt as if I were between a rock and a hard place, there was no give at any turn. For a company who specializes in helping individuals who experience life upheavals they are stern and inflexible with resolution of difficult or unexpected situations. I am writing mostly to warn others to stay away from USAA for credit card loans of any type as there is absolutely no room for error. I have generously received interest fee refunds from XXXX, XXXX and XXXX over my 22 years credit card history. Every other company offers a one-time courtesy refund to extend trust and customer good faith. USAA has lost my credit card business. I got off the phone, transferred my balance to XXXX and cut up my USAA card. Never again.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation