Consumer complaint received 2020-06-22
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: MD
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-issue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online

Complaint:
Main Idea : My PNC bank account has been closed for twelve days due an error that was made by a vendor. I have complained to the vendor about their negligence, I have also complained to  PNC. I feel that it was PNC 's fiduciary duty ; they did not meet my expectations. They are bound ethically to act in my best interest. I have spent over a dozen hours on the phone ( between the vendor and PNC ), nearly each time I have been emotional crying because I feel so helpless. This is my only bank account. I got paid from my job on Friday the XXXX but I have not been able to access my funds. I haven't been able to buy food, gas, pay bills ( a few of them delinquent now ) all because PNC closed my card. No one from the Security Review team ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX or XXXX ) have returned my calls even though I asked them to call me to help sort it out. The rep on the phone told me that the security review team does not accept inbound calls and that my problem has been escalated ... I've been told that it has been escalated since the beginning of the situation. This inability to access my hard earned money has taken a toll on me : emotionally physically ( not able to eat, sleep, stressed ) and work ( I'm in sales and under performing because of the stress ). It feels like the security review team is untouchable and tackling disputes is very one way ; no empathy whatsoever. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I canceled a lodging reservation. The lodging company overpaid me a refund. My refund should have been {$660.00} ( paid on XX/XX/XXXX ). Instead, the lodging company repaid me {$430.00} three times on XX/XX/XXXX. This was unbeknownst to me until I tried to buy dinner that afternoon. I tried to make a couple purchases online but my PNC Smart Access Prepaid Visa card was declined. This prompted me to go to my PNC banking app on my phone. That's when I noticed the problem. When I called the 800 number on the back of my card, the first thing that I heard was " this card is closed ''. I selected to speak to a representative who told me that the card was under security review due to the error that the vendor made. I asked what could be done and I was told that there was nothing they could do at that point. I was angry that PNC DID NOT alert me about the irregularity on my card. In the past when something suspicious occurs, they will contact me by phone. I feel that time was lost here! After speaking with PNC, I called the third party that booked my reservation, XXXX XXXX Reservations, I told them about the situation. The rep apologized and stated that she would take care of it right then but was sure of when the change would be reflected on my account. The weekend went by, I called PNC again over the weekend and asked if they've seen a change on my account but they just gave me robotic scripted answers. 

On Monday XX/XX/XXXX, when I saw that nothing was resolved, I spent hours trying to resolve the matter with XXXX XXXX Reservations ( 3rd party ), Delaware XXXX XXXX at XXXX ( actual lodging ) and PNC. The lodging party gave me an invoice to show the refund. I took it into a PNC Branch and faxed it to the XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and XXXX ) as PNC requested. I didn't come to learn until later that that invoice was not sufficient. I kept calling PNC to see EXACTLY what was needed, but I never got a clear answer, I was always met with very scripted individuals who were reading notes that were not 100 % updated. I started to lean more on PNC staff in the branch to serve as a liaison with their corporate office. A big breakthrough happened when I met PNC branch manager, XXXX. on XX/XX/XXXX. I really got the sense that he was empathetic and listening to me. He told me over the phone that my account said " Active ''. I rushed over to the branch just as they were closing only to find that I couldn't use the ATM nor could I withdraw funds ... so many disconnects between PNC 's front line, in the branch and their corporate offices. Why did he and his team see that my account was " Active '' but in reality, it was NOT! A.W. then called the security review team at my request and Voila! He spoke to someone ... the ever elusive team members made time to talk to them while I was there. I got a better sense of what EXACTLY was needed. I requested the necessary documentation from the lodging company and on XX/XX/XXXX around XXXX, XXXX. faxed it to the security team, twice for good measure. They confirmed that the fax was received ... .my account is still not accessible. 

What am I supposed to do? How will I pay for food, gas, bills, rent etc. PNC has never told me why they locked down my entire account ... .why didn't they just put a hold on the overage????????? It brings me to tears to think about the fact that I paid on Friday XX/XX/XXXX, direct deposit, but have not been able to use the funds. How is this legal? Is this FDIC compliant? These are very rough times, I don ; t have any disposable income ... what if I get sick? It's soooo frustrating to know that I have funds but that I can not access them.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation