Consumer complaint received 2021-07-07
Company: Army and Air Force Exchange Service
State: FL
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan
Sub-product: Personal line of credit
Issue: Problem when making payments

Complaint:
To whom all it may Concern, Buyer BEWARE & Vender BEWARE It is time to reconsider and re-evaluate each of your relationships with Army Air Force Exchange & XXXX XXXX. 

As well as the way that taxpayers & voters do business with our military bases. Here and abroad. This email is a stark reminder & warning of the cost of doing business with these two fraudulent companies. Buyer beware and Vender Beware.

All respect of the vendors, government agencies, public affairs, and media contacts that deal with Army Air Force Military Star Card & Exchanges worldwide. 
If you are a vendor doing business with AFFEES. 

Please reconsider the following. 
Your business arrangements going forward are NOT SECURE.

AAFES does not honor its cyber-security contracts. They are two years delinquent on labor subcontracts before the pandemic resulting in multiple breaches. AFFES forces out small businesses under their umbrella that pay rent directly to Army Air Force exchange. Including Phone Kiosk vendors. 
Ask around. 
The primary concern is not the bad XXXX or XXXX XXXX Reviews that both companies have amassed. which now for XXXX is over one thousand negative fraudulent reviews. It's the unsecured network AFFES continues to run and the scam artists they hire out at XXXX. It's the money they kept including taxpayer money, for the labor to upgrade the network. That the Exchange sat on. This includes purchase card point purchase machines that are not secure their cyber Network is not secure and at least three other families in the area that I know of personally. 
That being said. Each company should re-address your security concerns dealing with the Exchange and reevaluate the risk associated with a company that is operating under the table, and any credit card dealings with the Army Air Force exchange over the last three years. 
Because of AFFESS & XXXX internal problems, greed on a national scale. They choose to " NOT '' upgrade all their credit card machines even though they misled the public on XXXX. Telling everyone that they have a new biometric system credit card system? Store Managers in Florida, Tenessee & Kentucky  respectively all say differently and complain to customers how management never " takes care of it '' They roll their eyes because the credit card systems at least 10 years old always hang up they always have to re-check your entire basket of merchandise out. And then when you get the bill three months later theres fraudulent billing on it? The website has never been updated. A host of supervisors up the chain of command all the way going to XXXX do not follow up and yet make shady deals with the Department of the treasury to suit their own needs and to make the contract up as they go along. You dont have to look as far as my situation but there are very poor business decisions at Armed Forces exchange like removing DVDs and movies and most of the physical games?

Gift card scams on an epic scale. An active-duty Air Force police that doesnt care enough to walk across the street because theyre in on the gift card action which goes all the way up the chain of command as well.

Thats XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. You dont look any farther but to see the commander 's portrait on the wall as you walk into the Exchange. 
One would think that the XXXX XXXX wing commander has more important things to do than worry about a department store that is not secure, out of date, and overpriced? 
What does it say about their business dealings with each of you? Or theyre concerned for any of their customer 's identity or security? 
Considering this is supposed to be a secured military star card for our active-duty troops, their families, and a host of Veterans some of which are permanently XXXX like me. 
It doesnt have to be said that its simply not a matter of going out in town and shopping locally. But also considering that there was a mask mandate put on the base and members of the security squadron dont wan na wear their masks and at the exchange, they dont wan na wear the masks. 
Perhaps some of the people at the world health organization would like to contact the department of defense and the department of the Air Force about their PPE requirements and mandates? 

Can you see it becomes a little more than just my credit card? It becomes a health issue, it becomes a national defense issue, it becomes a federal and felony wire transfer fraud problem, it becomes an embezzlement problem. It concerns every person that has worked for the government or currently works for the government. As in XXXX all of your information was affected as well it affected millions of people. And yet all through that and XXXX, the Exchange was supposed to update their contract on Towing to purchase machines and yet they sat on it for two years?

In the last year alone I have 87 calls into the Exchange and XXXX to try and adjust and fix the things on my account. 
And after a month and a half of not a single follow-up. 

Each of the XXXX XXXX XXXX  Managers know exactly who is doing what and where the problem starts and it starts at the Exchange. 
XXXX and Supervisors at the Exchange and XXXX sit on the contract, collect that interest, and millions of dollars. We the customers, taxpayers, and Vendors pay the price. My identity is now stolen, our bank accounts compromised, my credit is ruined to the point where I have to file for a potential bankruptcy. Thats not including what happened to my neighbor down the way to the Exchange and XXXX is doing the same thing too. 
Is it ethically the right thing to continue to do business with companies that are not interested in doing business with each of you? That run their Veteran-owned subcontractors off? If Army Air Force Exchange and XXXX do not respect basic business contracts that they facilitate. 

-What do you think they are going to do to each of your companies ' profit margins? These people rely on volunteer labor as well instead of paying a living wage to the employees that do show up to do their jobs. This added cost savings. Buffers The Exchange and XXXX along with the vast number of wage garnishments that pad their pockets. 

-Those profits and take away from your bottom line. As they have mine. 
Each Vendor should thoroughly reconsider if your relationship with the way that we all do business with our military bases and this email is a stark reminder and warning to anybody out there that chooses to do business with the exchange. Buyer beware and Vender Beware. 

-Do not solicit from these scam artists, do not give them your business, do not go on the website and order something online this holiday season because it is not secure. Do not give them any of your personal information. Please do not use your military star card. Do not get gas at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Do not let them defraud another service member. Active or XXXX Veteran or their family. Make good ethical business elsewhere. 
There are other good & noble " Veteran Owned Companies '' in America and overseas that would love each of your businesses. 

Respectfully, XXXX XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation