Consumer complaint received 2019-05-26
Company: DISCOVER BANK
State: RI
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:
My name is XXXX XXXX and I have been a customer of Discover since XXXX of 2012. This was my first credit card I have ever had. I have never had any issues with discover and they have always treated me fairly. 
On XX/XX/XXXX of this year I was a victim of credit card fraud for the amount of {$4300.00}. This transaction was made at a jeweler that is about a two hour drive from where I live. Upon noticing the transaction I searched through my wallet and notices the Discover card was missing. I called Discover and informed them of the fraudulent transaction. The first interaction I had went well as the rep I spoke to was very sympathetic and reassured me that I would not be liable for the transaction. I also explained to her that I had just made a purchase through XXXX  that was not fraudulent around the same time. I was able to make this transaction because my Discover card information has always been saved to my XXXX account. The rep I spoke to was very understanding and I ended the conversation feeling very calm as it seemed Discover would handle the situation and my credit score would be okay. 
A couple months later I received a notification from one of the credit agencies saying my credit score decreased because my percentage of credit used shot up. I checked all my credit cards and noticed that my discover card balance had shot up well over {$4000.00}. The fraudulent charge from XXXX had been reapplied to my account. I had to wait until the next business day to contact that department because they were closed. Once I contacted the Discover department that handles these investigations I spoke to a gentleman that wasnt very helpful. I asked him a few questions and his responses were very condescending. Throughout the conversation I asked him to give me the reason for the charge being applied back on my account. The reasons he gave me were very vague and all based on assumptions. There was no actual proof that I had made the purchase but the gentleman I spoke to accused me of having done the fraudulent charge myself. The gentleman told me that the vendor had supplied them with a copy of my drivers license and that it was presented at the point of sale. Discover has not send me a copy of this information for me to be able to dispute it. I never lost my license. The only items missing from my wallet were a few business cards, my discover card, a XXXX gift card and a small amount of cash. I submitted an affidavit to Discover with photo evidence of my Discover card being saved to my XXXX   account as this seemed to be one of the reasons that discover is assuming I am guilty. I am willing to drive to XXXX ( 2 hours away ) to file a police report but I was told I did not have to by the first representative I spoke to. 
I have been trying very hard to pay off all my debt, primarily my credit cards, so that I could apply for a home equity line of credit so that I could go back to school and finish my degree. I have had to put that all on hold because of this issue and I am missing summer classes that will put me behind another year to getting my degree. This has been an incredibly frustrating and stressful experience for me as I do not have the funds readily available to me to be able to pay off this large of an amount off of my credit card. This is also negatively impacted my credit score which I have been trying very hard to improve. I am very surprised that this transaction wasnt blocked as it was made so far away from the town where I live ( and very rarely leave ) and it was a large purchase from a jewelry store ; the most expensive piece of jewelry I own is an {$80.00} pair of earrings that I havent worn since college.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief