Consumer complaint received 2019-02-05
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Problem with fees

Complaint:
On or around XX/XX/XXXX, I purchased an adjustable bed and a set of bamboo sheets from XXXX XXXX XXXX   XXXX  in XXXX XXXX, MT. At the time of purchase, I applied and was approved for a credit account through CapitalOne at a 0 % interest rate for 18 months. 

Although I had not yet received any information on my account, I used the account information that I obtained when I applied at the time of purchase to mail off my first payment of {$100.00} via online bill pay through my credit union on XX/XX/XXXX. I thought I was being proactive, believing that my first payment wouldnt be due until probably the end of XXXX at the earliest. I discovered later that the check never cleared, but subsequent checks that I mailed off did. I never received any statements or correspondence at all- no telephone, email, text or snail mail. 

This past XXXX, I wanted to check my payoff amount, but was unable to log into the website ( I had never set up an account ) so I ended up calling the phone number to obtain my balance. I was surprised to find my balance at the time was two or three hundred dollars more than I expected. Although I spoke to a Customer Service representative, I did not receive a satisfactory response as to why my balance was so much higher than I expected ( or why I had never received any correspondence of any kind ), so I requested a copy of all my statements. The customer service representative I spoke with was not pleased that I was requesting copies of my statements. 

When my statements finally arrived in the mail, I realized that because my first payment was ( apparently ) never received, I had been charged late fees as well as interest on my purchases. 

I submitted a payment request from the credit union ; I also wrote a letter to CaptialOne ( dated XX/XX/XXXX ) explaining the situation and requesting that I be refunded the late fees and interest that I was charged because that XX/XX/XXXX payment never arrived at its destination- or at least was never cashed. The letter, along with copies of my statements and proof that my credit union submitted the payment, were mailed to XXXX using the address on listed on the statements for billing inquiries. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I again contacted and spoke with someone in the Customer Service Department ( XXXX ) to confirm that my original letter was received, and I was a little confused. From the conversation I had with the customer service representative, whose name I didnt get, I can only assume that my original letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX and mailed off probably XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX, was never received- although Im not sure that the question was ever actually answered. 

She did not inspire a lot of confidence that she knew what she was doing because she kept putting me on hold, and kept redirecting the conversation away from the reason I actually called. By the end of the 38 minute call she seemed to be arguing with me because she thought I wanted to have that {$100.00} uncleared check credited to my account. But that is not the case ; I have no control over whether that check arrived at its destination, and I have no way of knowing where that check is so I dont expect a credit to my account for money that was never received by CapitalOne or debited from account. 

What I was requesting is that the {$130.00} in late fees and interested that I was charged over the course of several months be credited back to my account, because if the payment had made its way to where it was supposed to go, I wouldnt have been charged those fees. All I know is that the credit union claims that the check was mailed off- and all the other payments have made it to their final destination. I also have no idea why the XXXX  XXXX   statements never arrived in my mailbox, but if they had, I would have known immediately that the initial payment was never received. 

To some extent I can understand why the Customer Service representative would be accusatory and suspicious. And having been a loyal customer of CapitalOne 360 since it took over XXXX   XXXX  XXXX in XXXX, it didnt initially occur to me that any funny business would have taken place. But about halfway through the phone call with the Customer Service rep, the thought popped into my head that for all I know the check was intentionally left uncashed for the purpose of charging me late fees and interest- and that my monthly statements were never mailed off so that I wouldnt catch on. 

The only positive aspect of the phone call is that I was given a fax number to use to reach out to try and get this whole matter resolved. I still dont know whether my original letter was ever received, and if it was received, I have no idea whether a response was ever sent because nothing ever arrived in my mailbox- but the statements never arrived there either. 

However, I was unable to get confirmation that the fax ever arrived at its intended destination, so I mailed off copies of both letters, the statements and other proof of payment from XX/XX/XXXX via certified mail on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I later received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX indicating that my inquiry was received and forwarded to the appropriate department. Later still, I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX stating they were unable to fulfill my request vis written correspondence and that I need to call them ( which was contradictory to what the Customer Service Reps were had told me- they indicated that there was telephone correspondence available ). I called them on XX/XX/XXXX and I honestly don't remember what was discussed, just that nothing was resolved. 

Recently I received yet another letter, this one dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that part of my letter was not legible and therefore they needed additional information for clarification. It also requested that I send a separate signed letter or phone their office again so that they can assist me. Based on the fact that one of the letters addressed to me was dated XX/XX/XXXX, yet my certified mail was sent XX/XX/XXXX ( and a return receipt indicates that it was received XX/XX/XXXX ), that indicates to me that they have received at least two different copies of my paperwork. 

At this point, I feel like I am just getting the runaround. When I tried to reach out via telephone, I was informed that there wasn't anyone I could reach out to via telephone other than Customer Service. When I finally found a way around the Customer Service phone number, I am constantly being told that my correspondence is either lost or illegible.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief