Consumer complaint received 2020-05-05
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms

Complaint:
Over the past fifteen years of having Bank of America 's Alaska Mileage Plan Visa credit card, I never received the advertised benefit for an annual Companion Fare rate or discount. 

On XX/XX/2020 at XXXX PST- the first of five calls, I contacted Bank of America at XXXX, the number listed on the back of the credit card, about its Alaska Mileage Plan Visa credit card to understand why this benefit has not been honored and applied to my account even though they have been collecting an annual fee on this credit card for a decade and a half. I was on the call with the first representative for 13mins and 33secs. He gave me the option of changing the status of my credit card. I said I need to better understand the process of changing the status of my credit card. He insisted that I needed give him the an approval to change the status of my credit card before he could explain the process and terms. I told him that I would need to understand all the terms before I can consent. It didn't feel right and I explained that I needed time to process what he was saying to me before I make any decision. We mutual agreed to hang up the phone. 

I called again at XXXX PST on the same night. I was on the call with a representative for 51mins and 30 secs. It sounded hopeful that she would be able to explain to me why this Companion Fare or Discount never was applied to this card. She acknowledged that it did not post and apply to my Bank of America 's Alaska Mileage Plan credit card profile and account. Suddenly the call ended. 

I called again on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST. The representative told me that she would look into the situation and the call ended. 

I called again this same night at XXXX PST, connected from one representative to another, one of the representative insisted that Bank of American does not offer an Alaska Mileage Plan card and that she knew of no such perk as Companion Fare for one of Bank of America 's credit card. This call also all of a sudden ended after 18mins and 1sec. 

My last attempted call was at XXXX PST. The automated system did not connect me to anyone in a minute, so I decided to hang up. 

The initial call to Bank of America was to understand why an advertised benefit of the Alaska Mileage Plan credit card had been a perk Companion Fare. One call led to several calls that exacerbated and expanded beyond the original intent of the call, ranging from lack of disclosure on a process about a product, misrepresentation, and negligence. 

In summary, the concerns and egregious offenses are : - misleading and false advertisement of a product ( no Companion Fare perk for fifteen years ), - misrepresentation of a product ( stating that there was a Companion Fare perk ), - deceptive practice in pushing for a change in a product without full disclosure ( first representative 's resistance to fully disclosing the terms of a different product ), and - negligence and failure to address the issue by denying that a product existed ( a representative dismissing that Bank of America offers a credit card with a Companion Fare benefit ).

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