Consumer complaint received 2023-05-16
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MN
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Confusing or missing disclosures

Complaint:
On Monday morning, XX/XX/2023, I used the Capital One Mobile App to open a checking account. I went through the steps it showed on the screen, filling out the requested information, but it would not let me complete the setup without contacting customer service, which I did. After verifying my identity via the ID verification process provided by the Capital One Customer Service, I received an email saying the account had been successfully created, and I needed to create a username and password for it. However, when I returned to the webpage to complete the process and create the username and password, I was greeted with another page telling me I needed to call customer service again and again verify my government ID. I did that, and over the course of an hour had to verify my ID four separate times, none of which allowed me to access my account. The final customer service representative on the phone told me I needed to go into my local Capital One physical branch, which I did. 
After talking with a very nice customer service representative in person, she called the same customer service line I had spent an hour on hold multiple times trying to figure things out. After she attempted to prove to the other customer service representative on the phone that I was indeed who I said I was, which I proved by bringing my drivers license and SSN, she handed the phone to me. 
The man on the line was very hard to understand, but I gave him my phone number like I had four other times to go through the verification process. However, I was met with a cold response, almost as if he was reading a script, of We are unable to verify your government-issued ID. We are closing and locking your accounts. You are unable to bank with us again. There is no need for you to contact us anymore, please do not call us again. 
I handed the customer service representative the phone back, and the man on the line hung up on her after fifteen seconds or so. She told me Capital One thought someone else had access to my SSN, and that I should file a complaint, which I am doing now. Again, she was very nice and apologized about the whole situation. However, I am disappointed that Capital One was unable to provide me with a clear reason as to why they were unable to verify my government ID and why they closed my accounts, barring me from banking with them. 
I am certain that they believe me to be two separate people, because I created both a savings and checking account, but I was only ever able to access my savings account. This leads me to believe that although I went through all the same processes, Capital One thought I was a different person the second time, the time I tried to set up my checking account. 
However, I am not willing to risk my financial security because of Capital Ones poorly designed system. I want to be guaranteed that I am not at risk of identity theft, something that Capital One told me I had either experienced or was in great risk of, without ever giving me any resources to remedy the problem they caused. I have never had any issues with any other bank, and until today I did not have any reason to be concerned. But because of Capital One, I am now worried about the possibility they likely caused because of their inability to do their job. 
I will not be banking with Capital One again, not because they have barred me from doing so, but because their entire customer service system is incredibly bad. The in-person people helping should not have to wait on hold on the same phone lines as every customer. It does not make sense, and I believe the situation could have been handled better if the representative who I met with in-person had been able to take care of things without having to call the same customer service line I did. 
Dear Capital One, please do better, and let your employees who meet in-person actually help us customers instead of having to go through the same backed up phone system.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation