Consumer complaint received 2021-01-28
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: MA
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: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I was charged {$2500.00} by XXXX, a company I used to do business with. I was a tenant for less than two years and charged my rent on occasion. I moved out in XXXX. I was a tenant at will and never had a lease or contract. I did not authorize the merchant to file my card, I did not have a contract, I did not receive any goods or services for this charge. I asked the merchant to refund the money, they kept coming up with reasons as to why not to that didn't make any sense, and that were not based in facts. I was paying for " storage '', " damages '' etc. None of which are true or were agreed to, and they certainly were not authorized to charge my credit card without my permission regardless. 

I contacted XXXX XXXX Mastercard and filed a complaint with their Fraud department, then I was forwarded to Disputes. Over the course of communicating I have been given the wrong address once, and the wrong fax number once as well. I have been communicating with them since late XXXX via fax, phone and mail. 

The merchant reversed the charge only to re post it in XXXX. XXXX XXXX Mastercard supposedly sent me a letter about this in XXXX. I noticed it on my XXXX statement and wrote them to an address they provided me over the phone. When I followed up in XXXX via phone, they told me the case had been closed due to lack of response by me, that they didn't receive the letter, and that they sent me a letter about it. I never received that letter and have been in regular monthly correspondence with the company about this matter since I noticed the charge back in XXXX. They did receive the letter after I faxed it to them twice, the first time they gave me the wrong fax number. 

The merchant is refusing to refund the amount, I could press larceny charges and did already file a police report in XXXX. I don't want to escalate this matter to that level. I also don't want to wait for a small claims court date and settlement but will do so if necessary. 
Since I didn't receive any goods, or services, nor did I have an agreement with this merchant, nor did I authorize them to file my credit card, this should have been a simple charge reversal in my minds eye. 

The most recent communication from the credit card company states that they " are unable to override the merchant 's no refund cancellation policy that was agreed to when making the purchase. '' This is unacceptable as there was no purchase made, nor did i have a contract with, or receive any goods from said merchant. This is crystal clear in the documentation that I provided to the credit card company during the dispute process. 

I'd like for the credit card company to reverse the charge as soon as possible, and if the merchant has any valid claims to that money, which I know they do not, they can pursue it with me personally. 

The fact that they allowed someone that " filed my card without permission '' to charge it {$2500.00}, and dismiss the case due to an invalid reason is why I'm writing filing a complaint against this credit card company, I'm also contacting the local XX/XX/XXXX and filing a complaint against the merchant. I thought credit card companies had an obligation to protect their consumers against these kinds of actions from merchants?

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