Consumer complaint received 2020-09-08
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
I applied for a United Airlines Explorer Mileage Plus credit card issued by Chase Bank, NA. 

I was approved with a credit limit of above {$10000.00}. 

Chase bank kept sending me offers that if I spend {$3000.00} with them in the first month I would receive an amount of bonus miles with United Airlines. I spend the {$3000.00}.

Then the second month they offered me the same offer to spend {$3000.00} more on the card. I did spend {$3000.00} more to earn the miles. 

Then the third month they sent me yet another offer to spend {$3000.00} to earn even more miles and I did spend the additional {$3000.00}. 

So in total they solicited me to spend {$9000.00} in three months and I did. 

I made timely payments on the account and just a few days ago I paid off the entire balance on the account which was around {$10000.00}. 

Chase closed my account. 

The reasons they cited were the following : 1. Rapid increase in revolving balances 2. Not enough credit information on file 3. Recently returned payments on one or more of your accounts with Chase To explain my point of view on the above three issues they cited as reasons for closing my account.

To point # 1. They solicited me to spend money on their card to earn miles. In total they solicited me to spend {$9000.00} in 3 months. So I did and I did it to earn the miles they were rewarding me with. My question is ; When they are soliciting me to spend and I do spend and then I pay off the card, why do they then penalize me for spending too much on the card? 

To point # 2. I have only had the card since XXXX, 2020. Obviously then don't have enough credit information on me. I just started this relationship with them. I have been making timely payments ever since the card was opened and I paid off the balance in full twice. Once in the first month of opening the card and then finally just a few days ago. I did this to establish a credit history with Chase. My question to this point is : How am I supposed to build credit information with them if they wont let me by closing down my account. 

To point # 3 : " Recently returned payments on one or more of your accounts with Chase ''. This was a mistake on Chase 's part. In their mobile app they allow you to link your bank account with the card so that you can make electronic payments. During this setup process they ask you for your bank account " routing '' number and account number. When they ask for your routing number they don't specify which routing number they want. It could either be the wire transfer routing number or the ACH routing number. Since they didn't specify which routing number to use, I used the routing number as printed on my checks from my bank account. This routing number is the wire routing number. Regardless, I went through the setup process to link my bank account, they accepted the information I provided and I then attempted to make a payment in full which was for around {$1100.00}. 

Later they rejected my payment because I didn't enter the correct routing number. I contacted Chase and they told me that I provided the wrong routing number and that they needed the ACH routing number. I told them that they asked for the routing number from the check NOT the ACH routing number. Nevertheless, I corrected the routing number with Chase and provided them with the ACH routing number. They accepted this routing number and I AGAIN attempted to make a full statement balance payment of around {$1100.00}. This time the payment was successfully processed and the funds were debited out of my bank account and they credited the fund to my credit card. 

So to summarize the issues and my position, they asked me to spend more and more money on the card by manipulating me with advertising and offers or rewards. When I accepted their offers and did as they asked they use that as a reason to close my account. This is false and misleading advertising and is fraudulent behavior on their part. 

Secondly, they didn't give me a chance to build a credit history with them. They hit me with offer after offer after offer to max out my card 's available credit and I did so in an attempt to earn the rewards and then they penalize me for not having " enough credit history '' with them? Why solicit me to spend so rapidly and when I do then they close my account? 

And thirdly, they made a mistake by asking for the routing number as printed on the check, but in fact this is not the routing number they needed. So they made a mistake not me. So they close my account because of their mistake??? 

Now as a result this is how I have been negatively impacted by their false and misleading advertising practices, solicitation and requests for bank information. 

My revolving available credit has dropped by {$10000.00} in my tri-bureau. This has had a negative impact on my FICO score. Secondly, by closing my account I have lost my timely payment history on my tri-bureau credit report and this has negatively impacted my credit score and finally by closing the account down at the issuers instructions, this has negatively impacted my FICO because it shows that the account was closed by the issuer and not voluntarily by me. 

Now the end result is that I will have to pay a higher interest rate on future credit lines, may get declined for other cards and overall make getting additional credit issued in my name more difficult. 

I request that your organization contact Chase about this situation and their fraudulent practices and have them reinstate my card and not make any negative reporting to the credit bureaus that could hurt me in the future. 

In the attachments to this complain I have uploaded 7 files for your review : 1. XXXX XXXX  Statement - XXXX, 2020 - If you look at the last page of this statement you will see an ACH debit to Chase for the statement balance amount of approximately {$1100.00}. This statement is important to for two reasons. 1 - it goes to prove that I made the payment and if you look at all the transactions in the month of XXXX you will not see any returned payment to Chase. 2 - it important to take note of the fact that they did an " ACH '' transfer not a wire transfer which is the number they requested from the bank check.

2. Letter from Chase regarding reasons for closing the account. You can read this letter and you will see they reasons they cite for closing the account which are not fair reasons as I mentioned in detail above. 

3. Screenshot of Chase credit card mobile app where it asks for your routing. This is an important document. You can see in this screenshot that they are asking for the wire routing number as printed on my check NOT and I stress NOT the ACH routing number. Which is why they couldn't process my first attempt to pay off the balance. 

4. Four different variations of solicitations I received from Chase to open accounts, spend money on the account, earn rewards for spending the money etc, etc.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief