Consumer complaint received 2020-11-30
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: NC
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Banking errors

Complaint:
The third week in XXXX was a busy one for my family and my business. I had sales tax to report, a XXXX XXXX with a loose tooth, and discussing the devastating end-of-life care for my brother 's father-in-law. On the evening of XX/XX/XXXX, I am having some heart wrenching conversations with my family over the phone when our CEO ( also spouse, we are a XXXX XXXX ) asks what is up with this text receipt for {$3700.00}? The What? We didn't buy anything this evening. Surely nothing for upwards of {$3000.00}. 

Everything Stops. I log into our bank account where we had been working so very hard to have enough to manage our expenses with out XXXX  XXXX  XXXX  in the basement and having to shift heavy into online XXXX  to manage the devastation of COVID-19 and continued civil unrest. We shut down for COVID-19 and it looked like we would survive. We were vandalized and shut down following protests and it looked like we would survive. We had been able to take that and use our XXXX  to help inspire community members this fall. I was thinking that we could weather so many of the challenges facing us as a XXXX  XXXX as our friends and neighbors are also struggling. But there it was thousands and thousands of dollars of UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES that would threaten our business once again. 

It looked like one of our business debit cards was being used to make a large amount of purchases. I went into action. 
1. I immediately upon finding out the issue, used PNC bank 's freeze card service to freeze all of our cards and stop any further purchases. 
2. I looked to see what charges were all coming from one card and tallied up the amount all told {$15000.00} of charges that were not authorized. 
3. I verified that we were still in possession of the card in question. I asked when it had last been used. It had been used that very same day in XXXX NC, so we had the card, but the number was being used to make unauthorized charges. 
4. I requested a meeting with XXXX XXXX, Vice President Branch & Business Center Manager PNC Bank NMLS ID : XXXX, via email that evening and gathered any information I could about unauthorized charges. It was so bizarre and I really did not know what to call it, but I knew it was bad and that we needed to resolve the issue right away. 

The next morning I met with XXXX XXXX at the XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC branch and had brought all of the information I had regarding the unauthorized transactions. It was really strange. Almost all of the transactions were for multiple hundreds and thousands of dollars. I surrendered the card in question to prove that we had retained possession of the physical card. I asked XXXX XXXX what to do. He indicated that this sort of thing happens all of the time and that I needed to dispute the transactions, they investigate, and then I am likely to be able to have the funds returned. I was asked a series of questions. Did we authorize these transactions or give the card to someone to use? NO. 

All of the transactions that were not authorized were reported XX/XX/2020, 15 hours after I learned of their existence. I knew it is important to be timely when reporting errors. I was able to file disputes for ten transactions that had posted and would have to call his associate XXXX XXXX as soon as the other transactions had posted. The first batch totaled {$8900.00} and were reported and disputed with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2020. The remaining four transactions totaling {$6200.00} were reported on XX/XX/2020, and disputed with XXXX XXXX XX/XX/2020. 

Provisional Credits were issued on XX/XX/2020 for all of the disputed transactions while they continued their investigation. 

On XX/XX/2020, I received two letters regarding the two dispute batches indicating that they were resolved and my account will be debited on XX/XX/2020 for all monies. The statement reads " Based on our overall investigation, we consider the transaction ( s ) to be valid and your claim has been denied. '' We have been isolated in NC trying to make this XXXX  XXXX  work. This is absolutely shocking and devastating. How are they going to call SIX different transactions at XXXX across FOUR states ( TX, GA, VA, CA XXXX in ONE DAY valid? Just a cursory look at our account shows that the XXXX transactions ALONE are absurd. A review of past XXXX purchase history from XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX shows that this account has only amounts well below {$100.00} prior to the string of unauthorized charges in XX/XX/2020. Out total purchase history for XXXX prior to the unauthorized charges is {$140.00}. Why would the PNC Bank 's screening process not find charges in excess of {$800.00} and block them? Furthermore all purchases that were authorized purchases in this time frame are done in North Carolina and at the XXXX NC and XXXX NC locations. I do not understand why I have to pay for charges that were flagged and brought to the attention of PNC within hours of learning of the charges. 

Why does PNC Bank seem to think that our business has purchased {$550.00} from XXXX XXXX XXXX in Texas a place where we do not reside, do business, or have any other authorized purchase history? I don't understand why I have to pay for unauthorized transactions. 

After combing through our XXXX account purchases, we can not find any purchases in that account that match the amounts in the unauthorized transactions. 

A review of past XXXX XXXX  " XXXX  * '' purchase history of card XXXX from XX/XX/XXXXXX/XX/XXXX shows that this account has only amounts well below {$300.00} prior to the unauthorized charge on XX/XX/2020. Most of these purchases are working meals and client entertainment charges. Most of the charges originate in XXXX NC where the business resides. ALL of the charges with the exception of the unauthorized charge which is clearly a large sum and geographically distinct from the other purchase history. 

Why does PNC Bank, that purportedly wants to work with small businesses, leave us hanging when their system did not contact us when there are a lot of out-of-state charges start popping up? I hate to say it, but we are very boring, we are very consistent, and we are very local. Review of our records and relevant information including the transaction history, location of payees, and relevant information show that these transactions were unauthorized and certainly not valid. We have not traveled outside of NC in all of XX/XX/XXXX. 

I don't understand how PNC Bank would see these purchases as valid. We did our part we monitored our account and found the issue. As soon as we found the unauthorized charges we reported in a timely manner. 15 hours after finding out about the issue, I was in their office reporting it. 

So many businesses are struggling this year. We are a XXXX  XXXX. This is our whole livelihood. We work to build our community everyday. We have worked very hard to survive this year of challenges. It is shocking that PNC Bank would feel so comfortable with this decision. If you look at all of the information available, it is easy to see that these charges were not valid, they exposed a big hole in how the whole unauthorized charges program is run. It would be such a shame to let this XXXX  decision bring us down.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation