Consumer complaint received 2022-06-22
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CT
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:
My account was closed by Capital One shortly after opening due to their claim that I made a false statement. I have not made a false statement, and they refuse to allow me to speak with someone who has the power to decide my case or explain their complaint against me. They refuse to return the {$390.00} annual fee that I paid for a card that was restricted after about a week of use. Here are the details of what happened : On XX/XX/22, I applied for a XXXX XXXX credit card. On the application, I was prompted to write my total annual income. The instructions for what to include as income stated, " If you are XXXX  or older, you may also include somebody else 's income that is regularly used to pay your expenses. '' I am over XXXX and financially supported by my parents. Due to the instructions, I included my parent 's income in the amount. 
I was approved for the card and charged the {$390.00} annual fee. 
Shortly after receiving the card, Capital One restricted my account, claiming that the reason was for fraud. They said I needed to verify my identity. They asked me to upload several documents and wait 7-10 days for a response.

I uploaded the documents, and they called me two weeks later, saying they verified my identity and now need to verify my income. I was told to upload my last 3 bank statements to prove my income. I told them I included my parent 's income in the amount I wrote because the instructions said, If you are 21 or over, you may also include somebody elses income that is regularly used to pay your expenses. They told me this information was incorrect and that they wouldn't accept my parent 's bank statements because my name wasnt on them. Not knowing what else to do, I sent in my bank statements alone. I was told to wait 7-10 days for a response.

Instead of a call, I received a letter saying my account was closed. I called Capital One immediately to find out the reason. They said they determined that I made a false statement on my application. I told them that I didnt make any false statements and was simply answering the income question based on what the instructions said to include. 
They said it was only up to the case managers to make these decisions, but they couldn't connect me with them. They said I should fax in my parent 's bank statements ( because they couldnt send me an upload link after closing my account ) and wait for a response from the case managers. I asked them if they could at least refund the {$390.00} annual fee because they had closed my account. They said no without giving any reason. 
It was a significant inconvenience for me to fax the documents because I dont own a fax machine, but I found a way to do it. I waited two weeks but never received a response. I filed a complaint with the XXXX, including all the attached documents. I received a generic response that said something along the lines of, we looked into it and determined that no mistakes were made, and we still wont refund the {$390.00} annual fee. 
They didnt supply any reason for their decision not to refund the fee or address the fact that their Application Terms explicitly stated, You may also include somebody elses income that is regularly used to pay your expenses. Instead, they referenced a FAQ page that talked about annual income ( not the official application terms page for the card ). 
This whole experience has been incredibly time-consuming and frustrating. Capital One gave me the run-around, asking me to wait to hear back from them several times, giving me very limited information about what theyre accusing me of, and not letting me speak with a case manager. I have only been honest with them, and they have been misleading. 
They did false advertising by offering me a card, making a statement about what to include as income, and then retracting it later. They did a bait-and-switch by accepting me for the card, charging me a {$390.00} annual fee, and then asking me to show proof of income after the fact. I was also charged {$5.00} for a declined payment for a bill I set up on autopay with the card. 
Here is the link for the page that has their application terms for the card on it : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX The application terms are at the bottom of the page ; I have included a screenshot of them.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation