Consumer complaint received 2022-02-23
Company: Incomm Holdings Inc.
State: TX
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Gift card
Issue: Problem getting a card or closing an account
Sub-issue: Trouble getting a working replacement card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2022 I was a victim of an online scam. I attempted to sell my cell phone device through XXXX XXXX, and unfortunately I got a scammer as a buyer. I got several emails from an impersonator pretending to represent XXXX XXXX. These scammers actually made it seem as if I had gotten paid correctly for the cell phone device I was selling and to make a long story short, I was persuaded into buying a Vanilla Visa Card for XXXX dlls in order to upgrade my regular XXXX XXXX account into a business account, in order to get the payout of the sale of the cell phone device. I spoke to XXXX XXXX, and they told me there is no such a thing as having to send anywhere a Vanilla Visa gift card anywhere in order to upgrade a regular XXXX XXXX account to a business account. To make matters worst, I found out there was no payment made to me whatsoever to my XXXX XXXX account. At that point is when I realized I had been scammed with XXXX dlls. 

I had even shipped the cell phone device already to the scammer. That same evening, I want to my local police station to file a police report for Fraud and Theft. With the help of the XXXX, they intercepted the package and I was able to get the cell phone device back. 

On XX/XX/2022, I called your company, Vanilla Visa Gift card, and I was advised I was going to receive some forms I needed to fill out, and to send them back to you via email. Immediately upon sending you back the forms, as you had requested, I received the following automated email : Dear XXXX XXXX This email is to confirm that we have received your verbal notification of your claim. 

We will begin the investigation once you provide the completed case form. 

For your convenience, we have attached this form that should be completed and returned to us immediately. 

You may send the case form to us by Email to XXXX XXXX Mail to : XXXX, XXXX. 
Attn : Disputes Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, GA XXXX Sincerely, Disputes Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, GA XXXX Fax : XXXX Email : XXXX I called back your company the following day to ask if you had received my forms, and you said you did not receive them. Apparently, you provided the wrong case number to me and according to your representative, that was the reason why you did not receive the my email, since I had put on the subject line the wrong case number, which your own representative had provided. 

On XX/XX/2022 I sent you the signed forms again, this time with the correct case number. Case number # XXXX. I even sent you a copy of my ID, a copy of the unofficial police report ( since I didn't have the official police report yet ), a copy of the sales receipt from the store where I purchases the gift card, and a copy of the actual Vanilla Visa gift card as well. You never requested those extra documents, which seems very strange to me, but I sent them to you anyway, in order to help your investigation. 

I call your customer service department every week to see if you have any updates on my case, and they are never able to help me, or to give me any information at all. Every time I call, the representatives sound so robotic and they ask me if had sent you the signed forms already, and I tell them I have sent you the forms 4 TIMES!!!! The representatives do not even bother to ask me any more questions. I have offered many times to send you a copy of the official police report, and they never know what to answer. 

I know you probably can care less what happens to your customers, but part of your job is to resolve situations, such as this one. I need you to do what is right, and treat your customers fairly. You need to take into consideration your hold time on the customer service queue. YOUR TIME IS AS VALUABLE AS MINE. We all have responsibilities, jobs, families, and it is not right to be on hold for over 30 minutes, just to get to a representative to robotically tell me she/he doesn't know anything about my case, when it has been OVER A MONTH I sent you the required signed forms by your company. 

Please do the right thing and keep your promises to your customers. If you promise you are going to follow up via email, than do so. XXXX is a very serious company and all consumers have the right to dispute a fraudulent charge, with a zero liability. So, just as you are so eager to sell your Vanilla Visa gift cards, please be as eager as to the the right thing and respond to your customers ' issues in a timely manner. Make your customer service representative accountable for their mistakes and fix them in a timely manner.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation