Consumer complaint received 2022-03-24
Company: DISCOVER BANK
State: WA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Other problem

Complaint:
I am having an issue with Discover Bank on the status of my secured credit card security deposit of {$1000.00} being refunded to me. I received notice from Discover Bank on XX/XX/XXXX that my card had " graduated '' with a credit line increase, which also means that my security deposit would be sent back to me ( they said " in most cases '' within 5-7 business days- meaning at the latest I would receive the check by XX/XX/XXXX ). When I first started the card with Discover Bank, I signed an agreement that I could be sent the security deposit via direct deposit to my checking account at a different bank. When I was told that my card had graduated, they later sent notice that they had a system failure and would have to send the funds through the mail ( I received a notice from Discover on XX/XX/XXXX that a check would be issued but later told that it was actually sent on XX/XX/XXXX ). Despite being annoyed that the original method of direct deposit not being honored by Discover Bank, I figured it would be fine since the check was supposed to arrive within one month according to the representative over the phone. 

I waited a few weeks and never received the check. I decided that I needed to inquire about the status of the check since it had been a while, so I called in to Discover Bank on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told that I needed to wait a few more days based on their policies before I could request a reissue for the check ( it would take up to a month as I was told by a representative due to concerns around fraud ). This first phone conversation was on XX/XX/XXXX and I was told that I needed to wait until XX/XX/XXXX and then I could request that the check be reissued to me. I called in on XX/XX/XXXX to have the check reissued since I still had not received it in the mail. Then, I was told that it would take 15 business days to process that request to reissue the check ( so by XX/XX/XXXX it should be sent out to me at the latest ). I called in again on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX to inquire about the status of my check and they were not able to provide me any updates on where the funds were at or if it had been reissued at all. All they were able to tell me was information on if a representative sent a request in for a reissue, nothing more. 

Discover Bank said that the new check should be sent out by XX/XX/XXXX, which is 15 business days after XX/XX/XXXX. I was told by Discover Bank that a representative would call me on XX/XX/XXXX to update me on the status of my check. I never received a call, so I waited a few days until XX/XX/XXXX. I called in again and was told that they would not be able to give me any additional information on the status of my check, as they did not know if it had been sent out again, even though according to their own policies, it should have been sent on XX/XX/XXXX. During this entire process, I had been told different dates to call back in on to inquire on the status of the check and was told different processing times for the waiting periods and the reissuing of checks- indicating poorly trained representatives. I should have received the money via direct deposit in late XXXX, or by check around XX/XX/XXXX. Discover Bank has had many business days to help me resolve this issue and they have not been able to provide me with any more information than I had in late XXXX. They are completely disconnected across their organization and are not able to assist customers with funds that rightfully belong to them - as agreed upon when signing up for the credit card direct deposit refund. In total, I have called Discover 5 times over the last month and I have not been properly communicated with on the status of my direct deposit and have been misinformed on waiting periods and reissue policies. In fact, I have informed Discover Bank employees of their own policies, as they were unaware of the policy. 

Discover Bank does not have transparent policies and their own employees are not updated on the policies to assist customers over the phone either. I have been consistently misled during this process and have been misinformed each time I have been on the phone with their customer service representatives. I was first told that their direct deposit system had failed to send my security deposit to my bank account due to an error on their end. Then in my most recent call with them, I was told that it was actually a conscious decision to end security deposit refunds through direct deposit to bank accounts starting in XX/XX/XXXX. I was never informed of this policy change until XX/XX/XXXX - three months after this change has taken place. Discover Bank has not done anything besides telling me to wait longer to resolve this issue. I have been told that I would receive communication from the bank and not once have they reached out to me to help me resolve my problem, or even provide me with more information on the status of my check. Overall, Discover Bank needs more transparency for their customers on their policies and policy changes, and to be held accountable when they are misinforming their customers.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation