Consumer complaint received 2017-06-05
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: RI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
I was approved for a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card on XX/XX/XXXX, which I received on XX/XX/XXXX after issues with the delivery of the card to my address. The card has an annual fee of {$450.00} dollars, but also promises up to {$300.00} of automatic reimbursement for travel each year. On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to a customer service representative ( I believe to activate the card ), and during that call asked to clarify how this program worked. I was told that any travel-related purchases that I made before XX/XX/XXXX ( the date of my XX/XX/XXXX statement ) would count towards the {$300.00} reimbursement for XX/XX/XXXX, and any purchases made after that point would count against my {$300.00} reimbursement for XX/XX/XXXX ( I have since been told that Chase has changed this policy in recent months, and a year is now defined as 12 months from the opening of the card, rather than by calendar year ). <P/>I received {$27.00} of " travel credit '' on my XX/XX/XXXX statement, and an additional {$42.00} on my statement for XX/XX/XXXX, for a total of {$70.00} dollars for the 2016 year. However, I made two purchases of airline tickets on XX/XX/XXXX of {$150.00} and {$140.00}. I chose this date specifically to conform with the information I had been given by the bank ( I am a XX/XX/XXXX, and these purchases were for my flights home for winter break several weeks later, but I made sure to purchase them within the XX/XX/XXXX travel credit cycle ). These purchases did not appear on my XX/XX/XXXX statement, however, and when I noticed this and contacted the bank, the bank informed me that they were credited against my {$300.00} travel credit for XX/XX/XXXX, leaving {$230.00} of my XX/XX/XXXX credit unused, and my entire XX/XX/XXXX credit depleted. After raising this issue with customer service, I received a letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX that explained that " 'Annually ' means the year beginning with your account open date through the first XX/XX/XXXX statement date of that same year, and each 12 billing cycles starting after your XXXX  statement date through the following XX/XX/XXXX statement date, '' but that " all applicable Travel Credits on charges that have posted to your account after the statement closing date of XX/XX/XXXX have been added to the ' {$300.00} Travel Credit ' for XX/XX/XXXX '' a contradictory response that seemed to turn on the distinction between the date a purchase was made, and the opaque process by which that purchase is " posted '' to my account. After I finished my finals last month, I contacted the bank to follow up, and explained to them that a customer service representative had informed me that any purchases made before XX/XX/XXXX would count against my travel credit for XX/XX/XXXX, while any purchases made afterwards would count against XX/XX/XXXX. <P/>This Saturday ( XX/XX/XXXX ), I was contacted by customer service, who informed me ( in a recorded call ) that they had located the call I described ( which took place on XX/XX/XXXX, as per their records ), and that I was told that any purchases made before XX/XX/XXXX would count towards my XX/XX/XXXXtravel credit, while any purchases made after that date would count towards my XX/XX/XXXX credit. They explained, however, that because the airline ticket purchases had " posted '' after XX/XX/XXXX, and thus did not appear on my XX/XX/XXXX statement, that the bank had determined that those purchases could not be counted towards my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit, despite their having told me different information on a customer service call, and having since told me that if they had told me different information on a customer service call, they would correct their error and apply those charges towards my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit a difference worth {$230.00} to me. <P/>I repeatedly asked the representative to whom I was speaking to confirm, with a yes or a no, that the bank 's determination was that I had been told that any purchases made before XX/XX/XXXX would be counted towards my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit, that I made two purchases on XX/XX/XXXX, but that the because those purchases had not " posted '' before XX/XX/XXXX, the bank would instead by applying them to my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit. The representative refused to answer the question, repeatedly responding by reiterating the fact that the charges did not post by XX/XX/XXXX ( without addressing the substance of my question ), or claiming that he could n't hear me clearly. <P/>I then asked the question differently, asking the representative to say a simple " no, '' if he was legally able to, if there was anything incorrect about the assertion that the bank had informed me that any purchases made before XX/XX/XXXX would count towards my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit, that I made 2 purchases on XX/XX/XXXX, and that the bank had determined that, because those purchases did not " post '' until after XX/XX/XXXX, the bank was refusing to apply them to my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit. He refused to say " no '' to this assertion, despite being asked multiple times to please do so if he was factually or legally able to. <P/>At this point, I asked to be transferred to someone else, and was informed that that was not possible ; I was told instead that the only way to further escalate my complaint was to notify the bank in writing. I again asked the representative to either confirm or dispute my understanding of what he was telling me ; namely, that 1 ) the bank had informed me, in a recorded call, that any purchases made before XX/XX/XXXX would count towards my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit, 2 ) that I had made 2 purchases on XX/XX/XXXX, and 3 ) that the bank had determined that, despite what they had told me, those purchases would be counted toward my XX/XX/XXXXtravel credit, because they did not " post '' by XX/XX/XXXX. He again refused to either confirm that these three facts were correct or to dispute any of them, and instead became irritated, telling me that he was tired of repeating himself, and that he respected my time, but that if I had no further questions he was going to end the call. In closing, I thanked him for confirming ( by repeatedly refusing to substantively dispute ), on a recorded call, that the central facts of the situation supported my contention that these charges were improperly credited toward my XX/XX/XXXX travel credit.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation