Consumer complaint received 2023-08-02
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2023, I entered an agreement with a merchant ( XXXX  ) via a broker ( XXXX ) to rent ( on a short-term basis ) a property in XXXX, XXXX. Translation : I booked a location for a vacation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, we arrived at the property to find it was not as described ( and in fact hazardous to human health ). We took photos, videos, tried to contact our host, contacted XXXX, left the property, checked in somewhere else, and did not take the booking. Over the course of several days of back-and-forth, we were ultimately told " no refunds for any reason. '' On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a dispute claim for this booking to CapitalOne, the provider of the credit card used to make this transaction, stating that the service rendered ( and not accepted ) was not as advertised, and citing XXXX 's 'book with confidence guarantee ' My complaint is not that CapitalOne has denied my dispute. My complaint is that the dispute is in limbo. On XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted over 40 documents showing my correspondence via email, text, and XXXX app about the property and its uninhabitability, photos of the property and its uninhabitabily, invoices from XXXX and XXXX, my credit card statement with the charge, pdfs of my statement about what happened and why I was opening my dispute, a video of the problem, etc. 

What was CapitalOne 's response to these documents? They sent a letter via their web app that effectively said : " We're sorry, you did not supply all the requested information. Please call this number if you want to talk about it. '' I called CapitalOne 's number on XX/XX/XXXX. The representative was walked through the situation, and they informed me that the team that reviewed the submission could not find the receipt showing that I paid the amount. I pointed out that the receipt was submitted ; the representative confirmed they saw the receipt and promised to re-open the case. 

Five minutes later, I received another letter via their web app. " We're sorry, you did not supply all the requested information. Please call this number if you want to talk about it. '' So, late that night on XX/XX/XXXX, I called AGAIN. I walked a brand new representative through the situation AGAIN, and this time they informed me that the team that reviewed the submission could not verify that the receipt I sent was really for the property in question. I kept this representative on the phone while I then submitted the original property advertisement to show how it differs, and a screenshot from XXXX saying 'you stayed at this place ' - ie, MY BOOKING. The representative assured me that this would make it to the team for review. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I woke up to receive yet another letter via their web app. " We're sorry, you did not supply all the requested information ... '' So I call the representatives AGAIN. This time, it was " I'm not really sure why, the team says they didn't get a statement from the merchant promising a refund, the team didn't see an invoice or receipt that matched the dollar amount disputed, the team didn't receive a statement about why you're requesting a dispute ... '' are you kidding me? So now we're moving backwards? During the long hold time to get that information, I submitted even more screenshots of the XXXX app, showing my booking and my payment dates. 

Spoke with a manager who effectively told me the same thing - " the team doesn't see this, yeah, we don't really know why, no, we can't talk to them directly, just keep submitting documents until they see it. '' At this point I'm starting to re-submit the same documents in differing orders, or with the receipts and invoices all pasted into the same PDF document. It seems like whatever 'team ' they have doing this is a set of goldfish in a bowl with a tiny attention span and the inability to contact the outside world - nobody can talk to them, nobody can get anything but form letters from them, nobody can even send them direct messages. 

This is inane. I don't care if my dispute gets a 'yes ' or a 'no, ' I just need it to get something other than a 'we didn't get the documents we are asking for! '

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief