Consumer complaint received 2020-04-22
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem when making payments
Sub-issue: Problem during payment process

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, # XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX Tel : XXXX XXXX e-mail : XXXX Wednesday, XX/XX/2020 sent via e-mail Consumer Financial Protection Bureau United States Government I apologize for such a long-winded letter Dear Sir/ Madam Subject : Capital One Financial Corporation Questionable and Substandard Business Practices  Preamble : My name is XXXX XXXX and I reside at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, California. I have been a customer of Capital One for many, many years and have three active credit card accounts with that corporation. From the onset, I opted for their on-line payment program for the following reasons : Its convenient for me to make on-line payments and Capital One gets their $ money $ pretty much by the next business day Its Green No need for mailing paper statements, writing checks and using stamps N.B. I have never been late in making monthly payments on any of my Capital One Accounts. Ive never had any problems with Capital One until XX/XX/2020. 

Complaints : 1. Capital One has blocked my on-line access to my three Capital One credit card accounts and therefore I can no longer make on-line payments 2. Capital One wont process my mailed-in payments sent via U.S. Postal Service Certified Mail and now Im receiving e-mail reminders that my accounts are delinquent The Root Cause to these Problems : I do not own a cell phone and never have. I also do not have the need for a land-line either.

Complaint # 1. Capital One has blocked my on-line access to my three Capital One credit card accounts and therefore I can no longer make on-line payments On Tuesday, XX/XX/2020, I received an e-mail from Capital One stating, Update your mobile number in your profile to receive important alerts. Regrettably, I cant provide that information to Capital One because I do not own a cell phone and never have. I also do not have the need for a land-line either. 


page 2 of 7 On Thursday morning, XX/XX/2020, I tried logging in to my Capital One account numerous times so that I could view my account information and make a payment. I kept getting this same message, every time I tried logging in stating : We noticed something different about this sign in Choose a 2-Step Verification method to verify your identity using either text messaging or phone to obtain a temporary code from Capital One. Again, I cant provide that information to Capital One because I do not own a cell phone and never have. I also do not have a land-line. 

On Friday evening, XX/XX/2020, I contacted Capital One via XXXX ( a service I dont subscribe to ) and spoke with XXXX ( her ID : XXXX ), Capital One Account Supervisor. I explained to her that Capital One had blocked my access to my on-line accounts, told her that I did not own a cell phone or a land line and asked if she could arrange to have someone or IT lift the block to my on-line accounts and reinstate my access. In closing, I told her that the best way to contact me is via e-mail at XXXX On Tuesday, XX/XX/2020, I received an e-mail from the Capital One Digital Escalations Team referencing my case ID # XXXX. The e-mail requested that I call. Since I do not own a cell phone or a land line, I was unable to do that. 

I received follow-up e-mails from the Capital One Digital Escalations  Team referencing my case ID # XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX all requesting I call. All four e-mails from the Capital One Digital Escalations Team include a footnote stating : Please do not reply to this message, as this email inbox is not monitored. To contact us, visit www.capitalone.com/contact. As such, my problem accessing my on-line accounts with Capital One continues to linger on. 

My Reply to Case ID # XXXX : In response to the e-mail, on Tuesday, XX/XX/2020, I checked out www.capitalone.com/contact and mailed out letters to two divisions of Capital One to request their assistance. Both letters were sent via XXXX Certified Mail with Receipt Return to the following locations : 1st letter : Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and was delivered to Capital One in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. 

2nd letter : Capital One c/o XXXX XXXX, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX THIS IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ARM OF CAPITAL ONE o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and was delivered to Capital One in XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX 

My Second Follow-Up to Case ID # XXXX : On Monday, XX/XX/2020, I did a follow up to my letters of XX/XX/XXXX to request assistance in lifting the block to my on-line accounts and reinstate my access. Again, both letters were sent via XXXX Certified Mail with Receipt Return to the following locations : page XXXX of XXXX XXXX letter : Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX and was delivered to Capital One in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX 

XXXX letter : Capital One c/o General Correspondence, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ARM OF CAPITAL ONE o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and was delivered to Capital One in XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX 

Outcome to my four USPS Certified Mail Letters : I never heard back from either the XXXX, NC or XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT branch of Capital One. 

?? Suspicious Phishing Letter?? : On XX/XX/2020, I received a Capital One letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT, dated XX/XX/2020. The letter referenced Case # XXXX. The letter looked suspicious because : 1. Ive previously been a victim of a professional banking Phishing Scam 2. It was an unsigned Form Letter 3.  It was a photocopy of a Form Letter complete with official looking Capital One logos 4. The XXXX XXXX XXXX address on the letterhead was slightly different The letter went on to say that Capital Ones preliminary research showed that no records exist for a client with the name XXXX XXXX residing at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, unit XXXX in XXXX, California. The letter then asked that I provide sensitive information such as Social Security Number, Date of Birth, etc. This request caused me to raise an eyebrow because I know that Capital One has all my personal and sensitive information on file. Ive been a customer of Capital One long enough. 

On XX/XX/2020, I replied, via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return, to the letter stating that basic identifiers such as my name, civic address and e-mail address should be sufficient to Capital One in determining that Im a customer. 

And again, on XX/XX/2020, I followed up via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return, with a letter asking to please contact me ASAP via e-mail at XXXX to discuss what steps Capital One has undertaken to lift the block to my three on-line accounts and to re-instate my access.

End Result : 1. I never received an e-mail or letter from Capital One wanting to resolve this problem 2. On XX/XX/2020, I received an e-mail from Capital One stating, Your account access is locked. 
XXXX End of Complaint # 1 ***** page 4 of 7 Complaint # 2. Capital One wont process my mailed-in payments sent via U.S. Postal Service Certified Mail and now Im receiving e-mail reminders that my accounts are delinquent As I mentioned in Complaint # 1, Ive been a long-time customer of Capital One and I have always enjoyed the convenience of making on-line payments. Regrettably, as of XX/XX/2020, Capital One has blocked my on-line access to my three credit card accounts and therefore I can no longer make on-line payments. 

Since Ive been blocked from making on-line payments to Capital One and so as to maintain my three accounts current, the Capital One website suggests mailing payments to : Capital One Attention : Payment Processing, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX 1. Paying on-line means I never receive monthly paper statements. On XX/XX/2020, I mailed out two money orders totaling {$260.00}, via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return to : Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and my payment envelope was delivered to Capital One in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. 

Since I didnt have Capital One paper account statements, the letter I wrote contained my name, civic address and e-mail address in the letterhead as identifiers that Im a customer. 

In the letter, I asked that one money order be assigned to one credit card account and to apply the second money order to another credit card account. At the time, one of my payment was due no later than XX/XX/2020 and the other one by no later than XX/XX/2020. 

I also mentioned in the letter that Capital One had blocked my on-line access to all three of my credit card accounts and if they could please start sending me paper statements to the address referenced in my letterhead to I can maintain my accounts current. 

On XX/XX/2020, I mailed out a letter, via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return to : Capital One c/o Payment Investigations, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and my letter was delivered to Capital One in XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX 

In the letter, I was inquiring as to the whereabouts of my two credit card payments sent on XX/XX/2020, and as to why they hadnt yet posted. My letter included photocopies of two money order receipts and a copy of the USPS Certified Mail receipt. I asked if they could page 5 of 7 track down my payments and get back to me via e-mail with any information. I never heard back from the Capital One Payment Investigations group from Utah. 

On XX/XX/2020, I received an e-mail from Capital One stating, Your credit card payment is past due yet my payment was received at the Capital One office in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. 

2. On XX/XX/2020, I mailed out a money order for {$100.00}, via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return to : Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA Post Office on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and my payment envelope was delivered to Capital One in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. 

I mentioned in the letter that Capital One had blocked my on-line access to all three of my credit card accounts and asked if they could please start sending me paper statements to the address referenced in my letterhead so I can maintain my accounts current. 

I also referenced my two credit card payments sent on XX/XX/2020 and provided support documents in my letter. And how as of XX/XX/2020, neither of my payments had yet posted and that Capital One had sent me an e-mail stating that Im delinquent in my payments And to please look into the whereabouts of my payments. 

***AWESOME NEWS : the {$100.00} payment posted to my account on XXXX *** 3. On XX/XX/2020, I mailed out a money order for {$140.00}, via USPS Certified Mail with Receipt Return to : Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX   XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX o Per USPS Tracking Number XXXX, my letter left the XXXX, CA XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. and my payment envelope was delivered to Capital One in XXXX, NC on XX/XX/2020 at XXXX XXXX. 

In the letter, I asked that Capital One starts sending me paper statements via USPS I also inquired about the XX/XX/2020 payments and included support documents I mentioned two e-mails from Capital One stating I was delinquent in my payments I mentioned requesting an update from the Capital One Payment Investigations group in Utah and how I was still waiting for an answer ***** End of Complaint # 2 Whoo!  Hoo! ***** page 6 of 7 The intent of this letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not intended to be punitive but rather corrective. 

Im currently amidst this on-going and incessant problem with Capital One which appears to have no resolve in sight. I didnt make this problem happen Capital One did. I cant believe that not owning a cell phone would cause me such frustration and aggravation. 

Capital One Financial Corporations website provides a wide array of contact information to assist customers with general inquiries and problem resolution. Whereas Ive sent at least 10 USPS Certified Mail letters requesting their help and assistance to key Capital One departments which include : Capital One c/o General Correspondence, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ARM OF CAPITAL ONE Capital One c/o Payment Processing, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NC XXXX Capital One c/o Payment Investigations, XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX no one within Capital One Financial Corporation has yet bothered to respond to any of my letters or offered any kind of assistance ( Other than a suspicious phishing letter dated XX/XX/XXXX ). 

All I get from Capital One are e-mails advising me that my accounts are delinquent despite the fact that theyre not processing the payments Ive already sent. I sense this situation is going to get worse before it gets better. Already, Capital One is trying to tap directly into my checking account to fix their screw-up. And, Im sure Ill be the object of penalty fees and late charge fees followed by a negative Credit Report review and possibly some legal action on their part. 

Case in Point : I currently deal with a number of banking institutions and government agencies and I dont need a cell phone to do that. Many of these organizations have a chat option, once youve logged into your account, to assist with updating your records, making address changes, etc. Others send a verification code to your personal e-mail to help confirm your identity. Makes life easy for everybody. 

Anyhow, Im reaching out to your organization for some help in a prompt and swift resolve to my problem with Capital One. Anything you can do to assist me on this matter is greatly appreciated BTW, it should not be this difficult to make credit card payments and maintain your accounts current. 

Thank you, XXXX XXXX Enclosures : ( 7 ) page 7 of 7 P.S. - If you plug in the various USPS tracking numbers contained in the complaints on the USPS Tracking website, it will provide the complete tracking history of every letter I mailed out to Capital One Enclosures ( under separate coverage ) 1. Capital One e-mail dated XX/XX/2020 Update your mobile number 2. Capital One e-mail dated XX/XX/2020 Choose a 2-step verification method to verify your identity 3. Capital One e-mail dated XX/XX/2020 Case ID # XXXX received, please call 4. Capital One letter dated XX/XX/2020 Suspicious phishing letter 5. Capital One e-mail dated XX/XX/2020 Your account access has been locked 6. Capital One e-mail dated XX/XX/2020 Your credit card payment is past due 7. Capital One letter dated XX/XX/2020 c/o Payment Investigations, XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief