Consumer complaint received 2023-09-18
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA
Product: Credit 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:
This regards my wife and I 's Capital One Travel Card and Capital One 's refusal to XXXX ) honor a travel credit and XXXX ) refund my wife and I for flights that we were refused service on. This concerns capital one case number : XXXX This concerns a disputed transaction in the amount of {$5400.00}. XXXX travel miles were used to fund this purchase, in addition to {$4300.00}. We expect a full refund of travel miles and monetary amounts, for reasons explained below. 

The disputed {$5400.00} transaction consists of XXXX flights : ( XXXX ) outbound from XXXX to XXXX to XXXX to XXXX ; ( XXXX ) XXXX to XXXX to XXXX. The costs were split down the middle for each leg after the application of our Capital One Travel miles. These were first class tickets. In dealing with our complaint, Capital One has ignored that this concerns separate transactions and erroneously focuses on XXXX leg -- a concession that at least half the charge we dispute is improper on its face. 

Below, we first discuss the factual details pertinent to leg XXXX and our entitlement to a refund due to erroneous, and likely fraudulent, representations made by Capital One Travel agents. Second, we discuss leg XXXX ( return to XXXX ), and the factual details relevant to our entitlement to a refund due to the egregious mistreatment detailed therein. 

Leg XXXX ( XXXX to XXXX XXXX ) We were scheduled to depart from XXXX on XX/XX/2023, at XXXX XXXX. on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXXXXXX. Approximately XXXX hours before our scheduled departure time on XX/XX/XXXX, we called Capital One Travel for assistance rescheduling our flight to the following day as we were unable to get to the airport due to emergency circumstances out of our control. We reached a Capital One agent, who told us that we were well within the time frame for us to reschedule the trip and that there would be ( XXXX ) no issue refunding the full cost for leg XXXX ( including travel credit ) used to purchase the tickets and ( XXXX ) applying the equivalent amount ( i.e., half of {$5400.00} ) toward booking another flight the following day to the same destination. However, the Capital One Travel agent stated that to effectuate the refund and apply the credit to book a new flight, we would first have to call XXXX XXXX to cancel our flight directly. We followed Capital One Travels instruction to do so and called XXXX XXXX to cancel our flight, which they did. 

When we called Capital One Travel back to utilize our refunded travel credits and rebook our flight, the new agent that we spoke with indicated that he was unable to refund the travel credit and rebook with the credit because the flight was cancelled by XXXX XXXX. This was contradictory to the instructions explicitly provided by the prior Capital One Travel agent. Under no circumstances would we have canceled our flight with XXXX XXXX if we knew the Capital One agent was going to refuse to provide us a refundwe did so, to our detriment, based explicitly on the promises and representations made by Capital One Travel and its agents. 

At this point, Capital One Travel refused to utilize our promised travel credit to rebook the flight through Capital One Travel. The Capital One Travel agent further told us that he was unable to book the flight at all and stated we would have to work directly with XXXX XXXX. We did so, at a significantly increased costall based on representations by Capital One Travel. 

In effect, we were defrauded out of the right to refund and use travel credits through Capital One XXXX and forced to incur additional expenses in booking the flight through XXXX XXXX directly. 

Capital One did not refund the cost of the cancelled flight onto our Capital One credit card and it must now do so. 

Leg XXXX ( XXXX to XXXX ) In the afternoon of XX/XX/XXXX, my wife, XXXX XXXX, and I arrived at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX located in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) around XXXX XXXX and navigated through customs and security without incident. When our boarding group was called, my wife and I lined up and showed the ticketing agent our boarding passes and passports. The ticketing agent told us both to proceed with boarding by walking across the tarmac approximately XXXXXXXX XXXX to the waiting aircraft. Once at the aircraft steps, my wife once again showed her boarding pass and passport to another XXXX XXXX agent and was informed she needed to step aside and could not board. 

We asked for an explanation as to why my wife was suddenly being prevented from boarding and the XXXX XXXX agent stated that her boarding pass contained a passport number that did not match her passport. This was a lie. As I explained to the agent at the time, my wifes boarding pass did not contain any passport number on it indeed, no boarding pass, including mine, contained any passport information and, even if it did, the XXXX XXXX employee who reviewed the boarding pass made XXXX effort to review my wifes passport, meaning it was impossible for him to determine in the few seconds he looked at my wifes boarding pass that the numbers did not match. 

After a few minutes of standing on the XXXX tarmac without any explanation as to why we could not board, an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that she was randomly selected for a secondary screening and that she would need to walk the approximately XXXX XXXX  back to the airport terminal. We were informed that I could not accompany her and that I had no choice but to board the flight without my wife. 

This was extraordinarily bizarre to us as XXXX had already gone through the security screening process and had shown her boarding pass to XXXX XXXX security officials and the gate/ticketing agent without issue and without any indication that further security screening was necessary. Further, we observed that other passengers who had been selected for secondary screening were informed of the screening on the loudspeaker in the airport terminal prior to boarding. We had not received any such notice or announcement. To that end, we asked for an explanation about what type of screening was now suddenly required and why, and none was given. 

At this point, we were both extremely concerned for my wifes safety, given XXXX XXXX refusal to explain why my wife needed to undergo additional screening at this late juncture in the boarding process and the suspicious and erroneous reasons that were being offered. In asking to return to the terminal alongside my wife, I explained to XXXX XXXX that it would make us more comfortable if we could remain together as we were traveling in a foreign country. My wife is a petite framed woman who was now being inexplicably pulled from the plane steps as she was about to depart a foreign country ; our request to remain together, or at least within eyeshot of each other, was entirely within reason. 

Instead, XXXX XXXX ignored our requests and demanded, again without reason, that XXXX go with them alone despite already having passed through multiple screening processes without issue. Notably, they did not take my wifes bags with them, undercutting any notion that they were genuinely interested in conducting a legitimate security screening of my wife. She was terrified but complied with their requests and followed the XXXX XXXX employee back to the gate without issue. I did not know where my wife had been taken or when and if she would rejoin me. 

At the now-empty terminal, my wife was told to sit down and shut up by a group of female XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX The XXXX XXXX agents continued with their wildly inappropriate behavior by throwing my wifes belongings onto the airport floor. When she asked the agents if she would be able to board after the search, as she was now alone in the terminal, the XXXX XXXX agents jeered at her and refused to answer. Meanwhile, I was still seated on the airline and all other passengers had boarded. An XXXX XXXX agent informed me that the flight was leaving and that if I left the flight, I could not reboard. Facing the option of leaving my wife behind in a foreign country, I was forced to exit the plane so I could rejoin my wife and ensure her safety. 

I walked the approximately XXXX XXXX back to the empty terminal where I saw my wife, who looked shaken and was surrounded by XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX agents. The employees promptly backed up when they saw me enter the terminal and continued to snicker with each other. 

I asked for an explanation as to how we could fly home as they had needlessly and arbitrarily prevented us from flying on our purchased flight and the XXXX XXXX agents told us to exit the area and go down to the XXXX XXXX ticketing counter to re-book our flights. 

When we went downstairs in attempt to do so, the XXXX XXXX agent at the ticketing counter told us she was inexplicably unable to book us another flight. Indeed, they stated they would only be able to rebook us if by giving us a direct call, which we found strange. Nevertheless, we returned to our hotel and waited for the callto this day, no one from XXXX XXXX has reached out. If we did not book another flight, as detailed below, we would effectively be stranded at XXXX XXXX. 

After returning to our hotel, and realizing XXXX XXXX was going to be unhelpful, we promptly booked return flights home with XXXX XXXX for the following day. 

Unfortunately, we were forced to incur significant monetary damages in connection with XXXX XXXX inexplicable and arbitrary failure to permit us to board our purchased flight. These costs include a stay at the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, our main cabin seating flight home via XXXX XXXX, round-trip taxi transportation to and from the airport/hotel, additional meal expenses, and additional long-term parking at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

We were so distraught by the bizarre event that we contacted the American embassy to report the incident and filed a police report with the XXXX XXXX police XXXX We also drafted a detailed legal demand letter which we sent to XXXX XXXX XXXX Department via first class mail to ensure delivery. XXXX XXXX did not respond, nor have they refunded the flight to our Capital One credit card on which the flight was purchased. 

Capital One Travel can not allow XXXX XXXX to wrongfully keep payment for which no service was rendered. Because the flight was purchased through Capital One Travel, Capital One must refund the value of the flight. 

In sum, we expect that this information is sufficient to establish our right to a full refund of the disputed fee and travel miles. We think Capital One should honor its agents statements to us and issue a full refund for the disputed fee. Thus far, this case is a clear example of Capital One Travel failing to honor their agents explicit promises ( and, thus, the type of corporate fraud and abuse State and Federal agencies are designed to protect against ). 

Company 's Actions to Date To date, we have explained all of this to Capital One, with documentation. Capital One 's latest response stated that they closed the matter because we failed to provide certain information -- this is false. As can be seen from the detailed explanation above, we have provided all information available to us -- Capital One, for its part, refuses to take its blinders off and actually investigate this matter, and instead is clearly trying to just avoid this matter and give us the runaround.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation