Consumer complaint received 2022-08-13
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
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/XXXX, I paid {$2900.00} to reserve a rental property using my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, for XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. In doing so, I relied on the description of the property on XXXX, photos shown on the listing, and the propertys advertised features and appliances, including a working kitchen, refrigerator, and air conditioning. The transactions posted on XX/XX/XXXX as {$2600.00} by merchant " XXXX XXXX '' and {$250.00} by merchant " XXXX XXXX. '' My family then purchased airline tickets and flew to XXXX, XXXX. 

When we arrived, we discovered that the property was significantly misrepresented - there was no working refrigerator, no air conditioning in the bedrooms, major appliances and walls were missing/broken, the balcony doors were broken, handles were falling off, doors did not lock, lights did not work, and a large loud generator stood on the balcony ( which was not in the advertised photos ). I documented everything, took photos and videos, and sent them to Rental Advisor. We could not leave the property because there was nowhere to go on such short notice. We had also made the reservation 57 days ( two months ) before our check-in, but the rental agreement stated : The tenant will receive no refunds if cancellation takes place less than 90 days before check-in ; Cancellation or early departure does not warrant any refund of rent. Thus, we had no choice but to stay until XX/XX/XXXX, and were forced to incur almost {$1000.00} in additional expenses due to the merchants misrepresentations. During the stay, I detailed all of the issues and defects to Rental Advisor by text and through the XXXX XXXX, and I sent letters to both merchants on XX/XX/XXXX requesting a refund. XXXX said that it was unable to refund me, and Rental Advisor still has not responded to my refund request. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Chase to dispute the two charges and explained how I was induced to make the payments through the merchants misrepresentations, false advertising, and fraud. On XX/XX/XXXX, Chase responded in a short letter, with no explanation, that the charges were valid because the services you purchased were received or available to use. This is wrong and is contradicted by the voluminous supporting documentation that I have sent to Chase. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent Chase a formal notice of disputed charges under the Fair Credit Billing Act, with a comprehensive letter and detailed documentation to support my claim, and requested that Chase dispute the transactions under the Visa Rules ' Dispute Conditions 13.5 ( Misrepresentation ), 13.1 ( Services Not Received ), and 13.3 ( Services Not as Described or Defective ). On XX/XX/XXXX, Chase sent me another one-sentence response, with no explanation, that the transaction is valid and no billing error occurred. 

I then spoke with representatives at a Chase branch, who said they could not help me. On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a letter to Chases Branch Complaint Escalation Group, and filed a written complaint with Chases Executive Office about the improper handling of my FCBA dispute letter. On XX/XX/XXXX, the Executive Office left me a voicemail stating that the charges were valid because since you stayed the duration of the stay, you received the service, and the merchant is entitled to the funds. 

Chases handling of my dispute violates the Fair Credit Billing Act, Regulation Z ( including, but not limited to, 12 C.F.R. 1026.13 ), my consumer rights, and Visas rules, including the Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules 11.1.2, 11.10.2, 11.10.4, and 11.10.6, and the Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, which both merchants have violated.

Despite my detailed letters and evidence about the fraud and misrepresentations regarding the property, Chase has refused to assist me or dispute the transactions. To the extent Chases position is that I should have left the rental property to dispute the charges, Chase never gave me notice of such a policy prior to my dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation