Consumer complaint received 2017-12-25
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: WA
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:
In XX/XX/XXXX my husband and I applied for secured credit cards through Capital One after XXXX recommended the product to help restore our damaged credit. I applied online and recieved correspondence via standard mail from Capital One informing me that I was approved for a Platinum Mastercard and to make a security payment of {$99.00} to open my new account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a payment to Capital One online in the amount of {$99.00} with my husbands checking account ( all of our bills are paid through that checking account and I am authorized to sign and make payments using the account ). The payment posted on my bank side on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I  received an email from Capital One informing me that my new card has been sent. I recieved and activated my card on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Shortly after receiving the card we had some unexpected expenses and needed to use all of the available credit ( {$200.00} ). Given the financial hardship was only temporary and the intention when that credit card account was opened was to rebuild credit not destroy it by maxing out a credit card the first month it was issued, I made a payment of {$100.00} on XX/XX/XXXX using the SAME CHECKING ACCOUNT I used a month prior to OPEN THE ACCOUNT. The payment method was done by phone via the XXXX # on the back of the card with the automated system, however I did attempt to enroll my account online but had trouble authenticating an old account I had with Capital One years ago as my cell phone number and email are both different now but planned to call customer service to get online access resolved the next day.

On XX/XX/XXXX I contact the number on the back of the card again because I wanted to get my online access resolved. The agent advised me the bank was holding the payment I made and that we she needed to call the bank to see if the payment was going to process and without asking me conferenced the bank on the call. Since the checking account is my husbands I can not authorize the bank to disclose information regarding his account so the agent at Capital One asked me to call back when I was with my husband and in the meantime there was going to be a hold on my card. I told her that I would call back when my husband was present so he could give authorization for the bank to discuss his checking account details and asked her to help me get online access. She had me answer security questions and asked me to verify a code that she texted to my cell phone, she informed me that she would email me a link to reset my online access. 

Ten minutes after I got off the phone with the 1st representative I received a call from a different Capital One representative informing me that my card has been flagged for fraud and has been put on hold and in order to remove the hold she needed a few moments of my time to verify some information. I explained to her I just did that with the last rep and the purpose of my verifying my information was to get online access she never mention or informed me that my account was flagged for possible fraud. She apologized and said there was no notes on my account from the other representative. Reluctantly, I agreed to proceed with the call to verify the information authenticating me identity. After I answered a number of 'multiple choice questions ' asking things like previous names and address ' I have used or been associated with she asked if we could contact the bank my last payment was made through to verify the authenticity of the checking account. I informed her the last rep I spoke with tried to contact the bank but I can not give permission for the bank to give information about the account and I will call back with my husband ( and STILL at this point there was NO RECORD OR NOTES in their system from the last rep I spoke with ) she insisted that I give her my husbands cell phone number so she can conference him on the call to confirm that it was ok that payment where made from his checking account to my credit card. I told her no he would not answer because he is asleep and I will call back with him when he is available. 

My husband is the XXXX of a local restaurant and is always on call and by the time I arrived home he had left for work. I tried to reach him on his work and cell phone with no answer. I became very angry with Capital One after I looked at the online bank statement showing that they have withdrawn the funds for the payment in question, the payment that needed approval from my husband and the bank before they would remove the fraud/freeze from my card. I called them back upset at the unethical business practices, inconvenience, and stress they have caused-HOW DARE THEY WITHDRAW MONEY FROM A BANK ACCOUNT THEY TOLD ME THE NEEDED APPROVAL AND AUTHENTICATION FROM BUT KEEP THE FRAUD ALERT AND HOLD ON MY CARD. I figured since they already took the funds they ether needed to reverse the transaction or remove the alerts on my account. The man I spoke with during this call said the payment was a pending payment and is on hold as well. I told him that I know the difference between and pending and posted transaction and the payment WAS NOT PENDING but the transaction has successful posted and the funds have been withdrawn from the bank. He insisted I conference call with my husband and the bank. I told him no to reverse the transaction if they feel that it is a fraudulent payment and I will make the payment to them with a difference method. He said they can not reverse the transaction because it is automated and they have no control over auto payments that I will need to do a stop payment on the bank side or dispute the charge with the bank!!!! I asked for a supervisor he placed me on hold so long that I hung up and called back I went around in circles with the next couple of representatives. My husband said he would call in on his down time to authorize the payment with the bank, when he tried to call they told him that they will not speak to him without me on the line ( ever though I gave permission to talk to him AND HE WAS NOT ASKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MY ACCOUNT but just calling to authorize to the payment they already took ) About an hour later I was able to arrg for ME to call capital one so they could do the conference call they have insisted on doing all morning. The representative to conference call my husband in on the line. The man I spoke with during this call did not conferance me on the line but put me on hold while he called my husband on the other line at no point did tether the calls but spoke to me, my husband, and the bank all separately without conferencing the any line!!!!!! The bank informed the rep at Capital One that they would not discuss their member accounts on a recorded line! Meanwhile, I am on hold this entire time. When he comes back to the line he tell me the bank will not verify the payment because there lines are recorded and said I will need to send a bank statement to authenticate the bank. The call was dropped because my phone battery died. When I called back to see what I needed to do to get the issue resolved the rep said there was nothing I could do since the bank will not speak with them. I told him that they can stop recording the call so we can resolve this we went around in circles he was very unprofessional, rude, and was not interested in helping me fix the issue. I asked for a manager and was kept on hold so long I had to end the call. When I called back I spoke with a rep in another department that transferred me to another rep in the fraud department who was able to finish telling me what I needed to do to resolve the issue on my account. She told me she was be emailing me a link to upload a copy of the bank statement so they can prove the account number and name matches. I send that bank statement when I got home that night I never heard back from Capital One. Tried calling on XX/XX/XXXX and the rep I spoke with said they did receive the document but it has not been reviewed and he is not qualified to do the review and I would need to call back at XXXX EST.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation