Consumer complaint received 2020-09-29
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: PA
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 purchased 69 vinyl picture disc records for a total of {$810.00} ( charged to my CapitalOne Quicksilver card through XXXX ). After listing them for sale on XXXX, I was contacted by XXXX  to let me know that the listings were removed at the request of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) due to the fact that they were illegal counterfeits. After trying to deal with the merchant directly without success, I disputed the charge on my card through CapitalOne on XX/XX/XXXX. CapitalOne stated that I would receive a letter in the mail within 30 days. That letter was not received until 42 days later. In the letter, CapitalOne required specific documentation to be returned to them within 12 days of the time the letter was received, and that was at the height of USPS delivery delays. I sent the required documentation to them on XX/XX/XXXX ( just two days after I received the letter ). I later received a letter stating that the case was closed in the merchant 's favor and the pending credit was re-billed due to the ( untrue ) fact that I did not return the documentation as requested. I called CapitalOne to inform them that I did, in fact, send them the completed form, a copy of the XXXX transaction page, and three reports from the XXXX detailing the items as illegal counterfeits. Sure enough, they did have the documentation, but they closed the dispute anyway. I was able to get the dispute reopened, but just today, XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter stating that it was again closed in the merchant 's favor and the pending credit was again re-billed. In this letter, I was told to address the response from the merchant which was supposedly enclosed. There were two additional sheets of paper, but the first one ( which had the vast majority of the writing ), was printed so small and pixelated that I could only read an isolated word here and there. I asked another member of my household if she could read it, and she could not. In addition to addressing the merchant 's response, I was asked for a copy of a sales invoice, a second opinion about the authenticity of the records, and a few other pieces of information. I called CapitalOne and was on the phone for over an hour. I expressed to them that I could not read the tiny pixelated text that was supposedly the response I was supposed to address. Never, in over an hour, did the associate explain what that text said. I explained that I had already submitted the XXXX order screen ( the closest thing to an invoice that there was for this transaction ) as well as statements from the XXXX detailing these items as illegal counterfeits. The associate continually put me on hold ( I would say at least 6 or 7 times ). She stated that they needed a second opinion in writing from a record collector. I explained to her that the XXXX was the highest authority in the U.S. for recorded music and that most collectors do not have the training to accurately determine the authenticity of an item. Still, she insisted I get a letter in writing from a collector. I explained to her that I am a collector, and asked if I could write the letter myself. She put me on hold ( again ) and then explained that I could not. I told her that no one I knew was a record collector and that I did not feel safe going out to antagonize random people during a pandemic with this absurd request. She gave me a phone number to a record store which she claimed was nearby me and asked me to take the records to them and have them write a letter explaining their opinion of their authenticity. I again explained that I did not feel comfortable going into a record store during a pandemic, particularly for what would likely be a lengthy stay ( again, there are 69 records for them to authenticate ), but that did not seem to concern the associate. I also explained that it is not at all common for random strangers to walk into a record store with a box full of records and ask for a formal letter explaining their authenticity. I claimed that, first of all, most record store owners ( or employees ) are not qualified to make that determination. Secondly, even if they were ( or falsely claimed to be ), the likelihood that they would take hours out of their work day to examine my items and write a formal letter to CapitalOne is slim to none. As I explained to the associate, CapitalOne already has the documented opinion of the XXXX, and no record store is going to be a higher authority than that. As the call began to get escalated, the associate claimed that CapitalOne was looking to help me from the beginning. I asked her how they were helping me when they gave themselves 30 days to send me a letter, actually took 42, then expected a reply from me in just 12 days. She was silent for an extended period, so I asked again. She started to explain and defend just about everything except the actual question I asked. I had to stop her several times and ask again, and that was always followed by more silence. When she refused to address the direct question, I informed her that I would be contacting the CFPB and hung up. I need this case closed in my favor. As stated, I have provided sufficient documentation showing the XXXX has deemed these records to be illegal counterfeits. No record store should need to waste their time writing a letter to CapitalOne that XXXX at least in all likelihood ) they are not even qualified to write.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief