Consumer complaint received 2022-06-11
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NH
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
Since XX/XX/XXXX, I have held a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, issued by Bank of America. I pay a {$90.00} annual fee each year to have this card, and I do so for the express purpose of receiving the advertised benefits of the card. 

A major perk of this card is its " Enhanced Anniversary Award Benefit. '' Per the terms of this benefit, cardholders receive their choice of a XXXX XXXX companion fare voucher or cabin upgrade whenever they spend $ XXXX in the course of a cardmember year. 

Cardholders are also eligible to receive bonus XXXX XXXX miles. This is a tiered benefit. I'm supposed to receive XXXX miles if I spend {$15000.00} ( excluding fees, returns, and adjustments ) in a cardmember year and another XXXX miles ( XXXX miles total ) if I spend $ XXXX in a cardmember year. 

Each of these benefits are permanent, annual features of the card, for which customers are eligible each year that they keep the card open. I am attaching screenshots from when I opened the card. The first of these shows exactly how these benefits were advertised to me. Please see also the highlighted sections on page 3 of the attached account disclosures for the XXXX XXXX card. 

Again, I opened my XXXX XXXX card on XX/XX/XXXX. In the course of the following year I spent more than {$25000.00} and I received both the XXXX bonus miles and the companion fare voucher exactly as I should have. These miles were deposited to my XXXX XXXX account on XX/XX/XXXX. 

From XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, I spent a total of {$26000.00}. Taking account of returned purchases ( charged and later refunded ), I still spent a total of {$25000.00} ( See attached monthly statements, XXXX XXXX ; see also attached Year End Summary from XXXX XXXX ). 

I have not received the companion fare voucher to which I am entitled for the cardmember year that ran from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. Furthermore, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received only XXXX bonus miles and not the XXXX miles that I should have received ( see attached screenshot of my XXXX XXXX account activity ). 

Since XX/XX/XXXX, I have called Bank of America eight times, at XXXX, asking to have this mistake corrected. I called on XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. My call logs with XXXX & XXXX confirm that to date I have spent a total of 3 hours and 34 minutes on the phone with Bank of America about this issue. Each time I call, a case is opened and then I receive a letter from some mysterious back office 1-2 weeks later. 

The first time, the letter stated that XXXX miles had already been deposited to my account, on XX/XX/XXXX ( See attached letter dated XX/XX/XXXX ). This is true. I did receive these miles in XXXX, for spending that occurred from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX -- my first cardmember anniversary year. My inquiry, however, was about miles that I should have received in XX/XX/XXXX, for spending from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX -- my second anniversary year. 

Every other letter that I have received from Bank of America has simply instructed me to call again to resolve my case. No other information has been given. These letters are identical. Only the case number changes. I am attaching the two most recent examples, dated XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

From speaking with Bank of America representatives, I understand that there are internal communications between customer service agents and whichever back office handles cases concerning co-branded credit card rewards. I have asked to be provided with copies of this correspondence and the agents with whom I have spoken have refused this request. Consequently, it remains a mystery as to why repeated requests to have the missing XXXX miles and voucher deposited have not been honored. I have spoken to supervisors in the customer service department. Their requests to have the miles and voucher deposited go ignored as well. 

A few representatives have suggested that the back office may not be counting the {$7200.00} that I spend during the statement period running from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. Every agent has confirmed, however, that this month is included in the cardmember year that ended on XX/XX/XXXX. 

There should be no question that my cardmember year begins and ends in XXXX. If proof is needed though, I am attaching screenshots from when I opened the card, dated XX/XX/XXXX, as well as an email dated XX/XX/XXXX confirming that my new card was mailed. I am also attaching a copy of my cardmember agreement. In the highlighted paragraph on page 7, it confirms that the annual fee for my card will be billed each XXXX. Finally, the attached account disclosures define a cardmember anniversary year as " beginning on the date you open your account and continuing for every 12 month period thereafter '' ( see page 3, first highlighted paragraph ). 

It should also be noted that even if the back office is counting calendar years and not cardmember years, all the spending I am counting to arrive at the {$25000.00} figure above took place between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX -- comfortably within the span of year regardless of how it is delineated. 

The agent I spoke with on XX/XX/XXXX indicated that the back office had acknowledged that I should have received XXXX miles in XX/XX/XXXX, further claiming however that XXXX miles had already been deposited on XX/XX/XXXX. She suggested that I would have to take the matter up with XXXX XXXX. Again, my XXXX account confirms only XXXX miles were deposited in XX/XX/XXXX ( see screenshot dated XX/XX/XXXX ) and that there has been no second deposit to make up the missing XXXX miles. My Bank of America statement, also confirms XXXX miles on this date, not XXXX ( see eStatement dated XX/XX/XXXX, p. 4 ). All this is to say nothing of the companion voucher ( which, I might add, is a far more valuable benefit ). For the record, I have contacted XXXX three times about this and they have made it clear that they have no way to see or verify my credit card spending and that it is Bank of America 's responsibility to rectify this matter. The deposit of both miles and voucher must be initiated on Bank of America 's end. 

I have completely exhausted my patience with Bank of America 's broken customer service system at this point. I feel I have no choice but to escalate this matter to the CFPB, since Bank of America refuses to even communicate a clear explanation of why the benefits of my card aren't being honored, let alone fix the mistake.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief