Consumer complaint received 2023-10-26
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: UT
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:
I am waiting for my phone records to give specific dates, as BOA indicated that our conversations were recorded. I am doubtful if the conversations concerning my attempts to stop these charges, where we changed my credit card number numerous times ( the representative indicated that this would stop charges, but it was not true ), or the representative telling me that there was no way for BOA to stop the charges paid in advance for the upcoming year, or offering to put a lock on my limit would be available by request. I am not hopeful that this complaint will do much against financial powerhouses that targeted two states in the union and met with political officials to create a loophole to avoid usury laws being held accountable. The deck was already stacked in their favor, but unsavory business practices were underhanded and particularly heinous during a world shutdown. 

Firstly, I was in good standing before the pandemic. That is mostly due to my husband paying the bills and knowing how the system works. I had gainful employment. The tides were changing as my father was actively XXXX, but we could escape our issues. I made the mistake of paying credit cards early and was outside my billing cycle as my husband used to pay the bills but, around the pandemic, went too XXXX to pay the bills. 

I am not denying that I owe BOA money, but I am frustrated that the limit was breached due to continued reoccurring charges as I paid upfront by the year and had no power to stop these charges. The only way I could get the XXXX  to stop was to halt all payments. Miraculously, BOA suddenly had the authority to stop paying these companies after I stopped making payments. I felt powerless to change the sequence of events as my credit card company seemed to be in a position that violated fiduciary of some kind. I do not hold companies liable as they did not represent me. 

During the pandemic, I tried to call Bank of America and have reoccurring fees stopped from charging my card in the future. The bank representative told me that I would have to get ahold of the companies and have the charges stopped and that there was no way for BOA to stop these charges. I tried to explain that I paid by the year, and these charges were for a year in advance services. 

I asked the representative at Bank of America why I could not have BOA stop the charges as the charges were going above and beyond my limit, and I was not able to work during the pandemic ; the bank wanted me to dispute the charges but the first year of pandemic I tried to explain that the companies that I worked with were good and I did not want to dispute the year before as this was unprecedented times and just wanted going forward for no other charges to be charged as I thought paying a year in advance would be enough to bypass whatever ridiculous rule they had that would render me powerless. 

In contrast, the companies and BOA profited, and I had no control over intercepting, yet I am liable for the payments. I tried further to plead my case with the representative at BOA, asking if BOA represented me or how this worked. I asked how a company can, during a pandemic, keep charging, and I do not have the power to stop, especially on upfront charges. The representative indicated that she could lock my limit, and I said, " XXXX, that is literally the definition of the word limit. When I asked for a manager, I was directed to another person, but when I found no solution, I asked for an escalation person, and the representative told me she was the last line of defense. 

I think I have been harmed as I should have been able to call and have these charges stopped, especially during a pandemic when most companies were short. Access was minimal, as indicated by the numerous recordings concerning the companies involved. I should have been able to call my bank and have the charges for my future use stopped.

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 explanation