Consumer complaint received 2024-10-11
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (FL)

I am filing this complaint because Capital One has mishandled my chargeback request regarding a hotel reservation that I was unable to use due to two state-declared emergencies in Florida related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Despite the clear and documented circumstances, Capital One has refused to initiate the chargeback process, leaving me without a refund for a service I could not safely use. 

Background : I made a reservation through Capital Ones travel rewards program for the XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX ) for the dates of XXXX XXXX XXXX  under the reservation number XXXX. I paid a total of {$570.00} for the reservation. 

Timeline of Events : 1. XX/XX/scrub>XXXX XXXX XXXX : A state of emergency was declared in my XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, due to Hurricane Helene under Executive Order XXXX The hurricane was projected to make landfall on the XXXX area on XX/XX/scrub>XXXX XXXX XXXX, the check-in date for the hotel. This weather development made it unsafe for my family and me to travel through the path of the hurricane to make my check-in date. 
On XXXX XXXX XXXX I called the hotel to request a cancellation or reschedule due to the state of emergency. The hotel directed me to Capital One, as I had booked through their travel rewards program. 
Capital One agreed to contact the hotel on my behalf to request a reschedule or cancellation. I was advised to call back within 24 hours. 
2. XXXX XXXX XXXX, I called Capital One repeatedly to follow up, and they informed me that they had not received any response from the hotel. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called yet again to follow up on my request and was informed by Capital One, that my reservation was rescheduled for XXXX XXXX XXXX 
3. XXXX XXXX XXXX : Another hurricane, Hurricane Milton, was projected to make landfall in the XXXX area XXXX where the hotel is located. On XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was placed under a state of emergency under XXXX XXXX XXXX, as the storm was forecast to bring severe storm surges and high winds to the region. 
On XXXX XXXX XXXX, given the unsafe conditions, I contacted Capital One to request a cancellation for the rescheduled XXXX XXXX XXXX hotel reservation. The Capital One representative attempted to contact the hotel but received no response, I was informed by the Capital One representative that an email was sent to the hotel requesting a cancellation and refund. I was told to call back in the next 24 hours for an update. 
4. XXXX XXXX XXXX  : I followed up with Capital One multiple times. On the day of the rescheduled check-in date ( XXXX XXXX XXXX  ), the hotel still had not responded to Capital Ones inquiries. I requested to initiate a chargeback, as I had made every reasonable attempt to cancel due to the unsafe travel conditions. The Capital One representative then asked to place me on hold while he called the hotel. A few minutes later, the Capital One representative said the hotel denied my request and would not be refunding me. 

Capital Ones Response : Despite my valid request, Capital One refused to initiate the chargeback process. The representative informed me that the hotel refused the cancellation and offered me only a {$50.00} credit, which is not acceptable for a reservation totaling {$570.00}. 
Capital Ones refusal to process the chargeback is unjust, especially since my familys safety was at risk due to the hurricanes and the areas declared state of emergency. 

In the XXXX years Ive been a customer, I have never previously requested a chargeback. 
Due to the hotels refusal to issue a refund, despite the state of emergency, I have also filed a formal complaint with the Florida Attorney Generals Office regarding the hotels handling of this situation. I believe this refusal to honor a refund during such a dangerous situation violates consumer protection laws. 

Reasons why this chargeback request is valid : 1. State of Emergency : Both XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX ) and XXXX XXXX ( the location of the hotel ) were under declared states of emergency during the dates of my original and rescheduled reservations. This made travel unsafe and justified a cancellation. 
Hurricane Helene : State of emergency declared under XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/scrub>XXXX XXXX 
Hurricane Milton : State of emergency declared under XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/scrub>XXXX XXXX XXXX 
2. Good Faith Effort : I made repeated attempts to cancel or reschedule the reservation, and Capital One contacted the hotel multiple times, with no response. 
3. Lack of Service : I could not receive the service I paid for ( a safe hotel stay ) due to the dangerous travel conditions caused by the hurricanes, and the hotel refused to refund my payment.

4. Unfair Treatment : Offering a {$50.00} credit for a {$570.00} reservation, under these circumstances, is unreasonable, and Capital Ones refusal to assist further is a failure to protect their customers rights.