Consumer complaint received 2024-09-16
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Privacy issues
Company: DISCOVER BANK (TN)

My Discover card has been open for over 5 years with no issues until the month of XX/XX/XXXX2024. On XX/XX/XXXX I made a payment of $ XXXX {$700.00} to the card and in XXXX I made a payment of almost {$900.00}. These were larger payments than I normally make, However, I was making them with the intent of usage while I traveled. When the payment was made in XXXX it was not available the next day, per usual. I did not realize this until I checked my balance a week later and the funds were still on hold. When I called Discover the agent told me they would be able to release funds if I called the bank and they verified the funds had cleared the account. I was livid. This has never happened before. However ; I complied and the bank representative told them the funds cleared the back the same day the payment was made. Discover had been unlawfully withholding availability of funds for over a week for no reason at all. 

On XXXX XXXX, 2024 at XXXX, I received an email from Discover stating the following : Your consent is required. Discover Financial Services requires your consent to obtain income information from the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) to verify information on your account.You can expect a separate email from " XXXX XXXX XXXX '' ( sent via XXXX ) with the subject line : " Response Required : On behalf of Discover Card, XXXX XXXX XXXX Has Sent You IRS Consent Form 4506-C to Sign. '' Please follow the instructions in the email within five days. Until this verification is complete, a temporary hold has been placed on your account. If you do not provide the requested consent by the indicated response date, your account will be closed. If for any reason you are unable to complete the consent form, please contact Discover directly at XXXX, or call the phone number on the back of your card. 
Once Discover has received and processed the IRS information, you will be contacted in writing to advise of the outcome. We appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation. I was about a plane to New York, in route to a wedding in XXXX. I missed my flight that morning as I had an emotional conversation with Discover as to why they were doing this to my account. The funds were to be used for my rental car upon landing in NY. The rep only stated that Discover " randomly selects accounts for verification '' and that my funds were unavailable to use until verification was completed and that could take up to two weeks. I completed the verification the same day ( XX/XX/XXXX24 ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received another email from Discover saying the following : Thank you for submitting the requested documentation to verify information on your account. We have successfully completed our review. At this time, the hold on your account has been lifted. You may now continue to use your Discover Card. We appreciate your cooperation with helping keep your Discover account secure. If you have any questions, please call us anytime at XXXX ( XXXX ), or you can always visit us at Discover.com. Again, Discover had withheld use of available funds for no reason. I have been able to use my card up until Sunday. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, I received another email from Discover stating : We received the documentation you provided to verify information on the above referenced account ; however, certain aspects were either incomplete, illegible, or invalid. Further action is required of you to complete our review. If you do not provide the requested, corrected documentation, your account will be closed by creditor on the previously communicated due date and reported as such to the credit bureaus. To discuss required next steps, please contact Discover XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX, or call the number on the back of your card. And you guessed it, the remaining funds are on hold again. I called that morning and the department the email came from was closed. 

Today, I called back and they were missing information from line # 4. A new link for verification was sent to me. I reluctantly complied again, only because it is my intention to close this account ASAP. After I told the representative that the call was being recorded on my end as well, she would not restate that this is a random account verification practice of Discover 's ( as it is not ). I have recently learned that they have done this when you credit file/score drops low or they are uncertain about your claimed income. My claimed income has been the same the entire time I've had the card. My credit profile has fluctuated during the last 5+ years as well. The only thing that occurred differently was that I made XXXX lump sum payments within XXXX weeks of each other, and that should not trigger this type of discriminatory harassment. There was no reason of request of such personal information via taxes or even the bank verification call in XXXX.