Consumer complaint received 2023-08-30
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (AZ)

I have been trying to get Capital One to reverse a charge on my credit card for a hotel stay that I made on XXXX XXXX, 2023. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I paid for a booking at the hotel through XXXX, for an amount of {$360.00} on my Capital One card. The booking was for one room, two nights from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. When I arrived at the hotel on XX/XX/XXXX, the person at the front desk asked me to make a payment of {$310.00} for the room. I was under the impression at the time that it was a security deposit for the room, and that I would be refunded the amount a few days after the stay. I gave them the same card that I used for the XXXX transaction. When I checked out of the hotel on XX/XX/XXXX, I had only received a receipt for the parking garage that I used during my stay there, I never received a receipt for the {$310.00} that I was charged. 

A couple weeks later I reached out to both XXXX and the hotel over the phone about this transaction, XXXX tells me that the hotel incorrectly billed me, and the hotel says that I need to handle the issue with XXXX. Both parties agreed that I was incorrectly charged twice for this stay, and that a refund needed to be issued, but neither party wanted to be held responsible. Over the course of a few weeks, I spoke with both parties about my situation, and I requested receipts from both parties to try to verify where the error occurred. It became clear that the billing issue was on the hotels end when I finally received a receipt from the hotel for the {$310.00} transaction, but the information on the receipt was not correct. They had XXXX contact information on file for my account, and they had billed a card that I do not possess. I still do not understand how my card was billed for this amount, but the receipt shows a completely different card. 

I reached out to the hotel again and asked about this discrepancy. They did not understand how this happened, and they then proceeded to process a refund on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told that I would receive an email with a receipt for verification of the refund. When I received the email, all the information was still incorrect, and they processed the refund to the incorrect card, not my card. I reach out again on XX/XX/XXXX explaining that I did not receive the refund, and once again they process another refund in the exact same way to the wrong card. I call them back again to explain the mistake once again, and I was then told that a manager would need to handle the situation, but there wouldnt be one until later that day. I reached out to them for the third time that day, and I am finally able to speak to a manager after over a month of back-and-forth calls.

The manager proceeds to tell me that he can not process a refund for {$310.00} to my Capital One card because they do not have any record of this card being charged for that amount. He then tells me that the hotel policy does not allow him to refund any amount that did not appear in their records. The only transaction they have on file with that card is for the parking receipt that I received on XX/XX/XXXX, so he is only authorized to refund the amount for that receipt, which I was not disputing. 

I ask him how it is possible that there is no record of this transaction on file when an employee asked me for my card and swiped it in front of me for that exact amount, and I can clearly see the {$310.00} that was charged to my card on the day that it happened. He then gets defensive with me and says that its my truth that this happened and insinuates that I am somehow lying to him about the entire situation. In a dismissive tone, he then tells me that if I want that amount back that I will need to file a police report or fraud claim, and that I need to request a charge back from Capital One for the amount. I tell him that is exactly what I plan on doing, and he then accuses me of threatening him and immediately hangs up. 

I then reached out to Capital One to request the charge back on the same day of this phone call. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received the letter from Capital One saying that theyre siding with the hotel due to a cancellation policy. I do not understand where this came from because there was never a cancellation of my stay. I was never informed of any cancellation policy, nor was one shared with me at any point during this lengthy process because a room cancellation was never the issue. The issue from the beginning was that I was charged twice for my stay. Im even more frustrated by this given that the support that the hotel provided, given to me in the letter sent by Capital One siding with the hotel, proves my claim and invalidates their argument about any cancellations. The receipts they provide show that I stayed there, and they still show the incorrect cards being refunded. 

I sent all the supporting documentation that I can to provide to show the inconsistencies with the hotel 's defense. All the receipts the hotel gave me, XXXX 's receipt, my credit card statement, and the two attempts the hotel made to refund me, and I even notate and comment on all the documentation so that Capital One barely has to do any investigative work at all. 

I receive a XXXX letter from Capital One on XX/XX/XXXX that once again sides with the hotel. They claim that the transaction was " processed properly '' despite me pointing out several times that their processing refunded a card that I do not own. They want me to provide proof that I paid the room with another form of payment, despite the fact that I sent them the receipt that I had paid for the room already with XXXX with the same card. 

I am tired of having to plead my case over and over again to Capital One, they have been unwilling to cooperate with me and have dismissed any evidence I provide because they do not want to make the effort to correct a mistake I've been dealing with for 3 months now. I have given them all the evidence that proves that the hotel has made numerous mistakes, and yet they will stand by and let this hotel charge me twice.