Consumer complaint received 2024-01-20
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: FISERV INC. (FL)

OnXX/XX/XXXX, a friend of mine from XXXX, XXXX XXXX, sent me XXXX by XXXX that he owed me for some XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received the email below. -  Hello XXXX, We've deactivated XXXX  for use with XXXX because it can't be used to send or receive money. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. We appreciate your business. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX  So that same day I called XXXX XXXX Customer support. The person who took my call said that all she could tell me is that, I made a transaction which broke the terms of my agreement with XXXX, and it was for a XXXX I asked for more details to identify the transaction, I specifically asked for the date, and if I was the sender or receiver (so I could narrow it down). She said she could not give me any further details. I also asked her which specific XXXX policy I had broken. She said she did not know and couldnt tell me. She said the only thing I could do was call XXXX directly because it was a XXXX decision and they are a Third Party service provider to XXXX XXXX, AND, I could go to the XXXX branch and talk to a banker who could review my account and submit a request for the restriction to be removed. Ok, I called XXXX. They have an option to speak to someone regarding ONLY the XXXX  App, and when you go through the phone voice menu for problems with restrictions, they sent me back to my bank. So, I go to the XXXX XXXX branch on the same day, located at XXXX  and XXXX XXXX. I sit down with XXXX XXXX (XXXX XXXX  Branch Banker). He reviews my account, and sees that my XXXX  is restricted with no explanation. He says, (from his experience) this happens when there is a fraudulent transaction on XXXX. After reviewing my account and seeing no evidence of fraud, he submits a request to have the XXXX restriction removed. That same day he send me an email that my XXXX service has been restored. (below) XXXX  Good afternoon XXXX, This is XXXX  from XXXX XXXXXXXX to let you know that your XXXX is back to normal. XXXX  Regards, XXXX XXXX | Banking Associate | XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail XXXX  Great right! I actually didn't even check right away to see. Why would I? I did nothing wrong. But that night I tried to access XXXX to see, and it wasnt working. So I sent XXXXl and email and followed up the next day. XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. A couple back and forth emails, him saying hes looking into it, then try again. XX/XX/XXXXemail. (below) - Good morning XXXX, Unfortunately you won't be able to use XXXX  anymore. The bank reserves the information for which they do not allow you to use the application anymore. So you will need to choose an alternative payment method. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail  OK, now Im frustrated. I responded to him saying how can this happen without explanation? Never heard from him again. XX/XX/XXXX I call XXXX again, This time I started with XXXX App support just to get a live person. They again told me that it was my banks decision and they couldnt give me any details, but they transferred me directly to XXXX XXXX Digital Detection Dept. The first person I got on the phone says there is nothing I can do and I just cant use XXXX anymore using my personal email (XXXX) or my cell phone number, or with any XXXX XXXX account. And he suggested I use another service provider like XXXX or XXXX. I send, and receive a lot of money from my personal account using XXXX, and for my bank to arbitrarily cut me off from use without explanation and without any due process or process of investigation, I find ridiculous. So I told him that I wanted to speak to his supervisor. He put me on the phone with a polite lady, who tried to help me out. I pressed her on more details of the transaction in question because I still had no idea ( I have many XXXX transactions, sent and received). She told me it was the transaction I 1st referenced above, the receipt of XXXX  from my XXXX friend. She told me that the account holder had disputed the XXXX transaction with his bank, which was XXXX XXXX. I immediately told her that this is a person that is a friend of mine and Ive played XXXX with him for over 10 years and its clearly a mistake because he would never dispute that transaction knowingly. So then I asked her what evidence she would need to get the restriction removed, her response was two part. First, she didnt know what documentation or evidence would be sufficient to prove that the dispute was erroneous. Secondly, she told me that since XXXX had already requested that the restriction be lifted, and that request had already been denied, that was my only chance to overturn the decision, and so she did not believe that the decision would ever be overturned. I was starting to get very upset. First, I explained to her that that cant be my only chance to overturn this ridiculous decision, because I was never given the information about the transaction in question to be able to understand, and provide any evidence to the contrary. Second, I asked her How can that be a fraudulent transaction when I didnt initiate a request through XXXX XXXX platform for the money to be sent to me? Rather, my friend found me on XXXX knowing my cell phone, and sent the funds to me. I further explained that, without any system of due process, anyone who has someone elses first name and cell phone number could intentionally XXXX them money, and then call their bank and claim fraud just to block that persons access to XXXX. Thirdly, I explained that XXXX XXXX needs to fight for me because I am XXXX XXXX customer, and if I can provide indisputable evidence that the transaction was not fraudulent, then XXXX XXXX must restore my access to XXXX service. Without her able to make any suggestions or recommendations as to what evidence I could provide to overturn this decision, I asked her if I could obtain a notarized letter from my friend stating that he had not disputed the transaction or that, if he had, that it was an error, then would that be enough? She said she didnt know, but I could try it, and if it was a notarized letter is better than a letter that wasnt notarized. She said you can try. Get the letter and bring it to the branch and have them upload it into our system, I cant guarantee that anything will work. OK, well at least now Im sure about the transaction in question and Im feeling slightly relieved that I know the person who sent me the money intended to send me the money and Im feeling confident that once I have this explanation letter in my hand that I will have my service with XXXX renewed, and I will eventually be a happy camper so I push forward and I call my friend and explain to him what was happening. His first reaction was that he had no idea because he never dispute the transaction. So I asked him for a notarized letter stating the same and fortunately the next day we play XXXX together so he could bring it with him. Agreed. Two minutes later he calls me back and he apologizes profusely because when he logged into the account, he could see that the transaction was disputed and he remembered that it was a joint account that opened with his son when his son was a XXXX. He called his son and found out that his son disputed the transaction because he didnt recognize my name and thought that it might have been one of his friends who is also named XXXX  and so his son called up XXXX and dispute the transaction. He immediately called his son and had his son called XXXX and removed the dispute. Then, he wrote a letter thoroughly explaining the nature of the error, with all the details, and clearly stating the dispute was an error and NOT fraudulent, had it notarized. At this point, Im thinking checkmate. Not only is it clear that the initial dispute claim by XXXX was made in error, but I have a notarized letter from the account holder stating that the transaction was legitimate and intentional. XX/XX/XXXX I get the notarized letter in my hands. And emailed to me.XX/XX/XXXX I go back to the branch. XXXX is not there. So I follow up with anotheXXXX XXXX XXXX rep, XXXX XXXX I explain absolutely everything that happened again and I forward him the letter. He reopens the case and uploads the letter. And then later that day calls me and says that my appeal has been denied again despite the letter, and that I should pursue XXXX XXXX, or XXXX, or some other service. Of course, he apologizes profusely because of the ridiculousness of the situation. I quickly call XXXX XXXX again, blow past the first representative who claims nothing can be done, and Im transferred to XXXX who is a supervisor. I again explain everything that happened since the beginning I confirm with him that XXXX  Digital Detection department has received the letter, and I tell him that its unfair, unjust, and I want him to get that decision overturned, I explain to him the nature of my relationship with XXXX XXXX including over XXXX of deposit accounts that are not bearing interest through all of my accounts and he acknowledges all of those things and says that hes going to do whatever he can to restore my access to XXXX  and he will follow up with me either with a phone call or with a secure message. Please see below the secure message that I received onXX/XX/XXXX XXXX  Dear XXXX XXXX Thank you for contacting us in regard to your XXXX with XXXX profile being restricted. I further escalated your concerns to our Digital Detection Team for further review and they have advised that you will need to choose an alternative payment method by which to send people monies. This could include other third-party services such as but not limited to: XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, etc etc. If you have any further questions, please contact us via email or call XXXX  to speak with a XXXX XXXX On-Line Specialist, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Regards, XXXX XXXX XXXX On-Line Resource Officer XXXX  At this point, Im thinking to myself. Is there anything else I can do before initiating a class action lawsuit against XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX I reached out to a personal contact who works for XXXX XXXX for a long time and explained everything to him. His email response below XXXX  XXXX, We spoke with our operations team regarding your XXXX deactivation. They explained that XXXX  initiated the fraud alert for the XXXX  payment and they notified Fiserv. You will need to reach out to Fiserv and/or XXXX. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX I then called my friend and asked him to get a letter from XXXX stating that XXXX acknowledged that the transaction was not fraudulent. made several requests over the phone and in the branch and was promised many times that a letter would be sent to him directly as well as emails. So that we have something in writing confirming that XXXX  had changed and withdrew the fraud claim. unfortunately, we never got those letters from XXXX. since late XXXX, I have not pushed very hard on this topic because I had more important things to do and I was waiting for these XXXX letters that never arrived for my friend. However, I started following up again early XXXX and on Thursday, XX/XX/2024, I initiated a three-way call with XXXX claims department, and my friend whos account is at XXXX that we could verify the status of these letters that were supposedly coming to my friend and see if XXXX was able to resolve the problem for us based on the feedback I received from XXXX XXXX (that only XXXX was able to undo the dispute and report to Fiserv so that Fiserv could restore my access to XXXX service. after another grueling hour and a half on this three-way call in which the XXXX representative promised a resolution, we were disappointed that the representative said that he cannot change the case, or the claim of fraud, because the case had already been closed, and the only ones that can restore my access to XXXX is XXXX XXXX. Although this representative did not know, or could not verify that Fiserv was in control of this process, and he could not edit the closed case, he said that he put notes on the XXXX claim number stating that the XXXX Client had verified that the transaction was not fraudulent. I asked him how Fiserv would ever be able to retrieve that information if it was not transmitted by XXXX to Fiserv because all these claim numbers that he was giving us were internal XXXX claim numbers? he said that he could not transmit any data to Fiserv about this case or any other claim regarding this transaction and that I needed to go back to XXXX XXXX again so that XXXX XXXX could resolve the issue with Fiserv. For the record, please find below the XXXX internal claim numbers. XXXX  Original claim number, Closed, cannot be re-opened or edited XXXX Rep XXXX (refused to give an employee ID number, but said hes the only XXXX  in the claims department, which should be good enough for me) Short inquiry claim number XXXX, a new claim number which documented our phone call. He also promised, yet another letter would go out in the US mail to his client, as well as an email to confirm acknowledgment that there was no fraud, but that XXXX refused to update Fiserves records, or withdraw the original claim despite its erroneous nature. XXXX a fraud claim against me to XXXX and Fiserve. At this point, XXXX is presently aware that the claim was factually incorrect and that I committed NO fraud, yet they refuse to update XXXX and Fiserv to correct the record, and they refuse to make any effort to restore my access to XXXX due to the incorrect fraud claim. Summary XXXX has become an integral part of banking and a service offered to almost every banking customer across the majority of US banks as a benefit of the banking relationship. I have people who depend on me to send them payments by XXXX for monthly services. I have people who want to pay me by XXXX It is part of my business and my personal life, Ive done enough research to know that a lot of banks are taking heat right now due to XXXX related transactions that are fraudulent where the banks are not able to undo transactions for their customers when the customers believe there is fraud, and I understand that banks must err on the side of caution. However, to deny banking customers access to XXXX service with no evidence, and only an accusation of fraud, and to accuse that customer (me) of breaking the terms of my service agreement, with XXXX, is 100% wrong. Furthermore, with no transparency or clear process to undo simple errors is unfair to consumers like me who have done nothing wrong. To continue the farce in light of indisputable evidence that the transaction was not fraudulent, and a retraction of the dispute by the person who made the dispute in the first place, is completely absurd. Not only has my XXXX service been denied with XXXX XXXX, but now across all banks. I cannot use XXXX with my name, cell phone, and personal email with ANY bank, which is why I believe that it is not only a XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX issue, but a more centralized issue with XXXX and Fiserv which we all know are owned by the big banks. As I said, before, if this is the XXXX XXXX, it means that anyone with your cell phone number and or email address associated with your account, and your name could send you XXXX dollar by XXXX, dispute the transaction, and thereby, either fraudulently and tortuously, or erroneously, have your XXXX service removed, and not only with your bank, but with all banks who know your email address and cell phone number, forever! And worst of all, with no due process or resolution process whatsoever. I have proven that there is no fraud, I have proven that there was no intent of fraud, I have proven that I have not violated any of the XXXX policy or terms of service, and yet I am being denied service that millions of Americans have access to because my bank will not fight for me. now when people ask to XXXX me money, or if I can sell them money I have to say no I cant because I am denied access from XXXX due to fraud, and the XXXX XXXX is assumed to be on me. It is unfair to deny consumer services offered to millions with no due process. the banks point the finger at each other and XXXX however, they are the owners of XXXX  and Fiserv. This is clearly intentional so they can deny any direct wrongdoing and pass the buck and avoid direct liability, which is why I think the CFPB should hold the banks accountable for the actions of XXXX and Fiserv, And force banks to have a transparent dispute resolution process that protects consumers against denial of service based only on accusations. Thank you, XXXX XXXX