Consumer complaint received 2024-10-28
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: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (GA)

I formally requested the approval of a chargeback ( Claim ID : XXXX ) for a recent transaction on my credit card, as I experienced a heinously unsatisfactory service that has led to significant inconvenience. 
On the night of XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX, I checked in at XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ) and encountered a serious issue with my room ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ). Upon arrival, I discovered that the room was infested with mice. Despite my immediate complaints to the hotel management, the problem was not resolved, and I was wholly unwilling and/or unable to stay in the room due to health and hygiene concerns. 
I was also discriminated against at this hotel on what I believe was both the basis of my XXXX and race. During the initial customer service interaction with XXXX, the night team member at the front desk, the police were called on me when I was justifiably upset that he refused to move me to a different room immediately. I am a XXXX woman. In my experience, this behavior reflects a broader issue of systemic racism where certain groups are disproportionately subjected to suspicion and surveillance, regardless of whether there is any legitimate reason for police involvement. In the morning, upon speaking with the manager, XXXX regarding this event, he concluded I will make it very very hard for you ... your drama has not paid off. This statement came after he cartoonishly waved his fingers around and twisted his neck in a circular motion, to mimic the XXXX archetype of a XXXX XXXXXXXX woman. Needless to say, I had to make alternative arrangements at another hotel, incurring additional expenses. 
On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX at XXXX XXXX told us that we would only get a room of identical quality in the same building infested with mice, and XXXX refund of any kind. We also contacted XXXX XXXX the third-party booking agent we used to pay for this room, and they were also unable to convince XXXX XXXX to provide a refund. We tried every avenue possible to resolve this matter directly and quickly, but XXXX made it clear that he would do everything in his power to make sure we would not get compensation or an acceptable room. 
Eventually, XXXX XXXX did offer a one night refund and a coupon for a subsequent stay at their hotel. Unfortunately, this offer came over 48 hours into our intended stay in XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX ). During this time, XXXX sent antagonizing messages insulting my upbringing and told me to be patient when asking for a prompt reply. An apology was never even offered by XXXX XXXX for any aspect of this experience. 

Bank of America rejected my chargeback request because : " Although we understand youre unsatisfied with what was provided, the merchant may charge you for any service or merchandise that you received. You may want to contact the merchant directly about your dispute. '' They initially sent me a rejection letter on XX/XX/XXXX, and I called BoA that same day. The agent on the phone told me that letter was erroneously sent, and that my claim was still in process. Then on XX/XX/XXXX, they sent me the same rejection letter with no info about the discrepancy in decision making/premature letter sending. 

In the details of that letter, BoA included the direct response from XXXX for this chargeback. Several of their claims regarding this incident were untrue. They are quoted below with my contradiction ( I do have evidence for all contradictions made ) : " Despite our efforts to address concerns and improve the guest experience, the customer has not provided any valid evidence of documentation to substantiate their claim of unsatisfactory conditions. '' -- Incorrect. I have both photo and video evidence of the mouse running over my belongings. I also have the chat transcript where the hotel manager confirmed receipt of this photo/video evidence. I also have evidence of where XXXX was XXXX and discriminated against me in our in-person conversation, which in my opinion, is more damning than even the live mouse traipsing across my luggage. 

" XXXX reached out to the hotel and they confirmed that the customer has used this booking. '' -- Incorrect. I have the receipt for the alternate hotel room I had to purchase last minute and stayed at instead of XXXX XXXXXXXX. The chat transcript also includes the hotel manager confirming that I never received new keys or access to the room. 

" XXXX has processed a refund of USD {$87.00} to the same payment method used by the customer ( see refund details ). '' -- While this claim is technically correct, I would like to point out that XXXX emailed me several times once I got in touch with BoA to give me a partial refund. Each time I emailed them that i do not consent to processing a partial refund to my account, and i was only interested in a full refund. They did it anyway, even though I expressly told them i did not consent. 

I have made several lengthy calls to Bank of America, at no small expense to my work and personal schedule. The last call I made in regard to this decision has gone unanswered for over 14 days, though the credit card dispute agent assured me that the erroneous parts of XXXX 's response would be dealt with, and my claim reopened. Bank of America has promised that they would make this situation right, but as of today nothing has moved forward, the charge is in my account accruing interest, and my claim status in unchanged.