Consumer complaint received 2024-06-17
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (PA)

I was traveling internationally and I used a bank owned and branded ATM that I knew and trusted. 
On XX/XX/year>, I attempted to withdraw funds in the local currency using my chip enabled debit card and I received an error message. The amount I attempted to withdraw was the equivalent of approximately $ XXXX ( It was XXXX XXXX and there was an XXXX XXXX fee ). No cash came out of the machine. 

After receiving the error message, I checked to see if there was a fraud notice in my banking app and then I put in the card again. This time, the machine didn't even wait for me to type in an amount, it just gave me the equivalent of $ XXXX and charged me a fee, I did not request this money. 

When the cash came out of the machine, I assumed that the machine gave me a portion of the money I tried to take out before that, so I tried the machine a third time. The third time, the machine said that I didn't have enough funds in my account to withdraw the amount I had requested. I had more than enough to cover the withdrawal. 

At that point I did not attempt to withdraw anything else. I checked my bank account and the {$50.00} didn't show up right away, but the ~ {$800.00} did show up as pending. 

This all happened on a Friday. The following Monday, I called the bank and contested the {$800.00} since it was no longer pending and was reflecting on my account as if I had received the funds. I was told that they would do an investigation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was sent a letter saying that the merchant provided information that proved that I received the cash and that no error occurred. Following receipt of that letter, I called again to reopen the complaint and I asked that they add to the complaint that I did not previously notify the bank about the 2 erroneous transactions that occurred after the one I had reported and I requested that it be added to the complaint, since it is relevant that there were a number of glitchy transactions in a row, specifically when the ATM just gave me money I didnt request and deducted it from my account, with the ATM fee that I also never authorized. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter stating that no new information had been submitted by me and that my request to investigate the claim had been denied. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I reached out to the bank over social media and was contacted over the phone by an agent who said that he was from a corporate office. He was quite surprised to hear my story, and at first seemed to be very encouraging. He told me that what I reported to the agent after receiving the first denial was not properly documented and that he would submit it to the department that investigates these issues. A short time later, I received a call back from the same employee, who told me that his request had been denied and that the department stands behind their investigation. He recommended that I search out the XXXX operator of the ATM and open a complaint but I insisted that it was the responsibility of my bank to do due diligence in my defense. He advised me to request a copy of the information submitted by the merchant. What I received from USAA has no reference to the subsequent transaction ( where money was indeed debited but I never went through the process of requesting ), or the third attempt, which returned an error message of not enough funds. The transaction in question is partly transliterated from XXXX to XXXX and is accompanied by a statement saying that the money was received and no error occurred. 

There is no photo or video of me receiving the funds. The entirety of the " proof '' that there was no error is the note attached to the report from the single transaction. 

The agent also informed me that if it had been earlier then I would be able to submit a dispute for the cash that I did not request but was withdrawn ( the second transaction ), but that the deadline for disputing that charge had passed. My initial dispute was submitted on XX/XX/XXXX and I notified USAA of the second transaction in early XXXX. USAA should have requested that information immediately when I reported the second transaction, but they neglected to do so. 

I do not feel that USAA did due diligence in making sure that I received my funds or that the transaction was reversed. In addition, they mishandled my complaint by not making the proper notes and not following through on my complaint with the additional details when I appealed the denial.