Consumer complaint received 2023-08-29
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 (CA)

On XX/XX/XXXX I opened a dispute with my Capital One credit card. The reason I opened a dispute is because I was scammed out of {$450.00} from an online website. I ordered a glass neon sign from XXXX and received a cheap flimsy LED sign made out of plastic. I did not get what I paid for, so I opened an item not as described dispute. Capital One also made it difficult for me to open the dispute. I had to complete an online questionnaire, but they did not let me submit any of my own documents showing proof of being scammed. They also would not finalize the dispute until I called them. This was a lengthy, time consuming, and frustrating process that I have not had to do with any other credit card company. Initially, I contacted the neon sign customer service in an attempt to get a refund and they admitted over the phone that there was a mistake with my order and that I was overcharged. The company also admitted that they do not make glass neon signs because nobody wants them. The company offered me a partial refund of only {$120.00}. I declined this offer because I did not receive what I wanted. I wanted to return the product for a full refund. The customer service representative told me that they would call me back. I never received a call from them, which is why I opened the dispute. 
When I called Capital One customer service XX/XX/XXXX, they told me that they would ask me for additional information if they needed it since I was not able to submit any. They credited the purchase on my account temporarily. Then, on XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from Capital One saying that I had lost the dispute and if I wanted to challenge it further I had to submit following : Your response to the documentation sent in by the merchant, as well as : A copy of your sales invoice or purchase agreement/ contract, and information and / or evidence to support how the merchandise ordered differs from what was received. A second opinion on company letterhead from another merchant in the same field stating specifically what the original merchant did incorrectly, how the problem can be corrected, and what that will cost. A statement that includes the number of times the merchant tried to correct the problem, and a description of how you tried to resolve the dispute with the merchant. If you returned the installed parts, please provide the date and proof of return or the date they were made available for pick-up. If the merchant gave you a refund voucher, please provide that as well. 


I contacted Capital One customer service on XX/XX/XXXX after receiving the letter that I lost the dispute. I expressed my concerns that I was unable to submit any of my own documents. I also asked if all my proof had to be mailed and they said no and sent me a link to provide my documents. I also expressed concerns about the a second opinion on company letterhead from another merchant in the same field stating specifically what the original merchant did incorrectly section on the letter from them. I inquired why another business that has nothing to do with the dispute would be willing to write a letter for me. They told me on the phone that I did not have to include that letter and still could potentially win the dispute without it. On XX/XX/XXXX, I provided them with the information provided minus the letter from another merchant. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received another letter from Capital One saying that I did not provide them with the information they asked for and that the dispute would remain closed. Outraged, I called Capital One customer service and asked what additional information they needed. They gave me a list of things to send in, which still did not include the letter from another merchant. I compiled the documents and submitted them the same day on XX/XX/XXXX. Almost immediately after submitting the documents I received an email from Capital One stating that the case would remain closed. A real person could not have even reviewed the documents in the time that I submitted them and received the email stating that the case would remain closed. It was almost instantaneous. I did heaps of work providing proof for my documents to not even be looked at by a real person. I also received the same document every time that did not even elaborate on what was missing from my dispute evidence. It just stated that I did not provide them with what they asked for, which was not true. 
I called customer service again on XX/XX/XXXX and demanded to speak to a supervisor after I was told that I needed the letterhead from another merchant in the same field. I was frustrated because I was told twice by customer service that it was not necessary. I was on the phone for over an hour with the Capital One supervisor. She was rude and dismissive. She said our evidence was not good enough despite it providing all of what they had been asking for. She just stated that we needed the letterhead from another merchant and a progressive essay, which was essentially what I had already submitted and spent hours working on. I also complained that the charge was put back on my account. The supervisor told me that the case was not closed and that the money was just floating around. I do not believe this to be true as the purchase adjustment was put back on my account on XX/XX/XXXX. It appears to me that they had already made their decision. They told me that the letter I kept receiving was a generic letter and the case was not actually closed. I also believe this to be a lie because the funds were immediately put back onto my account and I continuously received the same document stating that the case was closed. Nowhere in the letter did it say I was able to provide more evidence. I was only able to provide more evidence because I continued calling customer service for a link. This situation was ridiculous to me as the dispute was already extremely time consuming and now I had to find a merchant who had nothing to do with the dispute to write a letter explaining what was wrong with the product I received. Extremely frustrated, I decided to get the letterhead from another business in the area. 
One last time, I contacted Capital One customer service before I obtained the letterhead to see what I was even attempting to prove. The business, XXXX XXXX submitted that I had received a glass neon sign according to the customer service representative. In my evidence, I showed Capital One that I did not receive a glass sign and that it was a plastic LED sign. However, I still decided to pursue the letterhead from another merchant as a last attempt at getting my money back. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted my final proof to Capital One, this time I included the letterhead from another merchant. Again, almost immediately I received a letter stating that I had lost the dispute. I received the same letter that I had gotten prior. The dispute was permanently closed on XX/XX/XXXX and I could no longer provide anymore evidence I had to do hours of work with pages of proof that included pictures of what I received with explanations and dates. The business, XXXX XXXXXXXX, only had to submit one document stating that the customer received what they ordered and their terms and conditions and stated that I ordered from the wrong link. I did not order from the wrong link and proved this to both Capital One and the business and still have not received any sort of refund from anyone. It is absurd that the consumer who was scammed had to submit pages and pages of evidence and the business only had to submit one sentence and the invoice of my purchase. 
Additionally, I believe that all of the time spent on the dispute was a waste of time. Since they put the charge back on my account from the moment I got the first letter from Capital One. No one even looked at my documents. I received the same letter from Capital One countless times saying that I lost. These letters were sent in minutes where it would be impossible for a real person to review my evidence. I spent hours on my proof to get my money back, but Capital One did not even bother to look at it. I wasted my time and still lost my money. 

In the document from Capital One on XX/XX/XXXX, it shows the proof that the business, XXXX XXXX  submitted. It is minuscule compared to what I had to send in and still lose the dispute. Additionally, I reported the business to the XXXX  and they admitted that they offered me a partial refund, meaning that there was something wrong with the product I received. I never received this refund as shown in my statement. I submitted this proof to Capital One, but of course it was not even looked at. I had to pay full price for an item that was falsely advertised. I am providing all of the documents that I sent to Capital One and the business to show the extensive work I had to do for no help from Capital One. They did not treat me fairly. The business was valued more than me as I had to submit an obscene amount of evidence. Capital One does not value their customers.