Consumer complaint received 2023-01-03
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (GA)

A series of debit card errors from Capital One including canceling my debit card by mistake and reissuing two defective replacement debit cards resulted in me being without access to any cash for 93 days while traveling alone internationally. Despite more than 12 hours on the phone with Capital One, I was never issued a card that worked. The lack of access to cash was not only very stressful and impacted travel plans, but it also resulted in fees to access money through other means. I am asking Capital One for {$1300.00}, which includes reimbursement for fees related to accessing funds through cash advances because I could not use my debit card ( {$140.00} ), compensation for the time taken to try to resolve the banks mistakes ( $ XXXX hours = {$300.00} ), and compensation for additional expenses and inconviences related to having no access to money, such as purchasing more expensive food and transportation options because more reasonably priced services only accepted cash ( {$930.00}, which corresponds to {$10.00} for each of 93 day I was without access to my debit card ). Attached are two credit card statements showing the fees I incurred due to these mistakes, and below are details about this issue and my efforts to resolve it. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I received a letter in the mail indicating that a new Capital One debit card would be sent soon. I contacted Capital One and asked the representative to not mail a new card until XXXX, as I would be traveling outside of the US. The representative said she would do so, and that my old card would continue to work until it expired in XX/XX/2022. 

XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : Upon arriving in XXXX, I tried using my debit card, which did not work. I spoke to a customer service representative, who said that the person I spoke with on XX/XX/XXXX mistakenly cancelled my card. I was informed the card could not be reinstated. A new card could not be sent to me in XXXX, because the carrier used by Capital One would take more than 2 weeks to reach me, but Capital One agreed to send a replacement debit card to a hotel in XXXX, where I would be staying for a few days before leaving for XXXX. I spoke to customer service representatives on four calls over the course of a few days, totaling 3.6 hours. Because I was traveling to a few small towns in XXXX that did not accept credit cards and I did not have access to cash, I went without food in the evening twice and wasnt able to purchase lunch five times. 

XX/XX/XXXX XXXX : On XX/XX/XXXX I received the replacement debit card provided by Capital One in XXXX. The card did not work. I made many calls to customer service to try to resolve the issue. A supervisor said that a representative made an error reinstating the card ( specifically, because the card ended in XXXX, which are also the last 4 digits of my checking account ). The representative said the card could not be used, and they would need to mail me another replacement card. Because I was still traveling, this new card was sent to my new location, XXXX. I spent a total of 3.5 hours on the phone with capital one. 

XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : I was traveling internationally without access to cash. Because most basic restaurants and stores would not accept credit cards, I purchased much more expensive food from higher-end restaurant, as this was the only establishments that would accept credit cards. I also had a great amount of difficulty securing transportation without cash, and I spent many hours finding alternative ways to pay for services ( such as setting up an account with XXXX  ). 

XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : On XX/XX/XXXX I received the second replacement card while in XXXX. Upon trying to use this card, I discovered that it also did not work. I made a number of calls to customer service, including speaking with at least one supervisor. I was informed that this new replacement card also had an error ( the card number was not updated from the previous card, indicating the error from the previous card was not fixed ). I made a total of 6 calls to Capital One and spent another 3.1 hours on the phone. While Capital One offered to send a replacement card, because I would soon be traveling to a new location without mail service, I could not receive a third replacement card. Because I could not receive a replacement card, I contacted one of my credit card companies to undertake the process of securing a PIN number to access cash advances. This process was time consuming and complicated, as I could only receive a PIN via mail. Because most restaurants and stores would not accept credit cards, I purchased food at much more expensive establishments that I wished to. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I contacted Capital One and spoke with a supervisor regarding filing a complaint with Capital One to receive reimbursement for these errors. The supervisor collected information from me to file a claim. However, I never received a reply from Capital One. 

XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : Upon receiving a PIN from my credit card, and still having no access to cash through my Capital One debit card, I withdrew money from ATMs via cash advances from my credit card, incurring a total of {$140.00} in fees ( see attached credit card statements ). 

XX/XX/XXXX : I returned to the US, where I could again freely use a credit card, and the lack of access to my Capital One debit card was no longer an issue.