Consumer complaint received 2022-04-16
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (TX)

Hello, I made a purchase via a company 's website. It was my understanding that the purchase amount was only $ XXXX.There was a mention of a " pre-authorization '' but there was never an amount given. I assumed it would be {$5.00}, because I was only ordering a sample product. 

I then get an email from the company that they asked my bank, Chase, to hold an additional {$82.00}. When I looked at my account, sure enough, I saw these two charges. When I called Chase, I was told that since the charge was pending, there was not anything they could do about it. But once the charge finalized in a few days, they could help me. 

That's all well in good if I had a larger credit line. But I do not, that depleted my entire credit line. So any other smaller transactions that come through, are at the risk of being rejected. 

If the company had informed me of the dollar amount of the additional hold, I would not have completed the transaction. 

There should be a law that protects consumers from these types of " surprise '' holds. And there should be the ability to cancel these holds. 

Thank you, XXXX XXXX Below is a copy of the email that the company sent : XXXX XXXX, Just wanted to send over a short note and introduce myself. I'm XXXX and part of the XXXX XXXX  customer service team. Our job is to support you! If you need anything, go ahead and send us an email. 

Quick heads up : as stated prior to checkout, a temporary pre-authorization may have been placed on your card.

Zero worries -- this is just a temp hold for the cost of the item ( s ) youre trying. Its a very common fraud prevention method used by many financial institutions. 

This just means your order has been accepted and is moving to warehouse! First step completed to rocking your new look. 

The pre-authorization will disappear automatically within a few days. The funds are still in your account and no action is required from you. 

We know you may still have some questions, so we wanted to make sure they are addressed - Why does XXXX  XXXX use a pre-authorization? Like hotels, gas stations and ride-shares ( to name a few ), we use pre-authorization to guarantee the safety of certain transactions. 
Who has the funds? You do! XXXX  XXXX did not charge you for the cost of the item. All funds are still in your account and will not be transferred to us unless you love the product & decide to keep the product at the end of the trial. 
How long will this temporary hold show up? The pre-authorization will simply fall-off, usually after 1-4 days ( though exact time frames differ by financial institution ). This will happen automatically, no action is required. 
Hmm. What if I still have more questions? We gotcha! Reply to me on this email thread and XXXX handle it all. 
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