Consumer complaint received 2024-03-01
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Can't use card to make purchases
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (NY)

The Comenity XXXX XXXX operates as though the year is XXXX. Beginning with a clunky and impossible-to-navigate user interface and unresponsive, rude, and incompetent customer service, the card is a disaster. 
I opened the account due to a promotional offer. However, at every turn, I have encountered problems. Draconian fees are assessed, despite promises by customer service agents to the contrary. Reward redemption credits are backdated with no obvious rationale. Payments result in credit being shown as available, but not usable, and customer service states that this is just how the card functions. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I called regarding my inability to use the card. I had made a recent payment and had ample credit available. After a 45-minute marathon phone session, I was told that a security freeze had been placed on my account due to an abnormally large payment. Not only was the payment NOT abnormally large- I had made larger payments on a frequent basis, but the payment had already processed and been withdrawn from my bank. No explanation was given for the security freeze beyond this- no expected duration, and, most egregiously, WITHOUT PROACTIVE NOTIFICATION. Again, I had to spend 45 minutes on the phone, on my own initiative, to learn that my own card had been frozen. I know of NO other company that conducts itself in this manner. I should have received a text, letter, email... something. And they have my information on file! They send me marketing and other emails! Ridiculous. 

This does not even BEGIN to touch on the crux of my issue, however. In my frustration over this incident, I mentioned to the person on the phone that I would consider closing my account due to the sheer mismanagement and incompetence on the part of Comenity. I NEVER imagined that this would be construed as an instruction to close the account... with no confirmation of any sort. Nevertheless, this agent went ahead and closed my account... with no notification to me. I received NO letter, text, email, or phone call. My online account indicated nothing different. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I called back and was flabbergasted to learn from the person on the phone that my account was closed. Thankfully, due to this being within a week, they were able to reopen the account ... or so I thought. File this away for now. 

In XXXX, I made a payment, and could have sworn I selected a certain bank account. Nevertheless, another bank account was shown as having been selected on the confirmation page. Could this have been my error? Sure. But, given Comenity 's incompetence and inadequate website, I'm now tempted to believe my doubts that I did in fact select the correct account. The issue arises from the fact that I had recently closed the selected account due to a lack of use. I called and promptly notified Comenity of the issue, and was assured that this was not a problem, and that I'd get credited back any returned check charge assessed. 
A few days later, the charge was assessed, so I called back, and after still more hand-wringing, was refunded the charge. I made the payment from the correct account. 

On Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to call Comenity again, due to having made payments and being below my credit limit, yet not having any available credit available. I called, and was AGAIN told that my account was frozen ... due to the RETURNED PAYMENT ISSUE THAT I HAD PROACTIVELY ADDRESSED! A cock-and-bull story was fed to me about a mysterious " policy '' ( not present in any written materials ) requiring one to pay off their full balance, or make 3 months ' worth of payments, after a returned payment. I asked to speak to a supervisor. This " supervisor '' was not able to life the freeze. I asked to speak to THEIR supervisor. This person said the same. By now, I had, again, been on the phone for 45 minutes. 
Are you ready? Are you sitting down? Ok, here goes. 

Just before getting off the phone, this higher supervisor goes to look into my account... AND SEES THAT IT IS CLOSED!!! CLOSED! WOW! HALLELUJAH! 

ALL THIS TIME, MY ACCOUNT IS CLOSED! Stemming back to the XXXX XXXX incident, where I, again, did NOT ask to close my account!!