Consumer complaint received 2022-09-21
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — Gift card
Issue: Trouble using the card — Trouble using the card to pay a bill
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (MS)

On XX/XX/2022, I booked a breakfast rate stay at XXXX XXXXXXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Confirmation # XXXX. At the time of booking, I applied for a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I applied because of advertisements offering a {$350.00} e-gift card for use at hotels and resorts participating in XXXX XXXX, verifying that XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX were included in XXXX Gift Card Terms and Conditions. 

I received the {$350.00} e-gift card XX/XX/2022 and attempted to apply credit to the reservation but was reminded by XXXX customer service that, according to the terms, I must present the email at the hotel to redeem. 

At check-out, I visited the front desk to apply the e-gift card and was advised that discounts must be used at the time of booking. I showed her the email and she disappeared to retrieve the manager. The manager came out, and without looking at my gift card, told me that she was not allowed to discount rooms and that the general manager told us in our meeting that this is not allowed so theres nothing I can do. I asked her to look at the email terms and mentioned this is a gift card, not a discount to which she replied Sir, I know what it is and lots of customer have come in trying to use them. We are not allowed to use them. She then walked away. 

I am unable to locate any reason in XXXX XXXXerms and Conditions that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, would subjectively deny use of an e-gift card. XXXX sells gift cards, advertising them with the same Terms and Conditions as the e-gift I received. XXXX XXXX hotels are explicitly named as properties that honor XXXX gift cards. It seems the desk associate and manager were either misinformed, misled by their general manager, or perhaps treated us differently based on my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

As this gift card was advertised and offered as part of a solicitation for credit, XXXX refusal to accept or honor the promotion is latently inherent of unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices ( UDAAPS ) as defined under the Dodd-Frank Act. More specifically, Deceptive Acts or Practices ( 1 ) deems representation, omission or act deceptive when it misleads a consumer, the consumers interpretation of the representation, omission, act, or practice is reasonable, and the omission, act or practice is material. Acts or practices that may be deceptive include making misleading costs or price claims; offering to provide a product or service that is not in fact available ; using bait-and-switch techniques ; omitting material limitations or conditions from an offer ; or failing to provide the promised services. 

XXXX refusal to honor a gift card in accordance with its terms and conditions, and transacted as part of a solicitation for credit, is also likely a bait-and-switch technique. The requirement to postpone review or consideration for use of the offer until the end of any stay prevents a reasonable consumer from taking steps to prevent denial of the offer, if any XXXX property manager is allowed to subjectively refuse redemption. Without sufficient guidance to allow a consumer to avoid this deception, the seller is at best liable for misleading interpretations and at worst, guilty of uneven or discriminatory disparate treatment based on my XXXX status.