Consumer complaint received 2022-02-04
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — Gift card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer — Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card
Company: U.S. BANCORP (OR)

On XX/XX/2021 I bought 11 VISA gifts cards for my family as XXXX gifts at XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, OR. The cards were in my possession until XX/XX/XXXX that I gave them on XXXX day. Six out of the nine cards were compromised as unauthorized transactions that were made in the same merchant even before I handled the cards to my relatives. I was able to recall 4 of compromised cards from my relatives in the amounts of {$200.00}, {$100.00} and 2 X {$75.00} and then was were the agony started. I called the customer service number in the back of the cards XXXX into a call center that called themselvesXX/XX/XXXX, although appear this is a subsidiary of US Bank. I tried several times on hold and when finally got a representative : I had to call 3 separate times, as they mentioned they could only file one dispute at a time, on third attempt I was able to file 2 disputes on the same call because I complaint. They did not acknowledge the pattern of this fraud ( being from the same merchant in another state ) that was obviously made with the gift cards. After following the " dispute process '', I received a questionnaire, filled them out and returned by mail. The result as of today is as follows ; Got a letter confirming the error for the {$200.00} and another letter confirming the letter for the error of XXXX out of XXXX. I have not received any communication for the other two. When calling they made impossible to explain the situation as they continue to read scripts without an effort to acknowledge my situation and the fraud that is happening with these VISA Gift cards. Furthermore, the letter confirms a credit " to your account '', which account?? This is a gift card. They did not cut a check, they did not explain HOW I was going to get my credit/money back in the letter. When calling them, I was told that the process is to call them to " ask for the credit as a gift card ''. That is not disclosed in the letter, nor it doesn't provide clear instructions as how the customer will get the credit. It appears that their customer service and dispute process are designed to have the customer call and claim until the customer gets credited. It appears that the intention is to retain the money until is claimed. The letter does not comply with UDAAP principles. This situation is harming me as customer ( and others as I posted a note on my Nextdoor neighborhood app and there were several comments with people having the same situation ) on something that I was not able to avoid but reported and also the Omission in the letter as to how I will recover my money. Whomever approved that letter to be used by the company does not understand the implications of omissions that are misleading to customers. For the other two disputes I have not received any communication. I am a XX/XX/XXXXfor the last 30 years and it frustrates me the lack of knowledge, empathy and arrogance that this " company '' treated me as a customer. I am asking nothing else than getting my money back due to their negligence to have a secured product that obviously has been subject to a consistent pattern of fraud. I opted to complaint before you, because experience tells me that I am not the only one going through this situation. Thanks and Regards, The company letter only info isXX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX Fax XXXX The letter version in Spanish refers to US Bank.