Consumer complaint received 2019-11-26
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Can't close your account
Company: DISCOVER BANK

Complaint:
Re : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Discover Card alerting me to a new charge posted to A past account which was closed in XX/XX/XXXX, activated in XX/XX/XXXX. The charge was a charitable donation {$15.00} made to the XXXX XXXX started by me in XX/XX/XXXX once a month and ended in XX/XX/XXXX. 
I was alarmed at a charge which was clearly fraudulent since the donations had ceased 3 months short of 2 years ago and which the organization, the XXXX XXXX did not seek authorization for renewal of the donation as evidenced by their lack of my current account number. 
I contacted Discover card immediately and spoke to XXXX, XXXX and XXXX and was very disturbed at their support of the transaction, stating that the charge was a result of a contract between me and the merchant, for a recurring charge that they could not stop or remove at my request, completely invalidating the fact that the charge had ceased in XX/XX/XXXX and was obviously Not recurring. They added that The only way to stop the charge was to contact the merchant. 
I contacted the XXXX XXXX organization on the same day and spoke to XXXX XXXX, Associate Director and complained re the unauthorized charge made by them on an old closed account. XXXX could not explain how that happened but agreed when I requested immediate cancelation of any donation resumed on XXXX XXXX. He agreed and promised an email confirmation. I then received a confusing unsatisfactory email which was an auto renew membership cancelation stating that my Monthly XXXX membership was canceled .... but that my Membership status was current. This was clearly a deceptive business practice aimed at setting me up for continued future charges. I then wrote XXXX a letter on XXXX XXXX which I emailed repeating my complaint which I reported to him by phone and noted that the email he promised referred to a continuation of a membership. I clarified that I had no relationship with the XXXX XXXX organization other than simply as a donor and as we agreed that since my donations are canceled, I have no other interaction with them. I again requested the cancelation notice I requested per our phone call. XXXX XXXX, I received an email from XXXX stating that my recurring donation membership was canceled and the XXXX XXXX {$15.00} charge was Refunded to me. 
On XXXX, I contacted the Fraud division of Discover card and spoke to XXXX XXXX I again filed a Fraud complaint re the events since XXXX XXXX with special grievance against the Discover card handling of the obvious erroneous charge made to me on my account. I received a new card with a new number. An investigation was done by them and concluded that the transaction was not authorized by me on both the Old account and the current account, however the notice did not make clear that the old account was closed. On XXXX XXXX, I contacted Discover card and spoke to XXXX XXXX re persistent confusion re the status of my accounts as the responses to my complaint in this matter were still referring to an account which was closed in XX/XX/XXXX. I requested that I be provided with written letter confirming the closed account, as I had from other creditors when accounts were closed. 






Pg 2 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX stated that written confirmation of account closure could only be done if I closed the entire account.I therefore closed It was clear to me that the Discover card management of my credit card placed me at high risk for Fraud by allowing charges on card numbers that were discontinued effectively eliminating my right to decide that I will inccur a charge or even be aware that one is being made. I therefore closed my entire account to protect my account from fraud. It was always clear that I did not authorize the charge that the charitable organization made since IF they reached out to me for my authorization to renew the donaton as they should, they would have asked for my new card number which both they and Discover card knew they did Not have. That is the procedure followed by XXXX XXXX and XXXX just to name a few charitable organizations to which I donate. 
At the present, Discover card has Not sent me a closure statutes letter and in addition, I continue to receive monthly statements under the last account number which had been given to me after my XX/XX/XXXX report to Discover Fraud Division. The statements I am receiving are that of an active open account which states under heading Important information ... .This email was sent to ( my email ) for Discover account number ending in ( the last card given after XX/XX/XXXX ). You are receiving this email because you are a Discover card member. I called Discover card on XXXX XXXX and s poke with XXXX memo line XXXX and he confirmed that my account was closed and had a negative balance aths I was owed {$4.00} which they paid me by check dated XX/XX/XXXX. 
I am asking that Discover send me an account closure letter and clear my status in their system since they are still sending me emails stating I am a member. I will re state that my relationship with Discover card consisted exclusively in a charge account ONLY and that charge account was closed on XXXX XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation