Consumer complaint received 2024-04-06 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Sent card you never applied for
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
Hello, I need to complain to the consumer financial protection bureau regarding Chase Bank. I had called Chase customer service back in XX/XX/XXXX to inquire about moving from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. The customer service agent upgraded me, but they didn't tell me that I would not be eligible to earn the introductory bonus points for the Reserve Card. I asked for the process to be stopped as I was not interested in the Reserve Card without the introductory points. The agent told me that I would need to cancel my Preferred card and then officially apply for the Reserve Card. The agent proceeded to cancel my card. The call ended, and on the same day I applied for the Reserve Card. I received a denial. I called back and spoke to a different agent and this agent mentioned that it was too soon to apply for the card, and that I would need to wait until the end of the month for the billing cycle to be completed and for Chase to be able to report to the Credit Bureaus that I had cancelled my Preferred Card. I waited several weeks, and at the beginning of XX/XX/XXXX, I attempted to apply for the Reserve Card again. I received yet another denial. I proceeded to call Chase Customer Service and was told that it was still too soon. I was bounced between multiple departments who all told me different information. I asked to speak to a supervisor who proceeded to tell me that the information I was provided by the previous agents was incorrect. I was told that they could not reverse my Credit Check even though they were at fault ( and after they had transferred me to their department who handles Credit Checks ). The supervisor informed me that she would escalate the issue to the complaints department in which they would be able to pull call recordings to investigate the misinformation that I had received. I was told that they would respond within 10 business days, but it may take longer due to the Holidays. This supervisor also proceeded to reactivate my Sapphire Preferred card, as the Holidays were coming up. A few weeks went by with no response. I called Customer Service for an update and was told there was no action on my escalation. Multiple weeks/months passed by with no communication from Chase. I called Chase Customer Service again back in XX/XX/XXXX and asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor informed me that the previous supervisor I spoke to did NOT enter in the investigation/escalation as she said she would. Frustratingly, I asked the new supervisor to submit an escalation again in which she complied. I called Chase again on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told that their official policy was that without a subpoena or court order, they would not be able to pull ANY phone records as previously mentioned. They refused to reverse any credit checks or provide any reconciliation/service recovery for all of the false information provided throughout the experience. I was misled throughout the entire experience. They allowed a credit check to be performed on my account when they should have known I was not in the appropriate time frame to receive a new card. They stated that their policy is to not allow for any inclusion into the points program. I made it clear that the only sufficient resolution was to upgrade my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and to allow me to be eligible for the introductory bonus points program ( to be clear, I was not asking to receive any free points, only to be eligible for the program and earn the points ). I felt this was an appropriate resolution as they had already proceeded with a Credit Check. They could not provide any resolution. 

Several days later, I received a Chase Sapphire Reserve card in the mail on Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX. Not understanding, I called Chase maybe expecting that they finally agreed that they were at fault and would allow me to be eligible for the program. After discussing with multiple agents again, I was told there was no resolution for me. Someone within the Chase organization upgraded my card without my direct authorization. This is highly inappropriate and is indicative of predatory and unethical behavior from a financial institution. I could not cancel this card or continue to complain as I was heading out of the country on Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX. Therefore I felt that I had no choice but to keep the card for now until I could resolve this unethical issue. 

I received a letter from Chase at the end of XX/XX/XXXX stating that they were at fault after investigating further, but only offered their " sincere apologies '', to which I am confident they are not truly sincere. 

I have heard that under disputes, Chase Bank will freeze financial accounts if a user files a complaint. Therefore I am filing a formal complaint through the CFPB.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation