Consumer complaint received 2025-01-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: Affirm Holdings, Inc
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Dear CFPB, On XX/XX/year>, I purchased two vacation packages to XXXX through XXXX and financed both through Affirm. These packages were for seven travelers : my husband, XXXX children, my parents, and me. Since XXXX only allows a maximum of five people per booking, I had to split our group into two separate packages. The trip was scheduled from XX/XX/year>, to XX/XX/year>, to celebrate my fathers XXXX birthday and coincide with my childrens school vacation. 

However, when we arrived at the airport to check in with XXXX, my father and I were denied boarding due to a requirement for Peruvian passport holders to have a visa for travel to XXXX. Before booking, I contacted the XXXX XXXX and was assured that, as a U.S. permanent resident, I did not need a visa. This error caused the cancellation of our trip, resulting in significant financial losses and emotional distress for my family. 

I chose XXXX as my travel agent because I trusted their reputation and expected full support in case of any issues. However, once this problem arose, XXXX left me to solve it alone. Despite my repeated calls and requests for assistance, they deferred all responsibility to the hotel and airlines, offering no real help. A good travel agent should act as an advocate for their customers, especially in moments of crisis, but XXXX did not fulfill this role. As soon as they collected my payment, they stopped caring about my situation, leaving me completely unsupported. 

Here is a summary of the financial impact : XXXX. XXXX Penalty Fees : XXXX deducted {$700.00} from the total amount of my XXXX tickets and provided the remaining value as a travel credit valid for XXXX year. 

XXXX. XXXX XXXX Penalty Fees : XXXX XXXX, our return carrier, required me to pay {$340.00} upfront on my credit card ( {$49.00} per passenger ) to issue travel credits valid for one year. 

XXXX. Hotel Refund Denied : XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX refused to refund or credit the nights we had booked. The hotel claimed the matter had to be resolved by XXXX since the booking was made through their platform. 

XXXX. XXXX Lack of Support : Despite trusting XXXX to assist with this issue, they were unable to mediate effectively, simply deferring to the hotels refusal to refund. 

XXXX. Affirm Loans : The total cost of the two vacation packages, including interest, is {$8600.00}, of which I have already paid {$3500.00}. 

A month ago, I opened a dispute with Affirm regarding one of the loans, but I have yet to receive any response or resolution. Today, I opened a dispute for the second loan, as I believe it is unjust to continue paying for a vacation, I could not attend due to no fault of my own. 

While XXXX and XXXX provided travel credits, they are not usable together for a combined itinerary to XXXX, making them ineffective. Furthermore, this situation has caused me immense emotional and financial hardship. I feel completely powerless, as none of the companies involved have provided a fair or just resolution to my case. 

I have all the documentation and emails to support my claim. I respectfully request your assistance in obtaining a full refund for the vacation packages and related penalties, as I am paying for services I never received and could not use. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation