Consumer complaint received 2025-11-17 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Add-on products and services
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
This complaint involves an underlying fraud claim against XX/XX/XXXXa XX/XX/XXXXfrom whom I rented a vehicle at XXXX XXXX between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/year>. I used my Chase Visa Sapphire card for this transaction ( as I have previously with this same vendor, in XX/XX/year>, without incident ). I am a XXXX citizen living in XXXX, using XXXX banking and other services, including my Chase Visa Sapphire credit card. 

My complaint here is against Chase Visa, for its role in abetting this rental car vendor 's unlawful and apparently widespread, business practices, of which Chase Visa is or should be well aware, judging from the numerous consumer complaints and poor reviews. Specifically, Chase Visa has failed in this case to provide a touted " Featured Cardmember Benefit '' -- fraud prevention and rental car insurance coverage -- benefits upon which I relied to my detriment. 

Also, by its poor Disputes process, and frustrating run-around customer service, Chase also facilitates such fraudulent claims by vendors.

Note : I have attempted also to lodge a complaint directly against OK Mobility, and if CFPB has jurisdiction over this company ( located and incorporated in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ), I will do so ( either here or separately ). 

To the point of my complaint : Chase Visa 's advertising and marketing and website touts several " Featured Cardmember Benefits '', first among them : Rental Car insurance coverage ( as well as Fraud Prevention ). Induced by Chase 's Cardmember marketing, when I rented this vehicle, I turned down XX/XX/XXXX( and very expensive ) car rental insurance coverage. This has been my customary practice for years and many previous rentals, with this company and several other low-cost car rental vendors in southern XXXX, without previous recent incidents. 

In order to exercise this option, upon rental, XXXX XXXX required that I sign a " waiver '' and permit a XX/XX/XXXX( {$1600.00} at then-current exchange rate ) " deposit '' on my card. This is a relatively new practice ( not invoked in XX/XX/year> ). XX/XX/XXXXassured me that if the car was returned undamaged, this charge would never be entered against my account. This proved to be a false statement. 

When I returned the vehicle undamaged toXX/XX/XXXXat XXXX XXXX on XXXX XX/XX/year>, the intake person directed me to park the vehicle nearby, and accepted the keys without comment. I asked " Todo bien? '' ( All good? ), as I have with previous XX/XX/XXXX She responded affirmatively, and without further ado, I left. Importantly, I was never presented with the opportunity ( or the need ) to conduct a detailed inspection of the vehicle for damages. As there were no visible damages to the vehicle, and theXX/XX/XXXX agent did not press the point, I left the vehicle in her hands. 

On my next Chase Visa bill ( XXXX XXXX ), along with two other valid OK Mobility charges totaling about XXXX dollars ( for the rental and an extension ), there was an unexplained charge for {$1600.00}. This was my first notice from either XXXX XXXX or Chase Visa that there was any issue with my rental. 

Having been told this would not be charged unless the car was returned damaged, I immediately attempted to contactXX/XX/XXXX( Their website would not accept theXX/XX/XXXXin my email address! and thus refused to accept my complaint ). So I then also disputed the charge directly, using the Chase Visa Disputes process, which I have used with success in the past, assuming that Chase Visa would get to the heart of the problem. 

Instead, within a week, on or about XXXX XX/XX/year>, I received a communication from Chase that the vendor 's claim was " valid, '' and that the charge would be reinstated. I immediately contacted Chase Visa by telephone, and after a frustrating run-around, was informed by a supervisor that there were " documents in the file '' supporting the vendor 's claim. '' Not having seen any documents, and having no idea what the claim was about, I asked that the documents be sent to me via email. The agent promptly send 3 documents, which included my signed rental agreement ( which included the usual vendor-produced diagram of existing pre-rental vehicle damages, noting the usual exterior scratches and dings ) ; an additional waiver document ; and XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX damages assessment and itemized bill. 

This document, which i received informally for the first time almost two weeks after the charge appeared on my bill, informed me, for the first time, that several expensive recharging cables were allegedly missing from a compartment beneath the floor of the rear of the vehicle. Interestingly, along with two minor charges for late return of the vehicle ( 45 minutes ), the amount of the so-called " chargeback '' ( including XX/XX/XXXX and other vendor adminstrative costs ) was exactly XX/XX/XXXX ( {$1600.00} ). 

The next day I drove out to XXXX XXXX and confronted theXX/XX/XXXX agent at the rental car return point ( at the far end of the lowest level of the very long XXXX XXXX parking garage ). There the manager ( who was not present when I returned the vehicle but who was strangely prepared for my complaint ) informed me that not only was I responsible for the expensive missing cables ( which i was not even aware existed -- the vehicle is a hybrid and I was not aware that it was plug-in capable ), but because " [ you ] were in a hurry '' and " you refused the inspection, '' I had violated the ( new ) rider to the XX/XX/XXXXrental agreement. This also is not true ( see above ), but " XXXX '' was unmoved. 

I returned, and wrote and filed a detailed and accurate response to the XX/XX/XXXX claim ( sworn and witnessed ) with the Chase Visa Disputes portal. Days later, I received yet another 'validation ' by Chase Visa . I then called the Disputes number ( I am in XXXX, so these calls are expensive ), had several more long and frustrating interactions, through which I attempted unsuccessfully to get the Chase Visa Disputes agents to finally admit that they had looked at my response -- and STILL determined that the vendor 's claim was " valid. '' After several more frustrating telephone interactions with Chase Visa 's Disputes group, I filed an insurance claim with Assurant ( Chase 's captive insurance company under my Cardmember Agreement ). I fully expect that Chase 's insurer will deny my claim, on grounds that I did not provide sufficient documentation of the loss, including : a police report of the theft ; the vendor 's written account of the theft ; photos and other documentation of the state of the vehicle before and after the rental ( to demonstrate that the allegedly stolen cables were actually in the vehicle at the time of the rental -- I still have not seen this ) ; and other documentation to support the underlying claim of theft/damage to the vehicle. 

One would think Chase Visa would have this information in the file prior to declaring XXXXXX/XX/XXXX claim " valid '', and would gladly share it with their long-time and reliable Cardmember ( 37 years ). Apparently not. 

Neither vendor, nor Chase Visa, has provided this information to me, prior to debiting my account for {$1600.00} and declaring the claim valid ( twice ). And when followed the procedures you outline below ( twice ), I received repeated ( and apparently scripted ) run-around explanation from both line personnel and managers, to the effect that because, at the time of both my rental car pick-up and drop-off, I did not force XX/XX/XXXX personnel to accompany me to minutely inspect the hidden compartments of vehicle, to confirm that unknown concealed equipment ( which I never saw or used ) was in the vehicle, and force them to produce and sign a document confirming that such inspection took place. 

Instead, Chase apparently credited a remark by a yet-unnamedXX/XX/XXXX line employee ( relayed to her manager, who was not present when I returned the vehicle ) that I " refused '' the inspection, and rushed off in a hurry -- which is patently false -- and therefore violated a recent annex to the vaguely wordedXX/XX/XXXX rental agreement ( which looks suspiciously like a composite document to which my initials have been appended ), which in any case says nothing -- XXXX -- about inspection of concealed compartments for cables or any other unknown equipment. 

That is the ENTIRE BASIS of XX/XX/XXXX underlying claim against me for {$1600.00} -- that I did not do this employee 's job for her -- and for Chase Visa 's validation of the obviously bogus underlying theft damages claim against your long time Cardmember. 

Simply astonishing credulity by Chase Visa. Terrible Cardmember 'benefit ' service. 

[ Note : I have all noted documents, but I am having difficulty uploading them to your portail from my computer -- please let me know if you need them to go further, and I will work out the problem. ]

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation