Consumer complaint received 2024-12-08 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: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
This is a complaint regarding a Capital One credit card purchase of airline tickets made online with a company called XXXX XXXX XXXX. They in turn booked our flight on XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX is clear than they don't book by phone, and do not refund any flights if the customer cancels the flights. XXXX XXXX XXXX advertise as associated with XXXX  and offer to do phone bookings for them. 

The seats booked in XX/XX/year> were confirmed by XXXX XXXX using correct names : XXXX XXXX XXXX ( also uses name XXXX XXXX XXXX ) my daughter, and XXXX and XXXX XXXX , my grandsons. 

Two days before the flight in XX/XX/year>, XXXX received an email from XXXX XXXX telling her ( at first ) that her flight was cancelled, and then when she questioned why, that her reservations were cancelled. They then attempted to extort her by telling her if she would pay them an additional {$750.00}, they would refund her charge. 

Realizing she had been scammed, she went to the XXXX  site ( could not reach anyone in real time because they don't have phone service ) and saw that her reservations had indeed been made but cancelled by the passenger, that is XXXX XXXX XXXX. In the XXXX  documents sent, we can read the line entries closely and see that part of the scheme must have included using false surnames. Those were the names used on the cancellation notices which we have taken screen shots of to submit as evidence, ( see documents submitted ). It seems XXXX XXXX was able to bypass the verification code that XXXX requested before cancelling the flight. 

Although XXXX claims that their verification code provides security that the right person is cancelling, in our case the security failed as it was XXXX XXXX they were communicating with, and XXXX XXXX was cancelling using our credit card and phone information. XXXX allows bookings to be made by XXXX XXXX. There are 22 complaints against XXXX XXXX of similar scams on XXXX XXXX XXXX site . XXXX must have had similar experiences with XXXX XXXX before. 

Since the surnames did not match passport info, or for some other reason, it was XXXX which actually cancelled our reservationsat the request of XXXX XXXX. Although XXXX is claiming that we, the passenger, cancelled that is not the caseit seems possible that they were scammed, and as such, they should recognize this and refund our money. 

My daughter and two children were stuck at the last minute, bags packed, preparations made for months, but never even went to the airport.

We disputed the charge. Capital One refunded while they " investigated ''. We sent pages of documentation. When XXXX answered with their defense, Capital One closed the case, returned the charge to my card, and said to take it up with XXXX. 

All along we have been attempting to resolve with XXXX but as of this date they have only responded with dismissive emails, treating this as a case of customer cancelling, or other messages that may even be AI generated or at least not handled by any person to person managerial staff.

I have been reluctant to engage directly with the scammers. Capital One also disputed the charge with them. They have not responded so by default their part of the charge ( XXXX plus ) has not been added back to my card. 

I am including a package of documents to validate my statements.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation