Consumer complaint received 2025-06-04 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: DISCOVER BANK
State: MI

Complaint narrative:
Discover denied the dispute without a thorough investigation, stating the charge was not eligible, despite the fact that I provided extensive documentation. They did not address all disputed charges and failed to respond meaningfully. They simply told me to deal directly with the merchant, who will not communicate with me. 

Narrative : Full Background and Timeline of Events My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX. I recently XXXX  from XXXX XXXX and completed all of my XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, Michigan. I have been a Discover cardholder since I was a teenager it is my longest-standing credit account and one I have used consistently and trusted for many years. 

In early XX/XX/year>, I visited my local XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, MI location ). I had been a paying member of this gym, using the facilities regularly. On XX/XX/year>, I used the gym for the final time. Shortly afterward, I began developing symptoms of a XXXX XXXX XXXX, which quickly spread to multiple areas of my body including my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

Given my medical training, I recognized this as a case of widespread XXXX. Despite trying over-the-counter medications, my symptoms worsened and required XXXX physician visits ( on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ). I was prescribed XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I also purchased additional XXXX XXXX out-of-pocket. I continue to have scarring from the XXXX and suffered significant emotional distress. I was diagnosed with an XXXX XXXX from the trauma of this experience and began therapy. 

Due to this serious health issue and the unsafe conditions that likely caused it including the visibly unsanitary conditions of the gym ( unclean equipment, empty sanitizer stations, dirty restrooms ) I stopped using the facility entirely after XX/XX/XXXX. 

Despite that, XXXX  XXXX continued to charge my Discover card on the following dates : XX/XX/year> {$34.00} ( monthly membership ) XX/XX/year> {$34.00} ( monthly membership ) XX/XX/year> {$59.00} ( annual membership fee ) XX/XX/year> {$34.00} ( monthly membership ) These charges were not for services rendered. I could not return to the gym due to a legitimate medical condition caused by the gym 's facilities. Additionally, XXXX  XXXX was notified promptly. I repeatedly contacted their staff and management specifically an employee named XXXX to request both cancellation of my membership and a refund of charges incurred after I became ill. He was dismissive and refused to escalate the matter, claiming no refund owed due to lack of usage, which ignored the core issue : that I could not safely use the gym due to the XXXX I developed there. 

I provided extensive documentation to Discover in my dispute package, including : A written timeline of events All communications with XXXX  XXXX ( emails, voicemails ) Medical visits and treatment summaries My explanation of why the charges are unfair and qualify for dispute Despite this, I only received one email from Discover referring to one single charge ( {$34.00} ) and stating the dispute was denied. I never received a response to the entire case I submitted regarding all charges. The letter stated that I should take it up with the merchant, despite my documentation showing that the merchant will not communicate with me meaningfully. 

Discovers handling of this dispute feels like a violation of the Fair Credit Billing Act, which is intended to protect consumers from being charged for services that were not received or that were unsafe or defective. 

Since then, I have taken the following steps : Contacted the XXXX XXXX XXXX Filed an incident report with the XXXX XXXX Health Department  Attempted multiple times to resolve this directly with XXXX  XXXX, with no success I emphasized to Discover that this is not simply a matter of inconvenience it is a matter of consumer protection, medical harm, and corporate accountability. And I emphasized that I have been a loyal Discover customer for over a decade. Yet I received no meaningful investigation, and no representative followed up about the additional charges or my dispute packet. 

As a result, I am now requesting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to : Review Discovers handling of this case and whether they fulfilled their obligation under the Fair Credit Billing Act to properly investigate disputes ; Advocate for a full and fair review of the charges that were incurred after I medically could not use the facility, based on documentation provided; Ensure that credit card companies do not dismiss legitimate, substantiated disputes when their own customers are vulnerable and acting in good faith. 
I am happy to provide all supporting documentation submitted to Discover, including screenshots of every communication I received from XXXX  XXXX. Please let me know how I can assist in moving this complaint forward. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation