Consumer complaint received 2025-07-09 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: NJ

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/, I used XXXX mobile website to purchase three concert tickets listed at {$210.00} each. I expected to pay approximately {$660.00}. However, after entering and submitting my payment information, I was charged {$920.00}. The additional {$260.00} in service fees was not clearly disclosed before I authorized the charge it only appeared after I entered my credit card information. 

This violates the FTCs Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees ( effective XX/XX/XXXX  ), which requires businesses to disclose the full price including mandatory service fees before a customer enters payment information. I was not given the opportunity to review and accept the final total in advance. 

I immediately contacted XXXX customer service. Their virtual assistant acknowledged this might be a checkout process transparency issue and escalated me to a live agent. I requested a refund, citing that the fees were only visible after I submitted payment. XXXX refused, citing their " all sales final '' policy, and insisted fees were visible, which was not the case on the mobile interface I used. 

I then initiated a billing dispute with Discover ( Dispute Case # XXXX ). I provided : My receipt showing the unexpected charge The chat transcript with XXXX, where I repeatedly stated that the fees were not shown before payment Confirmation of my FTC complaint ( Report # XXXX ) Discover temporarily applied a chargeback, but later reversed it. I followed up multiple times through their messaging portal. A representative told me that since the final charge was visible on the receipt, they could not help me. I explained that the receipt was generated after the deception occurred, which is precisely the issue. I asked how deceptive pricing before authorization does not fall under the Fair Credit Billing Act, and I was repeatedly deflected or ignored. 

Eventually, a Discover supervisor reviewed the case and confirmed that Discover was siding with the merchant because the transaction was final and the receipt showed the total, despite the fact that I never saw the total before authorizing the charge. He told me to pursue external remedies since Discover could not override XXXX terms. 

Notably, the FTC has already issued a formal warning letter to XXXX for violating this exact rule, a fact I discovered and referenced when dealing with Discover. My experience is part of a documented pattern of noncompliance with this regulation. 

This is unacceptable. I was charged a significantly higher amount than expected due to deceptive billing, which both the FTC and FCBA are meant to protect against. I exhausted all possible channels within both XXXX and Discover, submitted detailed documentation, and was repeatedly dismissed. I am filing this CFPB complaint because neither company has fulfilled its legal responsibilities, and I believe this case deserves immediate attention and review.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation