Consumer complaint received 2026-03-18 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: FL

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern at the Discover Disputes & Chargebacks Department : I am writing to formally escalate my chargeback dispute, which has been decided incorrectly against me on the most recent review. This letter serves as notice that Discover 's current ruling is factually unsupported, ignores documented merchant fraud, and if not corrected will compel me to pursue all available legal and regulatory remedies. I am requesting that Discover issue a final, permanent credit to my account in the amount of {$1200.00} no later than 48 hours from receipt of this correspondence. I have been a Discover cardholder in good standing for many years. In return, I am entitled to Discover 's good-faith application of its own chargeback protections protections which exist precisely for situations like this one. Discover has instead, on repeated occasions, allowed a foreign merchant engaged in documented fraud to reverse credits issued in my favor. I will now set forth the complete factual record. I. CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF MERCHANT FRAUD A. Pre-Sale Misrepresentation XX/XX/year> Prior to my purchase of the extrusion machine, I specifically inquired of the seller whether they could provide operating instructions, including settings for processing PPA-CF and PPS-CF materials ( speed, tension, temperature zones, etc. ). The seller confirmed in writing on XX/XX/year>, that they would provide these instructions upon completion of the purchase ( See attachment Message History.jpg ). This constituted a material term of the contract of sale. The seller never had these materials and never intended to provide them a fact they later admitted in writing on XX/XX/year>. B. Import Charges Dispute XX/XX/year> The product listing and order confirmation page on XXXX explicitly stated : " Import charges included. '' ( See attachment Import Charges Included.jpg ) Despite this, the seller did not pay the import charges upon shipment, and I received a UPS bill for tariffs totaling over {$320.00}. When I raised this discrepancy on XX/XX/year>, the seller refused to honor the published terms ( See attachment Message History.jpg ). Instead, the seller demanded that I pay the full tariff balance first, promising only to reimburse half afterward a direct violation of the " import charges included '' representation that formed part of the purchase agreement. C. Fraudulent Exploitation of the Platform Dispute Tool Rather than honoring the platform 's terms, the seller induced me to open a dispute through XXXX 's resolution tool the same tool used for initiating free returns on the false representation that this would resolve the import charge issue ( See attachment Message History.jpg ). The seller issued a {$150.00} partial refund through this channel, which was less than half the $ XXXX tariff owed. Critically, by manipulating me into using and closing this dispute tool, the seller intentionally foreclosed my ability to open a separate return or free-return dispute for the machine itself. XXXX 's policy permits one active dispute per order, and the seller exploited this limitation knowingly and deliberately. D. Seller 's Admission of Fraud XX/XX/year> On XX/XX/year>, the seller admitted in writing : " I sincerely apologize for the frustration you have experienced regarding the user manual... Unfortunately, I currently do not have access to the manual. '' This is a direct admission that the seller made a material misrepresentation before the sale promising documentation they did not possess in order to induce my purchase. This constitutes fraudulent inducement under both U.S. and international commercial law. E. Refusal to Provide a Prepaid Return Label XXXX policy explicitly provides for free returns on eligible orders. Specifically : Chapter V of XXXX 's Return and Refund Policy states that return shipping is free on a buyer 's first five returnable orders per month, with XXXX/the seller covering the shipping cost. Chapter VI states that buyers are provided a return label by XXXX/the seller, which the buyer prints and affixes to the package. ( See attachment XXXX Return and Refund Policy.jpg ) I had used zero free returns in the applicable month. I was therefore fully entitled to a prepaid return label at no cost to me. Critically, on XX/XX/year>, I asked the seller directly : " Are you going to send me a return label or not? '' The seller responded : " we do not have this kind of return label if we can, we can do it for you. '' This response is an unambiguous acknowledgment by the seller that providing the return label was their responsibility. The seller did not dispute the obligation they represented that they would fulfill it if they were able to do so. They never did. Despite this acknowledgment, and despite multiple subsequent documented requests, the seller failed to provide a return label. The seller instead fabricated excuses claiming that businesses in XXXX are unable to purchase shipping from UPS, DHL, or FedEx ( See attachment Message History.jpg ). When I provided documentary proof disproving this claim, the seller responded with dismissive emojis and ceased communication entirely. Because the seller never provided a return label, I was never in a position to ship the machine back. The seller 's own failure to perform is the sole reason the merchandise remains in my possession. Discover 's ruling that I have not returned the merchandise ignores the fact that the seller 's acknowledged obligation to provide a label and their deliberate failure to honor it is what prevented the return. This is a fact I have communicated to Discover from the onset. II. APPLICABLE LEGAL FRAMEWORK The following legal authorities are directly applicable to this dispute : A. Fair Credit Billing Act ( FCBA ), 15 U.S.C. 1666 et seq. The FCBA provides cardholders the right to dispute billing errors and charges for goods or services that were not delivered as agreed. The seller 's admitted failure to deliver promised documentation a material contract term and delivery of a machine that is non-functional without that documentation constitutes exactly the type of " goods not as described '' scenario the FCBA was designed to remedy. Under the FCBA, Discover is required to conduct a reasonable investigation before resolving a dispute. Accepting a merchant 's bare assertion that " merchandise was not returned '' while ignoring the documented reason it was not returned ( seller 's refusal to provide a label ) does not constitute a reasonable investigation. B. FTC Regulations 16 C.F.R. Part 444 ( Credit Practices Rule ) & Regulation Z Discover 's obligations as a credit card issuer include conducting good-faith investigations into consumer disputes. Discover ruled in my favor four consecutive times correctly then reversed all four rulings on a fifth review with no new evidence from the merchant. Abandoning four prior correct determinations without any evidentiary basis is the antithesis of a good-faith investigation and is inconsistent with Discover 's obligations as a regulated credit card issuer. C. Wire Fraud 18 U.S.C. 1343 The seller 's conduct making false material representations via electronic communication ( the XXXX platform ) to induce a purchase, followed by deliberate manipulation of the platform 's dispute tool to deprive me of my return rights constitutes wire fraud. By failing to investigate these facts and instead crediting the merchant 's unsupported claims, Discover has facilitated the completion of an international wire fraud scheme against its own cardholder. D. Federal Trade Commission Act 15 U.S.C. 45 ( Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices ) The seller 's conduct constitutes unfair and deceptive trade practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, including misrepresentation of import charge coverage, misrepresentation of the availability of product documentation, and deceptive use of the platform dispute mechanism to strip me of my return rights. III. DISCOVER 'S ARBITRARY AND INDEFENSIBLE REVERSAL OF FOUR PRIOR RULINGS IN MY FAVOR The procedural history of this dispute is itself evidence of Discover 's failure. Discover reviewed this matter on four separate occasions and ruled in my favor each time correctly concluding, based on the documented record, that the merchant 's claim was unsupported. On each of those four occasions, rather than closing the matter, Discover granted the merchant additional time and additional opportunities to respond, despite having already ruled that my position was meritorious. On the fifth and final review, with no new evidence submitted by the merchant no documentation, no policy citations, no rebuttal to any factual claim in my record Discover reversed all four prior rulings, deemed the charge valid, and transferred my funds to the seller. This decision is not merely wrong. It is arbitrary, capricious, and legally indefensible. Discover 's own prior rulings constitute an acknowledgment that the merchant 's evidence was insufficient. Nothing changed between the fourth ruling and the fifth. The merchant introduced no new facts. The underlying documentation did not change. The only thing that changed is Discover 's conclusion arrived at without any evidentiary basis for doing so. This pattern raises serious questions about whether Discover 's final ruling reflects a good-faith application of the FCBA 's investigation requirements, or something else entirely. To be precise about what Discover accepted and what it ignored in reaching its final ruling : The merchant 's sole response across all five reviews was the assertion that merchandise was not returned. Discover never required the merchant to address why it failed to provide a prepaid return label as required by the platform 's own policy ; Discover never reviewed or meaningfully applied the XXXX Return and Refund Policy, publicly available at XXXX, which places the return label obligation squarely on the seller ; Discover never addressed the documented chronology establishing that the seller 's refusal to issue a label is the direct and proximate cause of the merchandise remaining in my possession ; Discover never evaluated the seller 's written admission on XX/XX/year>, that they never possessed the product documentation they promised prior to sale a textbook case of fraudulent inducement ; Discover never addressed the seller 's deliberate manipulation of the XXXX dispute tool to strip me of my separate return rights ; Discover never required the merchant to produce a single document beyond a bare assertion across five rounds of review. Four correct rulings followed by an unexplained, evidence-free reversal is not a reasonable investigation. It is arbitrary action that harmed the very cardholder Discover is statutorily obligated to protect. The FCBA exists precisely to prevent this outcome, and Discover 's conduct in this matter is a textbook violation of its obligations under that statute. IV. DEMAND FOR RESOLUTION Based on the foregoing, I make the following formal demands : 1. That Discover issue a Immediate and permanent credit to my account in the full disputed amount of {$1200.00} within 48 hours of receipt of this letter. That this credit not be subject to further reversal based on the merchant 's unsubstantiated assertions, given that the merchant has now had ample opportunity to present evidence and has failed to do so. That Discover confirm in writing, within 48 hours, the steps being taken to resolve this matter. V. CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE Should Discover fail to issue the permanent credit demanded above within 48 hours of receipt of this letter, I will immediately pursue all of the following remedies : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) : I will file a formal complaint with the CFPB documenting Discover 's failure to conduct a reasonable investigation under the FCBA, which the CFPB supervises and enforces. CFPB complaints become part of the public Consumer Complaint Database. Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) : I will file a complaint with the FTC regarding both the seller 's conduct and Discover 's facilitation of it. Internet Crime Complaint Center ( IC3 ) : I will file a complaint with the FBI 's IC3 regarding international wire fraud, citing the seller 's documented misrepresentations and the platform manipulation scheme. State Attorney General : I will file a consumer fraud complaint with the Florida Attorney General 's office. Civil Litigation : I will initiate legal proceedings against Discover for violations of the Fair Credit Billing Act, which provides for actual damages, statutory damages, and attorney 's fees under 15 U.S.C. 1640. Interpol and U.S. Department of Justice : Given that the seller 's conduct constitutes international wire fraud involving goods valued above the federal felony threshold, I will submit documentation to both Interpol and the DOJ. I have supported every claim in this letter with documentary evidence, including message records, platform screenshots, policy text, and the seller 's own written admissions. The seller has provided Discover with nothing no policy documentation, no evidence disputing my account, no proof of any kind across five rounds of review. Discover itself reached the correct conclusion four times. The record has not changed. The fifth ruling must be corrected. I expect to hear from Discover within 48 hours. I prefer resolution without escalation, but I am fully prepared to pursue every available avenue if that is what this situation requires. Respectfully submitted, XXXX XXXX Enclosures : Message History.jpg Message history from XX/XX/year> through XX/XX/year>. Import Charges Included.jpg Listing / order page screenshot showing " Import Charges Included '' Free Returns Order Record.jpg Order record showing " Free Returns '' designation. XXXX Return and Refund Policy.jpg Showing Returns are Free to Buyers and the shipping label is provided by the platform/seller.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation