Consumer complaint received 2025-05-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Problem when making payments — Problem during payment process
Company: Army and Air Force Exchange Service
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern, I am filing this formal complaint against the Military STAR Card program, administered by the Exchange Credit Program ( ECP ) under the Army & Air Force Exchange Service ( AAFES ). This submission supplements and expands on my previous complaint by including personal facts, failed resolution efforts, and public legal cases and consumer complaints demonstrating systemic misconduct by this agency. 

Personal Case Summary : I am a retired XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX living on a fixed military pension. I maintained perfect payment history on my Military STAR Card account for years through auto-pay, until early XXXX when my bank account was compromised due to fraud. As a result, the STAR Card system attempted to draft from a closed account, triggering payment reversals.

Instead of investigating the matter or giving me the opportunity to update my payment method, the ECP : Immediately restricted my access to make payments online.

Refused to work with me to restore access or offer another secure method of payment.

Told me to use bill pay, which failed repeatedly due to incorrect or unclear instructions provided by their representatives.

Prevented me from paying in person, as Navy Exchanges no longer accept STAR payments.

Suggested mail-in payments, which I consider insecure, especially for resolving a fraud-related situation.

During this time, I was out of the country and unaware that my payment access had been disabled. By the time I found out, wage garnishment of my military retirement pay had already begun, with no effort by ECP to contact me through a valid address or resolve the situation with my cooperation.

Proof of Account Compromise : The billing statements list an address I have never lived at : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, FL. 
I never authorized or provided this address. Any mail sent there was never received by me.

This fraudulent address change is further evidence that my account was compromised, and I am requesting an immediate investigation into how this occurred.

Ongoing Harm : The ECP continues to garnish my military pension while allowing interest to accrue, pushing me deeper into debt for a situation caused by fraud and their own internal restrictions.

They claim I must make six consecutive manual payments before access is reviewed, yet I have no reliable or authorized way to make those payments.

Customer service has failed me repeatedly, with contradictory instructions, refusal to reinstate online access, and no resolution for over a year.

Supporting Evidence from Public Cases : My experience aligns with a pattern of abuse shown in other cases : Briggs v. United States & AAFES A class action lawsuit where the court ruled that AAFES used illegal collection practices against servicemembers and veterans. The case resulted in refunds to class members.

Veterans Overcharged Settlement A {$2.00} XXXX settlement was paid to over 63,000 affected veterans and servicemembers due to unfair interest and collection practices by the Military STAR program.

CFPB Complaint Database Numerous consumer complaints echo my situation, including : Rejected bill pay transactions Failed communication Online access blocks Predatory garnishments My Requests : I am respectfully demanding : 1. Immediate restoration of my online payment access to allow me to resolve this in good faith.

2. An internal investigation into the fraudulent address associated with my account.

3. Suspension of wage garnishment until I am granted a valid payment method and repayment schedule.

4. Correction of all accrued interest and penalties related to your refusal to allow payment access.

5. A full review of ECPs collection and payment system practices, including the barriers to resolution I and thousands of other servicemembers have experienced.

Attached is a copy of a statement with the fraudulent address and my drivers license that shows my actual address.

I have served this country for 22 years with honor and integrity. I do not deserve to be treated like a delinquent debtor for a situation that was caused by fraud and made worse by your organizations refusal to listen or help. You are financially penalizing a military retiree who tried to do the right thingand that is not only unjust, but potentially unlawful.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation