Consumer complaint received 2025-07-03 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: GA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a complaint regarding Discovers handling of a billing dispute for a {$400.00} charge. I was offered a 30-day free coaching trial. I was never told that additional services would be charged separately or that I needed to cancel anything. I was later charged {$400.00} without consent, did not use services after the trial, and immediately requested a refund. The merchant only offered store credit, then revoked that credit and removed my access once I filed a dispute. 

Despite this, Discover closed the dispute in the merchants favor, citing the merchants no refunds policy and the availability of store credit and service. They also stated that chat logs show I used the service but all services used were within the free trial, and no coaching or calls occurred after the charge. The store credit Discover referenced was revoked by the merchant and is no longer available to me. 

Discovers message ( attached ) confirms that the dispute was closed based on a store credit that does not exist. A refund was never attempted because the merchant refused to issue one that does not make the charge valid, it proves the merchant denied my refund request and failed to clearly disclose terms upfront. 

I am requesting assistance in correcting this and reopening the case due to improper merchant conduct and the banks failure to consider revoked credit, lack of transparency, and poor cancellation processing.

Im filing this complaint because Discover did not properly handle a billing dispute I filed regarding an unauthorized charge. 

On XX/XX/2025, I signed up for what I was told would be a 30-day free trial for a coaching program. I was concerned during signup because the system prompted me to pay, so I contacted the merchant directly. She sent me a special link and confirmed that I would not be charged. I signed up under that clear assurance. 

Later, the merchant introduced coaching calls, which she stated were on a 7-day trial but she never disclosed any cost, no price, no billing date, and no mention that Id be charged after 7 days. I assumed they were part of the free 30-day program I agreed to. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I had what the merchant referred to as our last call under the trial. That same day, I noticed a charge on my Discover card and immediately contacted the merchant to request a refund. She acknowledged the issue but refused to refund my card and instead offered store credit and freebies such as a free month of calls and free 3 months of coaching, which I did not accept. 

When I filed the dispute with Discover, the merchant revoked the store credit and removed my access to the program. She later tried to charge my card multiple times after this dispute, which failed only because I changed my card number. 

I attempted to cancel the subscription through the merchants platform, but the system only shows pending cancellation with no confirmation or way to finalize it. The merchant claims her system allows cancellation at any time, but to this day, I am unable to confirm the cancellation and she continues to attempt charges. 

Discover closed the dispute in favor of the merchant, citing that the merchant had a no refunds policy and that a refund was never attempted to the original payment. But a refund was never attempted because the merchant refused to issue one. That doesnt make the charge valid it shows the merchant denied me the refund I requested immediately after the charge. 

This is my first ever dispute with Discover, and I have a perfect payment history. I believe Discover failed to fully consider the details of my case

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation