Consumer complaint received 2025-06-13 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
Capital One is currently holding all of my finances ( around {$4000.00} in Checking and {$600.00} in Savings ) XXXX until I drive XXXX hours to their headquarters in Virginia, all because of a mistake they made ( which they confirmed on a recorded call ). 

On XX/XX/year>, I decided to switch from banking with my current bank to banking with Capital One. My issues began when I attempted to add my younger brother as a Joint Account Holder. For some reason, even with a Social Security Number, Phone Number, and Driver 's License, they were apparently incapable of verifying his identity. They instructed him to go to a physical location for verification. I had him call again, on speaker, so I could hear the entire conversation. The outcome was the same even after I, the Primary Account Holder, identified myself and had myself verified. 

I then called the Customer Support line and asked them for assistance moving funds out and closing my account, as I have no interest in Banking with Capital One if they will not allow me to set up a joint account. They transferred me to another line and the individual on that line walked my brother through the entire process of verification and successfully verified him. They added him as a joint user on my Checking account, but not my Savings account ( which I had requested ). 

On XX/XX/year>, I decided to send him the invite to be a joint holder on my Savings account. Queue the same issues as before, so I have him switch to speaker to discuss it with them. They explain the same issue as last time, but also inform us that the individual that verified him previously did something incorrectly, so they were restricting my brother 's access. I assumed at this point that this meant that they froze his debit card. I tried to explain that he had already been verified once, why would he need to be verified again and they spent the rest of the phone call repeating the same scripted lines about going to a physical location. 

Later that night, I set up a Checking and Savings account with a different bank and had my brother added as a joint user with no issues. I did this intending to simply change banks after my next paycheck came through. 

On the morning of XX/XX/year>, I find that Restricting my brother 's access actually meant freezing my entire account, as I could no longer use my card or transfer, deposit, or withdraw funds. I called customer service asking to close my account and, even after being escalated to a Customer Service Manager, I was informed that a restricted account could not be closed and that the restriction would have to be lifted first. Even after explaining that I was informed that the restriction was only placed because of an error caused by a Capital One employee, every person I talked to refused to help and insisted I go to a physical location. 

Later that night, I resigned myself to having to go to a physical location so I researched branches and saw that their website listed a branch in XXXX. I called once more to verify that if I went to the Branch in XXXX, I would be able to lift the restriction on my account. They verified that if we went to the Capital One Branch or XXXX that are in XXXX, that they would be able to assist us. 

Today, XX/XX/year>, we drove XXXX hours to XXXX only to find that the XXXX " Branch '' they told us we could go to is a XXXX XXXX that is badge access only. I called customer service again and explained the situation. They informed me that no one at that " XXXX '' OR the XXXX would be able to assist me and that we could only be assisted if we go to the Headquarters in Virginia. I explained that they are asking me to make an XXXX hour round-trip drive because they made a mistake after they already sent me on a XXXX hour round-trip drive for a complete waste of time. They insisted that there was no other option ( I tried suggesting they send someone to me or video call my brother for verification ). 

I restated on the call they wanted me to drive XXXX hours to Virginia to their headquarters to fix a mistake that THEY made and that they were going to hold all of my finances XXXX until I did so and had them confirm that my assessment was correct on the call. I ended the call, came home, and started this.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation