Consumer complaint received 2025-02-19 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: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I was scammed and extorted in XXXX by the XXXXXX/XX/XXXX. I used my credit card XX/XX/year>2024 to make a reserve a room at the hotel for my vacation in XX/XX/scrub> 2024. Upon arrival to hotel in XXXX, I was told that the hotel would not honor my reservation of {$1100.00} that was agreed to by the confirmed reservation in XX/XX/year>2024. Instead I was told that I would have to pay {$860.00} per night which would total {$2500.00} for my stay because it the holiday season. I was a solo traveling female, and was told that if I did not give them the money I would have to leave there property. There were armed guards and men present when this happened. This is also a scam theXX/XX/XXXX such as the one I originally reserved do often. They get your card info by way of there website for the reservation and then upon arrival they try to extort you into paying a different amount because they know its the holiday season and it is very difficult to find a hotel. I told the hotel what they were doing was illegal and told them they had to honor my reservation, and they refused. Because the hotel refused to honor my confirmed reservation, I was not permitted to stay on the property. I had to find a new hotel to stay at for the reminder of my stay. At this time I received a card notification from navy federal that the hotel had charged me card. I told the hotel this was illegal and I would be notify my bank of the fraudulent charge once I retuned to XXXX. I never authorized the card transaction, I never provided them with my physical card, I never signed or received a receipt for the transaction. I was simply preyed on because I was a solo female traveler. I provided all this information to navy federal when I returned back to XXXX and was told that there is nothing they can do because its a visa credit card and that I should take legal action against the XXXXXX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXXL ie got back to XXXX and file a lawsuit against the hotel which is insane after I provided details proof that I had been scammed. It wasn't like I walked in the hotel and decided that I didn't want to stay there and decide to cancel my reservation, I was prohibited from staying there by the property unless I provided them with {$2500.00} rather than the {$1100.00} that was confirmed. I also provided navy federal proof that the hotel confirmed what XXXX had did and said they would revert the charge and never did and navy federal still refuse to do the right thing. 

Below is the exact message I sent to navy federal regarding this scam incident. I have also uploaded the documents I sent to navy federal, along with the one document navy federal sent me the merchants proof. 

XX/XX/year>2024 I booked a 3 night stay at the XXXXXX/XX/XXXXin XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XX/XX/year>2024, the hotel required me to upload a credit card to secure the reservation. The total for the 3-night stay was XXXX ( Reservation confirmation uploaded ) When I arrived in XXXX at theXX/XX/XXXX on XX/XX/scrub>, 2024, The manager informed us that they would not honor our reservation because its the holiday season now and they are selling our room for {$860.00} instead of the {$390.00} per night cost we secured on the hotels website, the hotel was not booked through a third party site, in XXXX. I told the manager that you can not change a confirmed reservation at check in because you want to upcharge for the holidays. I went back and forward with him and he would not honor our reservation. I explained the manager that I felt that he was trying to take advantage me because I was XX/XX/XXXX. I also had just visited XXXX prior to my arrival in XXXX, and I had no issue with the previous hotel charging me the amount that my reservation was for. I told this to the manager, so that he could now that I knew he was lying and trying to scam me, but he didnt care. I never provide the manager with my physical card or gave them authorization to use my card, however during this 2 hour conversation, I received a notification that my card had been charged the {$860.00}. I told the manager that what he did was illegal and that I would be reaching out to my bank as soon as I returned back to XXXX. The manger refused to honor our reservation and I refused to pay {$860.00} per night, which would have came out to {$2500.00}, which would have been {$1300.00} more than my confirmed reservation of {$1300.00}. Luckily I was able to find another hotel, XXXX XXXX ( Reservation confirmation uploaded ), and we stayed there. I never stayed at XXXX XXXX and never authorized them to charge my credit card. After speaking with some of he locals, I found out that this is something hotels in that area so to XX/XX/XXXX because they know how difficult it is to book a hotel in that area during the holiday season.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation