Consumer complaint received 2025-04-01 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: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, using XXXX, I booked what was marked as a 4 1/2-star to 5-star hotel in XXXX. Since this was an International trip and post-pandemic, I decided to pay an extra fee to buy hotel insurance, just in case something went wrong while at the hotel or with the booking. 

The problem with the hotel began before I left the US when they would not reply to my repeated requests about their shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. Finally, when I called them on the phone, they informed me that they only communicated via an App called XXXX, which I had to download to get the information. In the end, the price provided over XXXX went from {$50.00} round trip to {$120.00} one way once I arrived in XXXX. 

Upon arrival, the hotel was not close to anything above 2 or 3 stars. The images on the XXXX site were rendered XXXX  images intended to mislead. 

Minutes later, after checking in with the front desk, I was taken to a " windowless '' room with a latch at its end that opened to a crack between two walls, two feet apart, with a loud or blasting generator below. The room was filthy, smelling of what seemed like bleach or ammonia, and the bathroom was dirty and extremely uncleaned. The bed looked like it had been used hours prior, like the one in the movies, which portrays dirty hourly rented rooms. After taking some pictures, I immediately returned downstairs and protested that this was not what I had been promised or paid for. Their response was a near verbal and physical assault. 

That day was XX/XX/XXXX, which was a few days after the XXXX war had begun in the Middle East . The above near assault alluded to that fact with an apparent resentment toward any American, in this case, being the unlucky me. 

Upon going downstairs to complain, I was told that, as Americans, nothing pleases us, and since I had paid XXXX for the room, I could reach out to XXXX, as this room was a take-it-or-leave-it room. 

They asked me to leave the hotel because I refused to take the room. Though it was raining outside, I was told to leave the property while I repeatedly attempted to call XXXX for guidance and help. 

After hours of attempts, XXXX finally answered, only to tell me that their system was down and, hence, they could not help me. By now, it had been 36 hours since I had gone without sleep since I departed from XXXX XXXX, California. It was getting late, and I needed to find a place to stay for the night. 

While it was still raining, finally, at XXXX XXXX., or seven hours later, I found a hotel room for {$600.00}, which demanded cash. With no other choice, I agreed and got the room. 

The next day, however, I got sick after being rained on for hours the day before. On the following day, XX/XX/XXXX, two days after I had landed in XXXX, with my condition worsening, I decided to abandon the entire trip and leave XXXX for XXXX, a country whose language I speak, just in case I needed urgent medical care. 

Once in XXXX, I made countless attempts to communicate with XXXX and the hotel 's upper management. In XXXX 's case, though I had purchased insurance for such unforeseen issues, they ignored the paid insurance. Their best offer was a {$250.00} " goodwill '' credit on my account for future use, which I rejected and canceled my entire account after being their customer for nearly 25 years. In the hotel case, they refused any communications. 

Once I returned to the US, I filed a claim against the charges with my Goldman Sachs Apple Card. As the claim began, I was asked to send them any relevant documents regarding the claim, which I promptly did. Included with the furnished evidence was the proof of insurance I had paid for the XXXX hotel, along with a dozen images from the hotel and the condition of their windowless room. I also sent them the document stating that I had to pay for a secondary {$600.00} hotel for my first night in XXXX. I also furnished them with the XXXX XXXX ticket out of XXXX, which showed I had left XXXX only two days later, along with the proof of stay in XXXX, XXXX. 

A month or two later, I received a one-line message stating that my claim was denied due to " no provided evidence '' that would substantiate my claim. 

Baffled, I called Apple Card. Upon reviewing the documents that had already been sent or provided, they were extremely sympathetic and apologetic and reopened the case, assuring me that the document would be seen soon. To ensure they would indeed see them, I was asked to resend them again, which I promptly did. A month or two later, the exact one-line text arrived, indicating that no evidence was provided, and thus, again, the claim had been denied.

Two and a half years later, the above process has been repeated ten times, and each time, with more apologies, a new resubmission is suggested. Though the agents, upon reviewing the case, fully agree with the merit of my claim, redoing or resubmitting the claim produces the same repetitious near-madness result. Today, XX/XX/XXXX, was my latest resubmission. 

That is why I am contacting you for help, for which I am grateful.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief