Consumer complaint received 2025-02-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with rewards from credit card
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
I would like to submit a complaint against Capital One. I am a Capital One venture X card holder and one of the benefits of the card is that the capital one app and their website has a Shoppings Offers page where once you are logged in to your account you can look up shopping deals at various companies. An example of such a deal would be say XXXX miles at XXXX XXXX or a specific amount of miles at say XXXX. You would qualify for that deal if you click on the offer, then if you click the company link and go through and make a qualifying purchase. Each merchant has specific terms that pop up that you review. An example here of some exclusions that currently apply from the capital one shopping offer for XXXX as of XXXX XXXX : Review exclusions : Not eligible for purchases or redemption of gift cards. 

Click the button below to go to the merchant 's website and make a purchase. 

Avoid ad blockers, cash back websites and extensions, and in-app purchases. 

You then review the above terms and then click on Shop Online and are redirected to the merchant website which opens a new window and you proceed to pick out the items or services you wish to pay for and then make your purchase. Once that purchase has been made you anticipate that the shopping offer from capital one will then process and you will receive the reward miles. 


The purchase and shopping offer I would like to submit my complaint in regards to was a XXXX miles deal at the company XXXX which is know for its soaps, body lotions and bath oils. 
My purchase, from XXXX happened on XX/XX/XXXX and was processed by Capital One on XX/XX/XXXX. Im including an email of my order confirmation as well as a screenshot from my capital one app that has the amount ( XXXX USD ). I also used my capital one credit card for the order. I called capital one customer service initially in late XXXX to request details on when the XXXX miles would be processed. The representative was kind and assured me that they were processing it and that they wanted to make sure I got the benefits and deals from the use of my new card. I am a new car holder. I was told it could take from 60 or up to 90 days to process but again was assured that it was viewable in their system and was processing. Having been assured the XXXX miles of the {$190.00} purchase ( which would be calculated out to XXXX ) was processing I was happy to wait and decided to follow up again at 90 days if I had not received an updated. The 90 day mark was on XX/XX/XXXX and I called the capital one customer service line on XX/XX/XXXX. I was transferred from the first customer service rep to another team and spoke to a rep and a supervisor both of whom seemed to work specifically on the shopping offers. I explained the situation stating I had called in XXXX and wanted to inquire as to the timeline that the miles would be delivered. The rep was able to find the purchase on her end and I explained I had screen shots of the ACTIVATED OFFER REFERENCE ID which was XXXX if it would help them confirm details. I will be including this screenshot here as well. This screenshot was taken the same day as the purchase and also stated that the processing of the payout was usually issued within 45 days, but could take longer. The rep did not ask for the ACTIVATED OFFER REFERENCE ID but asked me a series of questions regarding the transaction. These were seemingly to see if I had not reviewed the exclusions, which I had closely because the purchase was large for me and I wanted to make the most of the XXXX miles deal opportunity. They asked what I purchased, I confirmed it was a holiday gift that included body lotions for my mother and sister in law. I confirmed that the purchase did not include a gift card as that was excluded. She asked if I had followed the link directly, which I confirmed, she asked if I had instead made the purchase in the app and I confirmed no I had made the purchase on my laptop as shown by my photos taken off of a XXXX screen attached here. She asked if I had made the purchase within 24 hours of opening the link and again I confirmed. All of these questions were seemingly to try and weed out if I had done something to be excluded from getting the miles. She confirmed that I had taken the necessary steps to make sure the offer worked. She then had me open my laptop to the capital one website and login to my account to go to the links my shopping offer and then to a link titled Shopping Trips [ XXXX ]. It listed all of the offers that I had opened from the shopping offers page within the website or app and what the qualifying purchases were next to it and if it had processed. There were multiple XXXX  offerings listed over multiple days in XXXX and all of them were listed as inactive. This seemed to be what the customer rep now seized on that I had not clicked the link and made the purchase within a 24 hour period or that something had happened although she had confirmed moments before that I had taken the necessary steps. I assured them I had made the purchase within the time frame and had an activated offer reference ID that I could provide. Again this was not taken by the rep. The rep went on hold and then proceeded to offer me a credit which I at first thought meant she was giving me the miles but after I asked what credit meant she explained it would be XXXX USD instead of the miles. I inquired why they would not instead be able to provide me with the XXXX miles to which she continued to state that it wasnt possible. I then spoke to a supervisor. I explained my frustration that I had called in XXXX to check on the same purchase to see if it was processing properly and I was assured by the capital one representative that I spoke to at the same phone number that it was processing properly and that they wanted to ensure that I got the miles that I deserved. I was confused as to why now that 90 days have passed since the qualifying purchase that can be found within my capital one credit card details I am now being told that instead of the XXXX XXXX  miles I will be given as a one time courtesy {$28.00} instead. The supervisor named XXXX proceeded to explain that they could not provide the XXXX miles, but could instead provide the credit. I tried to gain more details on why back in XXXX I was not told that the purchase was considered inactive as the rep that I spoke to previously had easily been able to find the details and said it was properly processing. The supervisor stated she could not speak to what a prior representative had said to me. 

Upon further review of my account, I found many recent instances where I have used the shopping offers link within the capital one website, such as with XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and others, where they are currently listed as inactive, although I took all of the necessary precautions to remain within the rules and executed the payments on my capital one card, as well as making the payments on a laptop that did not have any kind of browser extensions or ad blocking that could interfere. When I inquired on the same phone call about this topic with the supervisor XXXX that I now had found multiple instances of very recent purchases in the last week that were considered inactive. I asked what my recourse would be because when I have now in this instance diligently followed up at 45 and 90 days, Ive received different responses from the customer service representatives that Ive spoken with. She said she was willing to go over these purchases with me, but stated that the status could remain in the inactive stage for up to 45 days or longer so really she couldnt tell me anything for another 45 days. This left me unsure how someone could ever know if the purchase was properly processing and in my mind, this is putting an undue burden on consumers to track from 45 days to 90 days and to then follow up at each of those markers with the customer service team of capital one to ensure that they are processing and even if you do that as I did, you could be given incorrect information and then you will be told that the only thing that can be done is a credit which, in this instance, I dont believe is fair. 

I gave multiple examples over that phone call with the rep and supervisor last week for this XXXX  purchase on my capital one credit card, that I used the activated offer. I provided those details and proved that I had bought qualifying purchases had stayed within the exclusions and even had the rep confirm that yet I was still denied the XXXXXXXX XXXX miles that I believe I deserved as I took all of the necessary steps. Capital one did not provide me with a fair resolution here and it is leaving me wondering if the shopping offers are instead a kind of scam where companies and capital one instead profit off of consumers inability to chase down the rewards miles or money they are supposed to be receiving. 

I believe fair resolution here would be that I receive the XXXX Miles for the XXXX XXXX  purchase, which would equate under my calculations to XXXX miles. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation