Capital One
Allows merchant to double-bill me, then charges me late fee, informs me all disputes must be closed within 45 days and then allows merchant to use all but one day to respond

I paid Capital One a little over $3,000 to book a 10-day vacation to Iceland. I paid off the this charge immediately, so that they could not charge me any interest. This was for a package deal which included airfare, hotel, and rent-a-car. Seven weeks after I return home I am again charged $141 from the rent-a-car agency, even though it was included in the above package. The contract called for unlimited mileage and basic insurance. I returned the car with a full tank of gas and they informed everything looked good and there were no damages to the vehicle.

I disputed the charges with Capital One and they sent me a letter stating they would credit my account for the $141 while they investigate the matter.
Then out of the clear blue sky, I get a statement balance in the mail stating that my bill is overdue and tack on a late fee and interest.

I phoned Capital One's dispute office to complain. Now here's the part that really sucks: the dispute agent told me that when a customer makes a dispute against a merchant, the dispute must be closed within 45 days, and that the merchant may take up to 44 days to respond, leaving the consumer with only ONE DAY to counter the merchant's response. After that the matter is closed, even if you have tons of documentation to support your side. She says "that's the law" and she can't do anything about it.

If in fact that is a law, I can just imagine some lobbyist for the credit card companies giving free trips, cruises, campaign donations, etc to lawmakers to pass anti-consumer "laws" such as this. Like another person suggested to usacomplaints.com, avoid Capital One at all costs!

Company: Capital One
Country: USA
State: Virginia
City: Richmond
Phone: 8009557070
Site: www.capitalone.com

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