Disney Chase redemption card mess up... wwyd?

[laceyinwonderland]

I have been going back and forth with Chase for over a week now over an issue. It is still not resolved, but they say there is nothing else they can do. Id like your opinions.... let it go, or call again Monday to speak with someone else. Here is the story....

On my Sept '13 statement, this was the rewards info:

Previous reward dollars balance 172.78
+ 2% Earn on purchases at restaurants 3.83
+ 2% Earn on purchases at grocery stores 11.96
+ 2% Earn on purchases at gas stations 4.70
+ 1% Earn on all other purchases 42.69
+ Additional earned bonus 25.00
+ Courtesy adjustments 172.78
- Trsfrd to redemption card or airline credit 345.56
= Total reward dollars avail. for redemption 88.18

It clearly shows a beginning balance, a courtesy adjustment (which at the time I had no idea what that meant) and where I transferred 345.56 to my redemption card. While at Disney in November, when I was at the front desk to settle my balance, they said there was only 172.78 on the card. Ok, in my head I know something is not right, but i'll figure it out later. I paid the difference of my bill, and finished out our vacation.

Last week, Im getting ready to buy tickets for my June trip, and Im checking my balance of the redemption card, expecting there to be something there. It has a zero balance. So I call chase, and ask why if *in sept I moved 345.56 to the redemption card, * in nov, spent 172.78 at Pop century, there should be 172.78 on the card. The chase lady tells me "good news, your balance of zero is actually correct! that "courtesy adjustment" is where Chase accidently credited your rewards twice." I said, that is NOT good news! here I am planning a new trip, thinking I had more rewards than I actually have! I asked her nicely if since the error was on chase's part, if they would still honor the rewards. She put in the request, and said I would hear something in the mail in 10 days.

I got my letter today, and it says 'your account is correct, no adjustments will be made. '

So, I call back and get an Account Manager on the phone and explain the situation to him. He said what happened with that 'courtesy adjustment' is that whoever was processing the redemption must have made the adjustment, canceled it, then re- requested the transfer. He said the error was not on my account, just on the statement. When I asked if the rewards could be honored he said, "what do you expect, chase just to eat $172 so you can have rewards you didn't actually earn?" And I said, 'yes I do expect that because it was an error on their part, and they never communicated it with me. They double rewarded me, then took them away with out notice!!" I asked to speak with his manager and he said there is no one above him who works on accounts, only a personal manager.

I realize that I did not actually earn those rewards. But I feel that because I have been a loyal Chase costumer, who has 2 accounts with them, and has referred 2 other people to their Disney card, that it would be the decent thing to do to honor their mistake. I have now called twice, and gotten no where. What would you do? Is the account manager I spoke with really the end of the line? Or should I take his word that there is nothing they can do, and let it go?

 

[plummer925]

You know it's a mistake and you still want the money? That seems unfair to Chase. You acknowledged that the credit was not something you knew anything about. It doesn't sound fishy at all to me. I think you should let it go. It was not something you earned. If you had earned it, then yes, definitely do something, but you know you did not. They made a mistake and corrected it, it had to show up on your statement. Why in the world you'd want to profit from that???

 

[JillyBean1899]

Look at it this way ... if your bank had accidentally credited you twice for a deposit, would you also demand that they allow you to keep the money?

On a side note, if you ever see an adjustment (credit or debit) that you don't know what it is, never assume it's correct or you'll just figure it out later and in the meantime plan on using it. *ALWAYS* ask.

 

[plummer925]

Oh - as of the account manager being the end of the line (I meant to put this in my post above). I used to work for a credit card (MBNA before they merged with BoA) and I was an Account Manager. I was considered the "end of the line". I had a supervisor above me, but I had the empowerment to do what was right for the customer as long as I did not "give away the bank". Honestly - had it been me on the line with you, and we determined that it was an accounting thing (crediting something that was redeemed twice basically) and not something you earned, then I would not have given the credit. Banks really do not make a super lot off a customer (believe it or not!) and less so off an 'affinity account' (an account with a business name on it - whether it be a store name, Disney, or an organization) as that organization gets a huge chunk of the money made.

Its great that you have 2 accounts with them, but unless your credit line is over $50,000 then likely they will not work with you on such a huge chunk of money. When I worked at MBNA it was not unusual for us to work with people with $25,000 and higher credit lines - those were the ones that we wanted to retain as customers.

I no longer work for a credit card company or bank, and am just giving the advice on the way that the one that I worked for did things at the time I worked there.

 

[laceyinwonderland]

You know it's a mistake and you still want the money? That seems unfair to Chase. You acknowledged that the credit was not something you knew anything about. It doesn't sound fishy at all to me. I think you should let it go. It was not something you earned. If you had earned it, then yes, definitely do something, but you know you did not. They made a mistake and corrected it, it had to show up on your statement. Why in the world you'd want to profit from that???

That's just it, it did not show up on the statement. In sept it showed that my available balance to transfer was $326, which I did transfer to the redemption card. once you transfer the rewards, you don't get a statement. when I went to spend the money, in November, only $172 was on the card. I got NO notice that there had been an error, and that part of the rewards had been removed.

Look at it this way ... if your bank had accidentally credited you twice for a deposit, would you also demand that they allow you to keep the money?

On a side note, if you ever see an adjustment (credit or debit) that you don't know what it is, never assume it's correct or you'll just figure it out later and in the meantime plan on using it. *ALWAYS* ask.

I wouldn't know, my bank has never credited me twice for a deposit! But I understand what your saying, and your probably right that I should let it go. I guess I was just hoping they would honor their mistake. $172 is probably a drop in the bucket, but its a big deal to me. And im just sad that I thought I had it because its what CHASE said I had at one time, only to go to use it and find out I don't.

 

[laceyinwonderland]

Oh - as of the account manager being the end of the line (I meant to put this in my post above). I used to work for a credit card (MBNA before they merged with BoA) and I was an Account Manager. I was considered the "end of the line". I had a supervisor above me, but I had the empowerment to do what was right for the customer as long as I did not "give away the bank". Honestly - had it been me on the line with you, and we determined that it was an accounting thing (crediting something that was redeemed twice basically) and not something you earned, then I would not have given the credit. Banks really do not make a super lot off a customer (believe it or not!) and less so off an 'affinity account' (an account with a business name on it - whether it be a store name, Disney, or an organization) as that organization gets a huge chunk of the money made.

Its great that you have 2 accounts with them, but unless your credit line is over $50,000 then likely they will not work with you on such a huge chunk of money. When I worked at MBNA it was not unusual for us to work with people with $25,000 and higher credit lines - those were the ones that we wanted to retain as customers.

I no longer work for a credit card company or bank, and am just giving the advice on the way that the one that I worked for did things at the time I worked there.

LOl your right.... I am probably an insignificant customer to them, and they probably looked back over the course of 5 years and realized that I have never paid one cent of interest, yet have made several hundreds off of their rewards. Oh well... lessoned learned. Moving on now! Thank you for your wisdom and advice!

 

[plummer925]

LOl your right.... I am probably an insignificant customer to them, and they probably looked back over the course of 5 years and realized that I have never paid one cent of interest, yet have made several hundreds off of their rewards. Oh well... lessoned learned. Moving on now! Thank you for your wisdom and advice!

You are welcome - and I hope I did not come across as snarky - I was simply saying it like it is from their perspective.

There is a saying in cc companies - they like "soup customers" as in "mm mm good" "M" to a cc company means minimum payment. Those are the folks they like - those who are making the minimum (and occasional late payment!) because that is the only place they make money. You would be a "F" customer (not as in grade or swear!) - meaning you pay in full. Those are the ones they make NO money on.

 

[AmyAnne]

You are welcome - and I hope I did not come across as snarky - I was simply saying it like it is from their perspective.

There is a saying in cc companies - they like "soup customers" as in "mm mm good" "M" to a cc company means minimum payment. Those are the folks they like - those who are making the minimum (and occasional late payment!) because that is the only place they make money. You would be a "F" customer (not as in grade or swear!) - meaning you pay in full. Those are the ones they make NO money on.

But they also do make money every time you use your card, from the processing fees. Three percent for them (or whatever the percent is - I am thinking it is something like three percent but I am not certain) adds up.

 

[plummer925]

But they also do make money every time you use your card, from the processing fees. Three percent for them (or whatever the percent is - I am thinking it is something like three percent but I am not certain) adds up.

Yes, they do - most of the time it is under 2% but that money is split between several banks and goes to the Visa/MC companies themselves as well. The cc companies actually get very little of that. That is why there are annual fees on a lot of cards that get points or have licences. If it gets points or is a licenced business on the card (ie. sports team, organizations like Ducks Unlimited, Cabellas, LL Bean, AAA, the Humane Society, etc etc) then those are the ones who get most of that money. Plus the company (Chase, BoA, Wacovia, etc etc) pays SOME of those organizations a 'finders fee' for applications and an additional fee if the application is approved. I think it was $5 per application with a bonus of $50 for some of them back when I worked for MBNA. Can you imagine how much is shelled out on a daily basis for some (NOT all companies that are on CC's do this - but I know that some of the non-profits, particularly, made a LOT of money with the application fees)

It's all quite crazy how it all works. I'm not at ALL saying that cc companies make no money, but they really don't on people who use the card and pay it in full every month. It costs a card company approx $25-50 a month PER cardholder - that is on average and due to things like postage (probably a little bit less due to electronic billing now), salary for people that work there that answer phones, etc. So if someone is not paying interest, they are really not a customer that the card companies "want", know what I mean?

 

[akcire]

I have been going back and forth with Chase for over a week now over an issue. It is still not resolved, but they say there is nothing else they can do. Id like your opinions.... let it go, or call again Monday to speak with someone else. Here is the story....

On my Sept '13 statement, this was the rewards info:

Previous reward dollars balance 172.78
+ 2% Earn on purchases at restaurants 3.83
+ 2% Earn on purchases at grocery stores 11.96
+ 2% Earn on purchases at gas stations 4.70
+ 1% Earn on all other purchases 42.69
+ Additional earned bonus 25.00
+ Courtesy adjustments 172.78
- Trsfrd to redemption card or airline credit 345.56
= Total reward dollars avail. for redemption 88.18

It clearly shows a beginning balance, a courtesy adjustment (which at the time I had no idea what that meant) and where I transferred 345.56 to my redemption card. While at Disney in November, when I was at the front desk to settle my balance, they said there was only 172.78 on the card. Ok, in my head I know something is not right, but i'll figure it out later. I paid the difference of my bill, and finished out our vacation.

Last week, Im getting ready to buy tickets for my June trip, and Im checking my balance of the redemption card, expecting there to be something there. It has a zero balance. So I call chase, and ask why if *in sept I moved 345.56 to the redemption card, * in nov, spent 172.78 at Pop century, there should be 172.78 on the card. The chase lady tells me "good news, your balance of zero is actually correct! that "courtesy adjustment" is where Chase accidently credited your rewards twice." I said, that is NOT good news! here I am planning a new trip, thinking I had more rewards than I actually have! I asked her nicely if since the error was on chase's part, if they would still honor the rewards. She put in the request, and said I would hear something in the mail in 10 days.

I got my letter today, and it says 'your account is correct, no adjustments will be made. '

So, I call back and get an Account Manager on the phone and explain the situation to him. He said what happened with that 'courtesy adjustment' is that whoever was processing the redemption must have made the adjustment, canceled it, then re- requested the transfer. He said the error was not on my account, just on the statement. When I asked if the rewards could be honored he said, "what do you expect, chase just to eat $172 so you can have rewards you didn't actually earn?" And I said, 'yes I do expect that because it was an error on their part, and they never communicated it with me. They double rewarded me, then took them away with out notice!!" I asked to speak with his manager and he said there is no one above him who works on accounts, only a personal manager.

I realize that I did not actually earn those rewards. But I feel that because I have been a loyal Chase costumer, who has 2 accounts with them, and has referred 2 other people to their Disney card, that it would be the decent thing to do to honor their mistake. I have now called twice, and gotten no where. What would you do? Is the account manager I spoke with really the end of the line? Or should I take his word that there is nothing they can do, and let it go?

First let me tell you I would spend 10 hours searching my checkbook if the balance was off by even a dollar. So take my advise with that knowledge. I like things to be exact, my husband would say I'm nuts with regard to bookkeeping. I even do a trial run on our very complex tax situation each year. I then pay a fairly high priced CPA to do my taxes. Then following the appointment I spend another 3 hours reviewing the completed return and checking the math. It's a quirk!

If I were in your situation I would audit the rewards since owning the card. A representative should be able to assist you in getting your statements since you have had the card. Yes, I am aware you could have had the card up to I think 8 years (I am a charter member). I would then calculate all the rewards earned, and all the rewards spent. Once I had assured myself that no error occurred where I was actually shorted, I would let it go (I do not expect anything for free). I am never one to just blindly accept that others computations are correct.

 

[TravelMommy]

as I had an error in the calculation of my rewards awhile ago and I finally got it corrected with a lot of phone calls!!!. I would calculate the rewards yourself just to make sure all are accurate and go from there. Good luck!

 

[Marionnette]

I sounds like they already did an audit of your account and Chase determined that you have received all of the rewards that you were entitled to get. You will have a real uphill battle to prove otherwise. Have you gone back through your statements and figured out what you were supposed to get? If your calculations confirm what Chase said you should get, then drop it. You're not going to get them to just "give" you $172.78 because someone made a keystroke error.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

You know it's a mistake and you still want the money? That seems unfair to Chase. You acknowledged that the credit was not something you knew anything about. It doesn't sound fishy at all to me. I think you should let it go. It was not something you earned. If you had earned it, then yes, definitely do something, but you know you did not. They made a mistake and corrected it, it had to show up on your statement. Why in the world you'd want to profit from that???

Look at it this way ... if your bank had accidentally credited you twice for a deposit, would you also demand that they allow you to keep the money?

On a side note, if you ever see an adjustment (credit or debit) that you don't know what it is, never assume it's correct or you'll just figure it out later and in the meantime plan on using it. *ALWAYS* ask.

I agree. If it showed up as a fluke, and even if I could spend it, I would think eventually they'd figure it out and it would show it being deducted off my point balance on a future statement. It certainly wouldn't be something I'd argue with them about.

 

[tarheel618]

If you overpaid a bill by 170+ dollars, would you just let the company keep it?

I see no difference, it was a mistake, you didn't earn the rewards, therefore the rewards were never yours in the first place.

 

[dsneprincess]

First let me tell you I would spend 10 hours searching my checkbook if the balance was off by even a dollar. So take my advise with that knowledge. I like things to be exact, my husband would say I'm nuts with regard to bookkeeping. I even do a trial run on our very complex tax situation each year. I then pay a fairly high priced CPA to do my taxes. Then following the appointment I spend another 3 hours reviewing the completed return and checking the math. It's a quirk!

If I were in your situation I would audit the rewards since owning the card. A representative should be able to assist you in getting your statements since you have had the card. Yes, I am aware you could have had the card up to I think 8 years (I am a charter member). I would then calculate all the rewards earned, and all the rewards spent. Once I had assured myself that no error occurred where I was actually shorted, I would let it go (I do not expect anything for free). I am never one to just blindly accept that others computations are correct.

This is what I would do as well. I am almost as particular. Glad to know I am. It alone.

 

[Allison]

It was a mistake that was corrected. I wouldn't expect to be able to keep those reward dollars just as I wouldn't expect Chase to keep reward dollars if the transaction was in their favor and I had been shorted. Both sides of the transaction are in the position they should have been in the first place.

 

[DizMe]

Unless I thought I'd earned the rewards, I would not pursue this. They made a mistake, they corrected it, and I wouldn't expect them to give me something I hadn't earned. If I thought I *had* earned the reward and they'd erroneously removed it, I would do as others suggested and locate the information to support my claim. However, my time is too valuable to waste going over years' worth of information to try and locate a $172 error. I would spend a reasonable amount of time looking and then let it go.

 

[sydneysmom]

This is just my opinion, but while it would be disappointing that they 'took it away', it was an error on their part. It wasn't rewards that were earned that they took away. And like a PP said, if you overpaid your account, you wouldn't want them keeping the money without crediting you. I think they made an error, caught the error and corrected it, that's it. It wasn't your money to begin with, so it doesn't seem worth getting upset about.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

So you expect them still give you the reward that was credited in error!!! UM sorry it doesn't work that way. You did not "earn" the reward it was a clerical error.

 

[Hannathy]

If they made a mistake and billed you an extra $172. would you just pay it or want the mistake fixed? You would want the mistake fixed and not to pay it. That is what happened only on their side not yours.


Now great customer service would have given you a $10 or $25 credit for your trouble in dealing with this, but not the entire amount.