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| Capital One to Pay $210M Credit Card Settlement |
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- Thursday, 19 July 2012 10:56
Capital One to Pay $210M Credit Card Settlement
By Sarah Pierce
Capital One has been ordered to pay $210 million to settle allegations it tricked credit card customers into buying unwanted “add-on” products such as payment protection and credit monitoring. Nearly 2 million customers will share a portion of the Capital One credit card settlement, amounting to about $70 apiece. The announcement comes on the heels of a $10.5 million class action lawsuit settlement and $2 million State of Minnesota settlement with Discover Financial Services for the same charges: deceptive marketing of fee-based products.. The Capital One credit card product settlement was the first public enforcement case brought by the federal government’s new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, established by the Dodd-Frank Act to increase oversight of consumer financial products. The agency said Capital One customers were wrongly led to believe by call center workers that they needed to buy the add-on services to activate their cards or that debt protection or credit monitoring was free. Other customers were left with the impression that their credit scores would improve with the purchase, while some got billed even though they weren’t eligible.
The bulk of the settlement will go to consumers, with $60 million going toward penalties, $25 million to the CFPB, and $35 million the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
“Today’s action puts $140 million back in the pockets of 2 million Capital One customers who were pressured or misled into buying credit card products they didn’t understand, didn’t want, or in some cases, couldn’t even use,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “We are putting companies on notice that these deceptive practices are against the law and will not be tolerated.”
Cordray said the CFPB will seek restitution for injured consumers in future enforcement actions, including against Discover Financial Services, which reached a class action lawsuit settlement this year to settle charges it deceptively marketed fee-based products, including debt protection and credit monitoring. The CFPB said it has already subpoenaed Discover.
“We know these deceptive marketing tactics for credit card add-on products are not unique to a single institution,” Cordray said. “We expect announcements about other institutions as our ongoing work continues to unfold.”
Capital One apologized for the deceptive credit card marketing tactics and blamed it on third-party vendors.
“Capital One’s third-party vendors did not always adhere to company sales scripts and sales policies for payment protection and credit-monitoring products, and the bank did not adequately monitor their activities,” the bank said in a statement.
Refunds from the Capital One credit card settlement will be automatically credited to customer accounts if they’re eligible. Eligible customers who no longer have a Capital One account will have a check mailed to them. Refunds are expected to be handed out later this year. Customers are urged to watch out for spammers claiming they will get them a refund. More information can be found in this post from the CFPB.
Updated July 19th, 2012
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Last Updated on Thursday, 27 December 2012 11:09




Comments
A sales clerk at Sears talked me into applying for one of their credit cards (capital one) saying I would save an additional $15 off their sales price. I had plenty of cash in my pocket to pay the $145 total but thought I would get the credit card, save $15, then pay off the entire balance when I received my first statement, thus saving $15 dollars as offered.
Then I received my statement and discovered that they charged a $59 "annual fee" which I was not made aware of when I signed up for their credit card. Believe me, I was pissed because spending $59 to save $15 makes absolutely no sense.
Then I received a letter stating that I had been denied for their credit card, which was after they had already extended credit to me, and in addition some of the foreign made cloths I purchased started falling apart.
Then the capital zeros sent me my next credit card statement for my non existent credit card and now they are charging me $35 in late fees.
I was so pissed I did not make a payment and of course their phone calls started, and it gets worse. The phone calls were before 8:00 am-about 50 such calls starting as early as 6:15 am, while I am self employed and get up about 10:00 am.
I did not answer the and after awhile I responded by text and stated that they were harrassing me and demanded they stop calling before 8:00. I doubt they had anybody to read my text, but regardless I put them on notice, and the before 8:00 am calls continued. So I finally answered an early call and informed capital zero that it was 6:30 am and to never call me again ever! He said they would never call again before 8:00 am and would make a note of it. Then a couple days later I got called before 8:00 am and I was pissed!!!
Somedays I would get 3 or 4 calls before 8:00 am on the same day! So I finally answered one, explained the entire story above, and offered to settle the matter by paying the entire amount of my purchases, and not a penny more such as the $59 annual service fee. After going around and around with their rep for about 15 minutes he told me could not accept my fair offer, so I told him they would have to sue me if they wanted to collect, and that I would to tell a judge all capital zero. Now my balance is twice what it started at.
Mr Sears and Mr Robuck are probably twisting in their graves and I will never shop at Sears EVER again and you have warned and Sears and capital one.
BIG RIPOFF. Credit is ruined.
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