What is up with the CapitalOne fraud dept?
I'm a long-standing personal customer of CaptialOne with a BJ's Mastercard. 800+ credit, decent credit line, use it regularly, and have never ever missed a payment by a second (on any account).
Last year a few friends and I started a new company (S-Corp) and managed to turn a profit in our first year. Only $250k, but we are growing and expect to hit $1M in EBITA this year. With the growth in the business, we've rented a physical office in an office building and primarily use it for client meetings and work in the evenings and weekends. (All of us founders still have day jobs for now.)
So, we decided to apply business credit cards to manage our expenses separate from our personal expenses. The application process was quick with CapitalOne and the cards were supposedly shipped to our relatively new office. Unfortunately the cards never showed up. We don't know if they got misdelivered or maybe someone snagged them as the mailroom in the office building is open to all tenants and we just have boxes, but after a couple weeks, it was clear they didn't show up.
Since I was the applicant for the company, I called customer service and explained the situation. No one had tried to activate the cards, so no problem, it happens, they'll ship out new cards with tracking. Sounded good, but I was worried that maybe it would happen again as it's a new office and all, so I asked if I could have the cards shipped to my personal address. The same address in my combined online account that my personal cards and bills have gone to since the very day I opened my personal Capital One card. They said no problem, just change mailing address online and you're good to go.
They went through a verification process by sending a code to my CapitalOne app to ensure I was me before shipping the cards and I thought all was well.
Not so fast.
Later that day I get a text from 227898 that CapitalOne normally texts me from stating there is suspicious activity on my account and I need to call 800-955-7070. I don't recognize the number they want me to call back on and a quick Google Search turns up this is a phishing number. I call the number on the back of my personal card and after weaving through the terrible VRU, I finally get to the fraud department. The text is legit and they want to know if I had recently applied for a Spark Business card. I confirmed that I did and they immediately said well we've restricted your account for suspicious behavior and have to verify the account. Ok, let's do it.
The first thing they want to do is send my phone a text and read me a long disclaimer about me agreeing to be texted by CapitalOne for the rest of my relationship with them. I've received 100s of texts from them in the past, so sure, I agree. Oh, they don't like the number. Do I have another number that can receive texts? No, I have a cellphone and any other number I have is a landline. I remember that I have a VOIP number that can receive texts, so I offer that. Nope, VOIP numbers don't work either.
Finally, after being transferred twice and going through the entire "We're going to send a text to your cellphone" failure I demand to speak to someone who can cut through the BS. I finally reach someone who speaks English and even she goes through the attempt to send a message to my phone, but then she moves on to saying that they have to send me a link so I can provide front and back photos of my driver's license. Ok, let's do that.
I get the link and snap the pics while I'm still online with the CSR. She says that it will take 1-10 business days to review, but that should be it.
In the mean time, my online account has been restricted. Not just the Business Spark card, but everything. The original business address has disappeared from my account and I can edit none of my information even for my personal card. A day later I get 4 separate e-mails from CapitalOne confirming that the new cards have been shipped. Yay! I check online and the account is still restricted, but I figure that maybe that will be the case until I actually get the cards and activate them.
Not so fast.
Fast forward to yesterday and I get a voicemail on my phone from 800-955-7070 claiming to be CapitalOne and asking me to call. It never rang as my phone service (T-Mobile) marked it as spam. I'm out to lunch and decide I'll call when I get back home. While at lunch, my 87 year old mother calls and says she got a voicemail (also blocked as spam) for me from CapitalOne. WTAF? I'm in my late 50s and haven't lived at home since the 1980s.
I again call the number on the back of the card and not the spammy number. It's like groundhog day. 40 minutes on the phone with them failing to be able to text my phone and multiple transfers to others that again start over. I finally get frustrated with them and demand to know what the problem is. I've gone through the verification and they've apparently shipped the cards, but there's still some problem? I finally get the 4th CSR to understand that I've already sent over my info and I got the card shipment verification. This finally seems to click and they say if that's so, then give us the case number. I give it to them and Ah Ha! Yes, they have received it and verified my identity. Great, are we done? No, we're not done. Apparently I have to send over copies of my driver's license again.
I ask what the problem is? Can't they see that I've verified my identity? Yes, they see that. Then what is the problem? They need to verify my identity. Why, if you just did a few days ago? Because we have a different case open. Great, what is this case about? We need to verify your identity. (FML, it's like talking to a wall.) Fine, send me the link. Ok, but first we need to send a code to your phone to verify your identity. (JFC)
WTAF CapitalOne? What type of Mickey Mouse organization are you running?