Complaint Review: Capital One - McLean Virginia

Specifically, this complaint addresses severe ongoing customer service policy deficiencies within the Capital One National Banking Organization, in regards to customer service and customer identity verifications.

1.     Discrimination against any individual who does not own or possess a Smart Phone. Capital One intentionally blocks; shuts out any customer from identifying themselves, who is not able to buy, borrow or obtain access to an expensive Smart Phone.

A.    I don’t own a Smart Phone.

B.    I can’t afford to buy a Smart Phone.

C.    I do not need a Smart Phone; I do not want a Smart Phone.

2.     Capital One remains oblivious to the fact that not every person or customer owns a Smart Phone. Further, Capital One maintains a customer service policy of inconsiderate and evasive customer service policies, based upon Smart Phone ownership.

3.     Capital One does not provide any alternative whatsoever for accommodation of any customer to identify themselves, who cannot own, borrow or obtain an expensive smart phone.

4.     By blocking access to these above mentioned customers who do not access a smart phone, Capital One has effectively and deliberately blocked customer access to their own customer’s service assistance, personal banking records, or bank accounts.

5.     By blocking access to those above mentioned customers who do not access an expensive smart phone, Capital One has effectively and deliberately stopped customers from recovering lost bank accounts; specifically my own lost bank account which I have attempted to recover from capital one for several years.

6.     It is alleged: that by enforcing the above mentioned “Smart Phone” policies upon banking customers and by providing no alternative means of customer identification; Capital One is not only engaged upon inconsiderate, non-accommodating, unethical conduct; but also that these enforced corporate Smart Phone policies detailed above are in fact: wholly discriminatory and clearly illegal. 

7.     Capital One has also falsely and repeatedly claimed: “I can use a friend’s smart phone to identify myself.”

A.    Capital One has instructed me to go to the specified Capital One website, or to call Capital One customer service, and to request that a “link” be sent to my friend’s Smart Phone.

B.    Capital One then sends this “link” to my friend’s Smart Phone.

C.     My friend is then instructed to photograph the front and back of my state driver’s license.

D.    My friend is provided no instructions whatsoever for operating or sending these identification photos to Capital One.

E.     My friend (by pure trial and error / experimentally with no instructions), then somehow manages to send the photos of my driver’s license to the Capital One “link” that has been sent to his Smart Phone.

F.     Capital One then acknowledges that the photos of my Driver’s License have been received “successfully and verified.”

G.    Next, I call Capital One to recover my own banking records, or to obtain customer service.

H.    Capital One then claims that they cannot find any record of my identification which has been sent by the customer and received (see above) “successfully and verified.”

I.       Capital One then based on the above, flatly refuses to provide customer service or access to my own banking records, despite after the fact that I have followed their identification procedures to the letter.

J.      Capital One Customer Service Agents then frequently: quickly hang up the phone on calling customers, making no effort whatsoever to resolve the difficulties encountered.

8.     Capital One never allows a calling customer to speak to the same customer service agent twice or more.

9.     Capital One does not allow a customer to call back to the same agent twice or more to resolve any ongoing customer service issue.

10.   Capital One does not provide extension numbers for any customer service agent; effectively and intentionally / deliberately blocking any effort at return or repeat communication with any specific person, to resolve an ongoing customer service issue, or to obtain ongoing progress towards any resolution of any ongoing difficulty.

11.  This creates a scenario: since I cannot call or speak to the same person twice, every time I call I am forced to re-start my efforts, from square one. No progress is ever obtained towards any resolution of any difficulty despite any number of attempts to resolve an ongoing issue.

12.  Customer Service Agents are “supposed to be” taking notes. But they don’t take any notes. This further (and perpetually) exacerbates the difficulties that customers encounter when attempting to resolve any ongoing customer service issue.

Resolution of (This One of Three) written complaints:

1.     Capitol One must immediately implement an alternative identification policy which does not require, or depend upon Smart Phones. Specifically available to any person who does not own or have access to a Smart Phone.

2.     Any verified identification submitted by any customer to Capital One must be available to access for any Capital One Customer Service Agent at any time, in any location, in any banking department.

It will not be necessary for a customer to address any verified identification to any specific department or person, in order to verify a customer’s identity. All departments, all agents, all persons within Capital One will have access to any identification verification as the need arises, and any time that it is required.

3.     Any customer must be able to contact any specific Capital One Customer Agent twice or repeatedly, until any issue or difficulty is fully resolved; without limits.

4.     Customer Service Agents will have specific extension numbers or phone numbers in order to allow free and easy access for customers to repeated communications with

the same person; in order to reliably contact any specific person twice or more, concerning any customer service issue.

5.      Capital One Customer Service Agents will not be allowed to hang up the phone during conversations with customers, as has been frequently practiced and customary.

6.      Instead, Customer Service Agents must be required remain engaged with customers to resolve any difficulty in a reliable manor; (identification or otherwise) and to work through any issue to obtain a satisfactory resolution….without hanging up the telephone.