The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has fined Apple and Goldman Sachs more than $89 million for ‘Apple Card failures.’
Apple Card is one of the most popular credit cards, in terms of consumer satisfaction, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been without issues. When consumers have had issues with purchases, the CFPB says Apple did not always forward disputes to Goldman Sachs, and the bank didn’t always address disputes.
The CFPB found that Apple failed to send tens of thousands of consumer disputes of Apple Card transactions to Goldman Sachs, and when Apple did send disputes to Goldman Sachs, the bank did not follow numerous federal requirements for investigating the disputes. Apple and Goldman launched Apple Card despite third-party warnings to Goldman that the Apple Card disputes system was not ready due to technological issues. These failures meant that consumers faced long waits to get money back for disputed charges, and some had incorrect negative information added to their credit reports.
The CFPB is fining both companies and prohibiting Goldman from launching any new credit cards until certain provisions are met.
The CFPB is ordering Goldman Sachs to pay at least $19.8 million in redress and a $45 million civil money penalty, and Apple to pay a $25 million civil money penalty. The CFPB is also banning Goldman Sachs from launching a new credit card unless it can provide a credible plan that the product will actually comply with the law.
The bureau also found issues with promises of interest-free payments, saying consumers were misled about when they would and would not be eligible.
The CFPB also found that Apple and Goldman Sachs misled consumers about interest-free payment plans for Apple devices. Many customers thought they would automatically get interest-free monthly payments when buying Apple devices with their Apple Card. Instead, they were charged interest. In some cases, Apple did not even show the interest-free payment option on its website on certain browsers. Goldman Sachs also misled consumers about the application of some refunds, which led to consumers paying additional interest charges.
“Apple and Goldman Sachs illegally sidestepped their legal obligations for Apple Card borrowers. Big Tech companies and big Wall Street firms should not behave as if they are exempt from federal law,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “The CFPB is banning Goldman Sachs from offering a new consumer credit card unless it can demonstrate that it can actually follow the law.”
Apple and Goldman’s Contentious Relationship
Despite many consumers loving the Apple Card, Goldman Sachs has not been a fan of its relationship with the Cupertino company. The card has evidently been a customer support nightmare for the financial firm, due largely to Apple’s billing practice.
Privately, some Goldman executives blame Apple. Most card programs send out cardholders’ bills on a rolling basis throughout the month. Apple cardholders get their bill at the beginning of each month. That means Goldman customer-service employees get flooded early every month, making it hard for them to keep up.
“We should have never done this f—ing thing,” one Goldman partner reportedly told colleagues.
It’s a safe bet millions of dollars in fines are not likely to improve Goldman’s outlook about its relationship with Apple.
from WebProNews https://ift.tt/s2iozMG
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