Stolen Store-Branded Credit Card Causes Nightmare for Consumer

When a Mundelein woman’s store-branded credit card was stolen last summer, late charges on the card started piling up and her credit score plunged. When she didn’t get action from the store, she called NBC 5 Responds.

Trouble started brewing for Margaret Michalski last summer inside a coffee store where she has never stepped foot. Thieves in Washington State used the Mundelein woman’s American Express Macy’s credit card number to load up a Starbuck’s card four different times.

"Total $100 in Starbucks. So immediately I notified Macy's," Michalski told NBC 5 Responds.

Michalski said as soon as she filed a fraud report with the retailer, she was told her worries were over.

"‘Don't worry, we're going to remove all the charges,’” Michalski says Macy’s told her. “‘Everything is going to be wiped off.’"

While she waited for the bill to be cleared, late charges kept piling on, Michalski says. The excuses from Macy’s representatives kept coming too, she said.

"‘We're behind, we're behind. We have a lot of work,’" she said she was told.

Dozens of phone calls, she said, followed by no answers eventually led to a sinking feeling.

"Something inside was telling me, ‘No, I think it’s not going to happen.’ They're saying 30, 60 days, then 90, then 20, now just two weeks," she told NBC5 Responds.

"Every single day. Fifteen times sometimes. Demanding the money,” she said. “I didn't purchase anything. I didn't use the card.”

Her six-month nightmare didn’t end there, Michalski said, as she then watched her credit score nosedive 150 points.

NBC5 Responds asked Macy’s what was happening to Michalksi’s documented complaint during the months that followed her report.

A Macy’s spokesperson looked into the incident for us and shared the following statement:

“Thank you for reaching out to us on behalf of your viewer. We cannot discuss any customer‘s specific personal or financial information with anyone but the customer himself/herself.
“In this case, we have been in touch with the customer directly and resolved the fraud issues on her account.

“We are reviewing our processes related to the customer’s contacts with Macy’s credit customer service so we can better understand how we can improve. We have apologized to this customer for her inconvenience.

“That said, fraud is possible with any credit account or financial transaction. We advise all of our customers to be protective of their credit and financial information and to immediately report any irregularities to their credit card company or bank.
“Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

After our inquiry, Margaret Michalski says her Macy’s debt was cleared and her credit score has been restored. As for the most recent credit card Macy’s sent to her? Michalski says its balance will remain at zero.

"Immediately I cut it. I said, I'm not going to this store anymore."
 

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