Kohls credit department is incompetent!

Anonymous · ‎01-08-2018

I applied for a kohls card about a week ago online and got a 7-10 day message which made me feel as though it was a denial so I decided to call the following day to see if I was truly denied.
I gave the credit department a call and asked about the application and was told that it was still ptocessing so I decided to call right back and talk to someone else. Well I spoke to another rep and was told that my app was denied....ok....cool. I awaited the letter thinking my credit score was the issue but low and behold a credit score of 664 is what came back!
The front of the letter says that they denied me due to address verification....well why was I not asked for docs? Or even told to go to thr store to give id?! I call and spoke to a rep who said I have to reapply, no thank you! I had to fight with her to get a manager on the phone who was rude and said the credit score was the reason! A 664 I don't think so I said and she backed off and went on about some other reason.
She was of no help so called back again! Got another rep who said did you answer any verification questions when you called in? No! They were supposed to I'm sorry ma'am that they dropped the ball....**bleep**?! The one good thing to come out of it all is the fact that I got the number to corporate and hopefully they can do something for me. My question is now should I hold my breath that corporate will overturn the decision if all they needed was verification? Thanks in advance for the responses.

FinStar · ‎01-09-2018

Honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath but then again we're talking about Capital One Retail Partners.

IIRC, there were a couple threads a while back that were successful with ID verification (after a long exhausting period of escalation) and overturning the failed verification decision. It really depends on your patience and whether it's worth the effort to pursue it. Plus, no way of knowing if you'd be approved for $300, $500 (or more if your credit profile warrants higher).

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2018

Thank you so much finstar for your reply. I didn't know that their credit department was so messed up! It boggles the mind that they are able to do this over and over again without capital one saying enough is enough. I understand completely what you're saying and I thought about it like do I really worth it to me? I guess the honest answer is it is about principle for me and I honestly didn't like the way I was treated and the insinuations by their credit department. Not everyone that wants a store card has bad credit, some of us have a strategy as to what we want our profiles to look like and so on principle I am going to push it as far as it will go. If they refuse to give me the card the consolation prize for me would be to get the inquiry removed.

FinStar · ‎01-09-2018

@Anonymous wrote:
Thank you so much finstar for your reply. I didn't know that their credit department was so messed up! It boggles the mind that they are able to do this over and over again without capital one saying enough is enough. I understand completely what you're saying and I thought about it like do I really worth it to me? I guess the honest answer is it is about principle for me and I honestly didn't like the way I was treated and the insinuations by their credit department. Not everyone that wants a store card has bad credit, some of us have a strategy as to what we want our profiles to look like and so on principle I am going to push it as far as it will go. If they refuse to give me the card the consolation prize for me would be to get the inquiry removed.

Anytime. I understand the premise on principle, so definitely keep this thread updated in the event of any outcome. This can help others decide as well. If the outcome turns out unfavorable given their inflexibility of being able to verify your identity, see whether they can remove the inquiry.

I still have my Kohls CC, which originated back when Chase was the servicer, until it eventually landed with Capital One Retail. Most of us have capped at $3K as the highest CL (not that I could ever charge $3K worth of stuff at Kohls but they have some decent discounts).

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2018

Thamk you Finstar for replying and understanding the reason for me pushing this so hard. I will most definitely let the forum know the outcome as I believe strongly that when dealing with an animal like Kohls you should have your eyes wide open. Thanks!

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2018

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with customer service. I can admit that when I had to talk to them a few months ago regarding a CLI request I placed online, it wasn't enjoyable at all.

The main reason they wanted me to call was because I had a fraud alert on my account. Which they just needed to verify some info with me so that they could run the request, but then came back with them not being able to get info.

Which then I ended up being transferred about 4 times. I eventually just told them to cancel the request and I would wait the 90 days till the fraud alert was removed and then do it online.

Hopefully you'll get some good news!

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2018

Thank you cr3dit5hark for reaponding. Thank you and I am sorry about your experience. You would think that we are asking for all the money that capital one has in the vault!! I mean it seems as though the cost of doing business with them is valuable time and brain cells lol. I hope I get some good news as well.

Anonymous · ‎01-10-2018

Update: I called the back door number for Kohls a few mins ago and they reviewed my application and told me that there was a flag on my address with Experian and that's why my application was automatically denied. When I asked about the inquiry I was told they could not remove it unless the application was done fraudulently. Not the outcome I was hoping for but something tells me I would be happier without having them in my wallet and won't be reapplying.
I did manage to get a macys store card the same night I applied for Kohls along with a nordstrom credit card (both of which verified me without an issue by the way) a few days later so 2 out of 3 not bad. Will I apply for Kohls again? The answer is no never again and it is a decision that I am at peace with.

FinStar · ‎01-11-2018

@Anonymous wrote:
Update: I called the back door number for Kohls a few mins ago and they reviewed my application and told me that there was a flag on my address with Experian and that's why my application was automatically denied. When I asked about the inquiry I was told they could not remove it unless the application was done fraudulently. Not the outcome I was hoping for but something tells me I would be happier without having them in my wallet and won't be reapplying.
I did manage to get a macys store card the same night I applied for Kohls along with a nordstrom credit card (both of which verified me without an issue by the way) a few days later so 2 out of 3 not bad. Will I apply for Kohls again? The answer is no never again and it is a decision that I am at peace with.

Bummer. That's definitely disappointing and unfortunate OP. I wish their systems were a bit more flexible with the verification criteria. Heck, even Comenity sends a letter to have the customer verify information when an approval is pending rather than denying it for lack of it. Of course, there are others who fall in the same bucket as Capital One Retail/Kohls when it comes to verification. On the upside, Macy's and Nordstrom yielded a decent outcome so not all is lost - congrats on those approvals btw.