in this case
- Target closes a loyal customer’s debit card without warning, revealing a baffling customer service failure when it refuses to explain why.
- Discover the steps to take when a company’s customer service gives you the runaround and won’t provide a straight answer in writing.
- Learn how escalating your complaint can force a company to admit it was wrong, reinstate your account, and compensate you for the trouble.
Why is Martha Norrick’s Target Circle debit card closed? Target has given her several reasons, but it’s doing nothing to help her get her card back.
Question
I’ve been a loyal Target customer for years and I use my Target Circle Debit Card regularly, which offers a 5 percent discount when I buy at Target. One day, I tried to make a purchase on Target.com, only to find that my card had been declined. When I logged into my account, it said my card was closed. I immediately called Target and a representative told me the closure was due to inactivity. This didn’t make sense because I’d used the card multiple times that month.
I pressed the issue. Target claimed I had requested the closure. This was completely untrue.
Target offered no solid explanation for why my card was closed, only that they would investigate and send me a resolution by mail within a few business days. However, I never received anything in the mail except a generic form letter saying my account was closed, and the issue hasn’t been resolved.
I emailed Target, explaining that I never asked for my card to be closed and that I was worried someone might have closed it without my consent. I also pointed out that my daughter needed diapers, and I didn’t want to pay an additional 5 percent just because of Target’s error.
What should I do now? I don’t want to apply for a new card and have my credit checked again when this was their mistake. How can I get them to reopen my account and make up for the 5 percent discount I missed out on? — Martha Norrick, Brooklyn, NY
Answer
Target should have promptly addressed your issue by explaining the reason for your account closure or by reopening it and apologizing. And even though the government regulators — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — have been fired, there are still laws that apply to your situation. A company offering a financial product like a debit card must act in good faith and handle disputes promptly. You were within your rights to expect Target to fully investigate and resolve the issue without throwing additional roadblocks in your way.
Unfortunately, when companies only offer help over the phone and refuse to communicate in writing, it can be difficult to hold them accountable. In your case, the delay in responding, along with their refusal to follow up as promised, constituted a customer service failure. Target could have provided a written response, explaining what happened and reassuring you that the situation was being addressed.
I usually recommend creating a paper trail, but Target appears to have provided most of its responses by phone. You can always appeal any rejection to one of the executive contacts I’ve published on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. (Here’s a link to the Target contacts.)
Your voice matters
Target closed this loyal customer’s debit card and then gave her a series of conflicting and confusing excuses. When their error cost her money, she had to fight to get her account and her discount back. Now it’s your turn to weigh in.
- Has a company ever closed one of your accounts without a clear or valid explanation?
- What responsibility does a company have to explain its actions when it closes a financial account?
- What’s the most effective way to deal with customer service when they keep giving you different excuses for the same problem?
It’s highly unusual for a company to close your card without giving you a reason. And when you get several reasons for the closure, then you know something is amiss. I see that you pressed your case, and Target replied to you with a series of form responses. No wonder you tried to call. You weren’t getting a straight answer.
I was able to contact Target on your behalf. Target told you that it closed your account “in error.” It reopened your account and refunded you the 5 percent discount on the purchases you had made.
Account closed without warning?
Your step-by-step guide to getting it reopened.
Step 1: Challenge the official story
The first reason a company gives might not be the real one. Don’t accept illogical excuses at face value.
- Immediately question the closure by phone.
- Point out contradictions (e.g., “inactivity” vs. recent use).
- Insist on a specific, single reason for the closure.
Step 2: Create your own paper trail
If a company avoids putting things in writing, you must build your own record of the dispute.
- Follow up every phone call with a summary email.
- Save all correspondence, even generic form letters.
- Clearly state your desired resolution in writing.
Step 3: Escalate past the frontline
When customer service gives you the runaround, it’s time to go up the corporate ladder.
- Use executive contacts to bypass the call center.
- Reference your paper trail and previous conversations.
- Contact a consumer advocate if you’re still stuck.
Need to contact a Target executive?
Target gave this customer multiple, conflicting reasons for closing her account. When frontline customer service can’t give you a straight answer, it’s time to escalate. Get the executive contacts →
You’re mad at the wrong machine