Companies illegally mishandled transaction disputes and misled iPhone purchasers about interest-free payment options
Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Image: Courtesy CBS News/Getty Images
On October 23rd, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against Apple and Goldman Sachs for customer service breakdowns and misrepresentations that impacted hundreds of thousands of Apple Card users. 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 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 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.”
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), is one of the largest financial institutions in the world. It operates Goldman Sachs Bank USA, headquartered in New York City. Goldman Sachs primarily focuses on investment banking and investment management, not consumer finance. Apple Card was Goldman Sachs’s first significant experiment in credit card lending.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple entered the financial services market in 2014 and has offered several consumer financial products, including Apple Pay, a mobile payment system and digital wallet service; Apple Cash, a digital debit card allowing for peer-to-peer payments; Apple Pay Later, a Buy Now, Pay Later product; and Apple Card, the company’s first credit card.
Apple Card Partnership
Apple’s business model relies on substantial revenue and profits from sales of its devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. Many of Apple’s products are more expensive than other brands, leading many consumers to finance purchases with payment plans and credit products.
In August 2019, Apple introduced Apple Card in partnership with Goldman Sachs Bank, marking a significant expansion into consumer lending for both companies. The partnership allowed Apple to provide a financing mechanism to ratchet up sales of its devices, including iPhones and iPads. The Apple Card also sought to induce more spending at Apple’s retail stores and Apple’s App Store.
Goldman Sachs’ involvement in Apple Card was part of the bank’s foray into consumer finance, which began in 2016 with the launch of its Marcus brand. Despite limited experience in the consumer credit card market, the Apple Card partnership offered Goldman Sachs a prime opportunity to establish itself in the market.
With the Apple Card, Goldman Sachs extends credit to consumers and handles account servicing. Apple designed the customer-facing interfaces used to manage Apple Card accounts on Apple devices. That includes a “Report an Issue” feature which allows consumers to dispute Apple Card transactions. Apple was also deeply involved in marketing and advertising.
Apple and Goldman’s agreement incentivized an earlier introduction of Apple Card by giving Apple the right to impose a $25 million penalty for each 90-day delay caused by Goldman. Four days before launch, the Goldman Sachs board of directors learned that critical Apple Card disputes systems were “not fully ready” due to technological issues, but the companies proceeded anyway.
Later, in December 2019, Goldman Sachs and Apple introduced a new feature called Apple Card Monthly Installments, which allows users to finance the purchase of certain Apple devices with Apple Card directly from Apple through interest-free monthly installments, similar to a Buy Now, Pay Later product.
Servicing and Communications Meltdowns
When Apple’s customers experienced improper charges or filed disputes, the systems developed by the companies failed to address them. Under federal law, when consumers dispute transactions as fraudulent or unauthorized financial institutions must conduct a timely inquiry on what went wrong. Goldman Sachs failed to adhere to this requirement. Separately, many disputes submitted to Apple were not even sent to Goldman Sachs at all. Additionally, Apple’s deceptive marketing materials and illegal conduct caused consumers to pay interest on purchases of iPhones and other Apple devices with Apple Card that they believed would be covered by an interest-free payment plan. The CFPB’s investigation found violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act and the Truth in Lending Act. The CFPB also found that the companies harmed consumers by:
- Failing to process or share consumer disputes: Apple Card users were directed to dispute transactions through a “Report an Issue” feature in the Wallet app. For some disputes, Apple sent consumers a separate link in the Messages app asking for more information. Apple failed to send these disputes to Goldman Sachs if the second form was incomplete. Even after Goldman Sachs alerted Apple to this issue, the problem persisted. As a result, neither Apple nor Goldman Sachs investigated tens of thousands of such disputes and cardholders were unfairly held responsible for disputed transactions.
- Failing to investigate cardholder disputes: For the disputes that Apple did send to Goldman Sachs, the bank failed to consistently send acknowledgment notices within 30 days, conduct reasonable investigations, or send resolution letters explaining the determinations of its investigations within 90 days. These failures led to Goldman Sachs illegally placing damaging information on consumers’ credit reports and holding cardholders responsible for potentially fraudulent or unauthorized purchases.
- Misleading cardholders about a payment plan for iPhones and other Apple products: The marketing of the Apple Card Monthly Installments plan led consumers to believe they would automatically receive interest-free financing when purchasing iPhones and other Apple devices with their Apple Card. The plan allowed cardholders to purchase Apple devices through a series of interest-free payments over a period of six months to two years. However, many cardholders were unknowingly charged interest because they were not automatically enrolled as expected. They also faced confusing checkout options about enrolling in the plan. For online purchases, Apple only presented the payment plan as an option to consumers using Apple’s own Safari browser. Due to Apple and Goldman’s actions, instead of making interest-free payments, thousands of cardholders purchased Apple devices on interest-bearing revolving balances and incurred interest charges.
- Misleading cardholders about refunds: Cardholders with an Apple Card Monthly Installments plan essentially had two card balances – the plan balance and their interest-bearing revolving balance. For more than 10,000 cardholders, Goldman Sachs misled consumers about how it would apply certain refunds between the two balances. Contrary to Goldman’s representations, portions of refunds for unrelated purchases were applied to the interest-free plan balance instead of the interest-bearing revolving balance. As a result, consumers incurred additional and unexpected interest expenses.
Enforcement Action
Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the CFPB has the authority to take action against institutions that violate federal consumer financial laws, including by engaging in unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices. The CFPB also has the authority to enforce the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z.
Today’s order against Apple requires the company to pay a civil money penalty of $25 million, which will be paid into the CFPB’s victims relief fund.
The CFPB is also ordering Goldman Sachs to pay at least $19.8 million in redress to victims for its role in marketing, offering, and servicing the Apple Card. Goldman Sachs must also pay a $45 million civil money penalty. Before introducing any new credit card product, Goldman Sachs must give the CFPB a credible plan for how the product will comply with the law. If Goldman Sachs makes another attempt to enter the credit card market, the CFPB plans to closely police the company to avoid repeat offenses.
Read order against Goldman Sachs.
Consumers can submit complaints about financial products and services by visiting the CFPB’s website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).
Employees who believe their company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov. To learn more about reporting potential industry misconduct, visit the CFPB’s website.
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