Apple Card Customer Service Woes Responsible for Goldman Sachs Regulatory Probe

The popularity of the Apple Card caused Apple partner Goldman Sachs to struggle to deal with customer service issues, according to a new report from CNBC. The problems have in part led to a Goldman Sachs investigation by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

apple card 1 iPhone 13
Goldman Sachs was subject to more disputed transactions than it had anticipated, with customers seeking chargebacks for products and services. When a customer asks for a chargeback, Goldman Sachs must follow regulations to reach a resolution within an acceptable timeline, and apparently failed at doing that. A source that spoke to CNBC said that customers were provided with conflicting information or were subject to long wait times.

‌Apple Card‌ business created long queues that needed to be cleared out, and Goldman Sachs was unprepared. There was no streamlined process in place for resolving customer complaints.

The bank hadn't initially accounted for what insiders deemed "edge cases," or situations that break from the norm among the vast majority of transactions, they said.

"We were making the case that we have a seamless way to dispute transactions," the source said. "But we got no credit for the front end, and we had some failures on the back end."

The CFPB is now examining how Goldman Sachs handled customer refunds, billing error resolution, refunds, reporting to credit bureaus, and more. Regulators are looking into customer complaints from the past several years, many related to attempted chargebacks. Goldman Sachs has now devoted more resources to automating additional parts of the chargeback process, and it is cooperating with the CFPB inquiry.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

d-klumpp Avatar
45 months ago
Wish Apple chose anyone other than the scum at GS to back their card.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
45 months ago
So Apple broke the bank? ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
45 months ago
Goldman Sachs acting against its own customers' financial interests? Didn't see that coming :rolleyes:
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
45 months ago

I'm curious why there were so many disputed transactions. I'd imagine most transactions were done using ApplePay so that should be secure and not see too many fraudulent charges. Cardholders disputing auto billing charges for services like AppleTV+, Netflix, etc that they forgot to cancel (like after a trial period) maybe? ?‍♂️
I think that's just the normal state of today's consumerism. I had an extensive conversation with an AMEX rep regarding this, and she told me that the amount of people who are trying to abuse the protection that AMEX grants them is absolutely insane.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bladerunner88 Avatar
45 months ago
The Great Vampire Squid.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
45 months ago

Goldman Sachs was subject to more disputed transactions than it had anticipated, with customers seeking chargebacks for products and services.
I'm curious why there were so many disputed transactions. I'd imagine most transactions were done using ApplePay so that should be secure and not see too many fraudulent charges. Cardholders disputing auto billing charges for services like AppleTV+, Netflix, etc that they forgot to cancel (like after a trial period) maybe? ?‍♂️
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)