Date Received: 2024-01-30
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Problem with personal statement of dispute
Consumer Complaint: I had a checking overdraft account with Citibank. Payments were being withdrawn from the linked checking account, automatically. Citibank suddenly stopped the automatic payments and did not send any notice that the payments had been stopped. I only received notification that the payments were not made after the account was XXXX past due. I attempted to resolve the issue with Citibank and even paid the account in full, but they provided no justification and said that the delinquency will remain on my credit report. When I tried to resolve the issue over the phone, I was forwarded XXXX times to different departments and finally disconnected during a transfer. I tried again and was transferred XXXX times with the final agent indicating that she did not know which department to send me to, but was unable to help me. After more than XXXX hours on the phone trying to chase down the issue, the issue is still unresolved and Citibank is not providing a contact or instructions to dispute the resolution.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CT
Zip: 069XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-30
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Consumer Complaint: I chgd on my Home Depot credit card so they would not close my account for inactivity, I never received the bill in the mail as that was the way my billing was set up. I received a late night message from XXXX XXXX telling me I had a late payment on this account. I immediatally paid the bill and called the company the next day. I found the email in my spam folder. They credited back my late fee and sent me a chk for the amount of the charge twice. I called the company and they assured me they would remove this from my credit report and it is still there. I value my credit score very much and would have never not paid a XXXX chg.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: IA
Zip: 503XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-30
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/year>, I filed a dispute for XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX for an order placed on XX/XX/year> in the amount of {$1900.00} against a merchant that can not ( a ) legally sell their product within the state of XXXX and ( b ) did not follow through with their warranty, Dispute ID : XXXX. After filing the dispute I was told : " We're looking into your dispute and will keep you posted on our progress. Remember to hold onto all supporting documentation for 90 days from the date your dispute was opened. '' and that was the only information I was told by Citibank. I was never able to submit any documents or additional information regarding the dispute nor was I given any updates prior to being told, " Without a valid credit slip, we are unable to intervene on your behalf with the merchant or their bank. If you are unable to provide this, you will need to seek other means to obtain credit. '' They never requested any information and they made no attempt to investigate this dispute, especially when it's a XXXX, an ONLINE MERCHANT for which I have a receipt from the order.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: VA
Zip: 22314
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-29
Issue: Fees or interest
Subissue: Unexpected increase in interest rate
Consumer Complaint: I got a merchandise that was supposed to be for zero interest payment for 5 years as told by the agent at the store and I have been making my payments expecting it to be less than XXXX XXXX. Then the homedepot credit card came and raised the interest to a point I am unable to afford. The credit card have been canceled a long time but they are still increasing fees each month
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MD
Zip: 20904
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-30
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Funds not received from closed account
Consumer Complaint: on XX/XX/XXXX, we closed the CD account with Citibank over the phone through customer service. The check is in the amount of {$52000.00}. We have not received the check yet. We have called numerous time and even visited the branch, but we have not received any information or check yet.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CA
Zip: 94587
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-30
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: DATE : XX/XX/XXXX ; credit card notified immediately to dispute ; credit card was closed. AMOUNT : {$910.00} Below are topline bullets of my case with Cit Security/Disputes team, a dispute spanning XXXX months : - I have never been to XXXX XXXX - thats an undercover/fake name for an illegal business. - I never authorized a charge in the amount of {$910.00}. - This is theft - its intent to fraud - and there is evidence of the merchants illegal business operations. - Citis early fraud alert, a benefit for safety protection highlighted as part of this credit card, did not happen - no text, email, or call. The {$910.00} amount under the category of fast food should have been flagged immediately, as that is not common purchase behavior for me. - The card benefits advertised include coverage from theft, fraud, unauthorized charges, etc, and cases should be looked at carefully as they are all different. There is clear evidence of wrongdoing in mine. - There was no regard for my appeal in XXXX, despite my warning to Citi of their dealing with criminals and providing all the proof of the business arrests that took place. As of XX/XX/XXXX, Citi is now stating I am responsible for the charge, despite their teams telling me they were working through getting me the permanent credit after their last merchant response ( late XX/XX/XXXX and early XX/XX/XXXX ). - There has been misleading information shared by Citi. They shared that they heard from the merchant in XXXX, following my appeal. I later learned ( on XX/XX/XXXX ) that the merchant never responded to my appeal, and Citi still sided with the original fake response from XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX days before 21 merchant owners/managers/staff were arrested for fraud. According to the dispute process, the merchant should respond to my appeal and accusations, and they did not. - The case was submitted to the Federal Trade Commission in XXXX- this information was shared with Citi, and I was in touch with the Embassy and local police in XXXX to inquire about a report. Citi stated that a police report doesnt matter and they will not reopen the case. ACTION : Unauthorized credit card charge by a merchant who had 21 owners/staff arrested and taken into custody for committing foreign credit card fraud/scams/theft. Based on online research and investigation, the criminal business rotates under four names to try to hide their identity, and the merchant bank is generating documentation Ive never seen before in an attempt to provide false proof of purchase. The receipt is all in XXXX, but with XXXX, the receipt is not itemized with any description of goods - it states SERVICE FEE with one lump amount charged- it also does not include the merchant name, address, phone number/site, and it does not include my name or last four digits of the card used. XXXX months after this dispute was opened, the criminal merchants are getting favored vs. a XXXX year loyal customer because Citi Mastercard will not validate or further investigate/consider any of the criminal evidence and will only trust the illegal operation of this business. Per Citi Mastercard 's recommendation, when I immediately reported the charge, they suggested opening the dispute as security fraud in late XX/XX/XXXX- the credit card was shut down. Then weeks later, the credit card company billed me again for {$910.00} and stated it needed to be a billing dispute. It moved to a different team and the dispute process restarted. The merchant did not respond till the end of XXXX ( two days before their arrests on XX/XX/XXXX ) - they fabricated a receipt in their response. In my early XXXX appeal, with evidence of the arrests, criminal activity, and proof from other customers from all over the world experiencing the same situations by the same merchant, it went into another round of review to the merchant, according to Citi. During this time, I learned that despite the letters issued to me from Citi with updates claiming they are working through this with the " merchant and/or merchant bank '', the reality is they don't check with the merchant at all- they only work through the bank who is following the lead of the criminal owners. If they started with the merchant and reviewed the high level of detail I provided about this business, it would be clear that there are criminals behind the operation. Instead, there was no customer courtesy to investigate deeper - or suggest other steps to take - to help my case and clear this charge, but none of that was taken into consideration. On XX/XX/XXXX, according to Citi, the merchant responded to my appeal. No proof of their response was provided to me- only a letter that stated they heard back from the merchant and they'd continue the investigation. I then responded to Citi with even more evidence of the criminal activity I found online to help with my case. In late XXXX and early XXXX, I placed two calls to Citi to check the status - both calls were good news from the representatives. They stated that they heard from the merchant and that they just need a few days to close the case to issue the " permanent credit... and you have been a customer for over 20 years... not to worry '' - so, we had come to a good conclusion. Both reps reiterated that the permanent credit was in the works and just to give it another couple of weeks for the letter. The letter came XX/XX/XXXX - two months since they had allegedly heard from the merchant - stating I was responsible for this charge. I couldnt believe this was the outcome, despite all my proof and efforts. After some calls with Citi, refusing to reopen the case or consider my evidence, I called a Disputes representative again on XX/XX/XXXX to make sure I was tracking all of this information correctly before sending a long letter to the Executive Response Unit ( and for purposes of this report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ). In that phone call, the representative confirmed they had only heard from the merchant ONCE- on XX/XX/XXXX. They never responded to my appeal where I accused them of criminal activity with PROOF of their arrests. It is unclear why Citi was deceitful to me stating they had heard from the merchant following my appeal- I asked why I was led to believe the merchant responded, but the representation could not answer the question. Here is what Citi did not do : - Credit card transaction was processed with no fraud safety alert text/email sent to verify the purchase under the category of " fast food restaurant '' for {$910.00}. I asked Citi Customer Service why this didnt happen, and no answer could be given as to why the fraud alert was not triggered. Never would I spend that amount at any business, and that should have been a red flag on Citibank to alert me based on my consumer purchasing behavior. In the past, I have received these alerts, but Citi did not this time, and they are aware they didnt. When you're advertising this benefit for credit card holders and your marketing includes this type of protection, it is unreasonable to make the consumer responsible for something that could have been avoided with their advertised security measures- this is something that Cit was sued for in XXXX for deceitful marketing, but they dont own up to their own faults in the process. - Given the larger criminal circumstances of this case, policies need to be reviewed that allow for the customer 's case to be further investigated in detail. Customer service was not the priority and my detailed appeal with substantial evidence of criminal activity was disregarded by ALL teams I spoke with - Security team, Disputes team- and Im now pleading with the Executive Response Unit to look at it closely. - Not one phone call or email acknowledgment of my communication of this case was done. No one reached out to ask questions. I also filed a complaint with the FTC, emailed the report number to Citi. No response. I alerted them that I was in touch with the Embassy in XXXX and with the local police in XXXX to try to provide any further documentation if helpful for my case- no response. There was zero guidance and zero efforts from the Citi Mastercard group to give the custom some reassurance. I called them multiple times each month to check in so that I could provide them with whatever was needed to help me, and I just kept being told to be patient while the process was in motion, but never did I speak or get a call from their disputes investigators for such a complicated case like this one.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TX
Zip: 78501
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-29
Issue: Closing your account
Subissue: Company closed your account
Consumer Complaint: On or around XX/XX/XXXX, I reached out to Citi Bank customer service to address a financial hardship. I requested a deferral or the option to add my XXXX payment to the balance. The agent informed me that Citi Bank does not accommodate such requests. Consequently, I asked for the removal of auto-pay from my account to handle the payment personally. The agent assured me that this request was fulfilled, requiring no further action on my part. On XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered that Citi Bank/Best Buy had debited {$580.00} from my bank account without my consent. Upon inquiring, the agent stated that the deduction covered payments for XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. I questioned the unauthorized deduction and received no satisfactory explanation. Frustrated, I terminated the call and initiated contact with my bank, disputing the charges for lack of authorization. It's crucial to note that the agent refused to clarify why XXXX was included, consistently redirecting the conversation to prompt a payment. I promptly contacted my bank, disputing the charges for the same reasonI had neither authorized nor given permission for such deductions. Prior to this incident, I had consistently made timely payments. Around XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Citi Bank again to arrange a payment plan. However, the agent informed me that my account had been closed due to being 37 days late. The only option offered was to agree to a monthly payment amount, with interest accruing on the closed account. I find this action unfair and biased, as I have never encountered a situation where an account is closed for a mere 37-day delay. This appears extreme, especially considering my history of on-time payments since acquiring the card. I suspect that XXXX may have played a role in these decisions, and I believe the actions taken by Citi Bank are disproportionate to the situation.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 33309
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-29
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Company closed your account
Consumer Complaint: Hi I was expecting some family support funds from a family member which was done successfully and I couldnt confirm transaction from my bank because the account was close according to the customer representative I ask her to confirm my balance which she couldnt confirm
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: DE
Zip: 19808
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-29
Issue: Other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX I requested a wire in the amount of {$350000.00} from my savings account to Citibank to a brokerage account at XXXX. I was later informed by XXXX that the recipient information was incorrect. On XX/XX/XXXX I provided Citi with the corrected recipient information and was told the wire would be processed. After 3 days of trying it became clear to me Citi was not able to send the wire, so I cancelled the transaction on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told it could take up to ten business days for the funds to be returned to my account. In spite of multiple inquires each week, it took until XX/XX/XXXX for any of the amount to be return, and only {$340000.00} has been returned to date. Multiple Citi customer service professionals have told me they do not know why the full amount has not been returned, and they don't know hold long it might take to resolve this matter.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: NJ
Zip: 070XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-29
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: My wallet had been stolen while I was at work. All of my other cards caught the fraud immediately except citi bank home depot card. I called and canceled the card, they sent a new card with the same number. My card then was used fraudulently. I called to dispute the charges, they said it was fraud and they would change it. Now I'm being sued by citi bank for the charges.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MN
Zip: 55304
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A