Consumer complaint received 2019-01-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NH
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
I applied for the citi thank you premier card on XX/XX/XXXX. I received the card in the mail and activated it, but within a week a fraud hold was placed on the account and the card was locked ( but not closed -- just made unusable ). I did not even have an opportunity to use the card for a single purchase before this hold was placed on the account. I called the number on the back of the card, and was transferred to the XXXX XXXX XXXX department, and they informed me that they needed me to fill out an identity verification form and return it so that the hold could be removed. I received the form in the mail, filled it out, returned ALL pages and a copy of my social security card, and waited. I regularly checked my account but understood that the documents may take a little time to process, but after ample time, the hold still was not removed. I called again and was informed that they received my documents but did not receive the " second page '' ( the second page refers to pg. 2 of the identity verification form, it is nearly blank form that has a few sentences on it that are continued from the first page, but there is no information for me to fill out on pg 2 ). I said " ok '', and they said they would send another form and to send it back. I did so, being 100 % certain that all pages were included and sent it in again with my social security card copy. I waited and the account remained locked. I called in, and again they said they had not received all pages. I told them that I was certain I sent everything in. They requested I send everything in again. I completed this process a total of 3 or 4 times over the course of 4 months, and it still remains unresolved. Today ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I called citi, was transferred again to XXXX XXXX XXXX, they are again requesting that I send in the form and documents. I asked to speak to a supervisor, who said they cant do anything with the account until the forms are received. I requested to close the account, and they said they are not able to. This is absolutely ridiculous. I am stuck in some kind of vicious cycle with Citi, my account is incapable of being closed, my sensitive personal documents have been lost, mishandled, disappeared or some combination of all those things. They refuse to let me talk to someone who can even close an account that I wish to no longer have open and the only option I am given is to keep sending my personal info ( including copy of social security card ) to this department that has shown it can not handle the information and can not resolve the issue. 

Not only am I worried about this particular account, but I am concerned about my personal and confidential identity information being compromised, because the sensitive documents I have sent in multiple times have been so severely mishandled.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation