Consumer complaint received 2022-11-02
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: IL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2022, I opened a Business Checking Account at Citibank. As I did not know this process will become a living XXXX. When the account was opened, XXXX XXXX ( Personal Banker at the branch ) told me I should receive my card in 5-7 business days. After 7 business days, I received my debit card, but was not able to login into my online account. I called customer services and they told me I wont be able to login until a passcode comes in from the mail which XXXX XXXX didn't mention to me. A few days later, I received my passcode to login online, but that wasn't the end of it. Every time I wanted to login on my phone or computer, I would have to call Citibank customer service which would transfer me to an automated voice recorder that would give me a passcode to enter. The customer service representative told me there is no other way to receive it unless I call them ... EVERY ... .SINGLE ... TIME .... After all that mess was resolved, I processed my sales from XXXX and was receivedinto my accountof {$15000.00} in a couple days later. 

The same day the money was deposited, the account was on hold due to 1 chargeback. They told me It is currently on review and I should receive an update in a week. In a week, I called customer service and they told me they have decided to close my account in 60 days and I will receive my funds in 10 business days after the account has been closed... In Mid XXXX of XXXX I received a letter stating {$10000.00} vanished from my account with no trace on where it went... I called for an update and the customer service rep said the same exact thing as last time. " I will receive my funds in 10 business days. '' EVERY 10 DAYS, same response received. After 60 days, I received the same response. I informed them it's already been 60 days since you guys said you would close the account and also it's been 10 days since I was informed I would receive it and I have not received ANY UPDATES, NO FUNDS, NOTHING, BUT LIES. The representative I would speak to would put me on hold for a while and tell me I should receive the funds in XXXX more days which was XXXX. I KEPT calling back EVERY 10 DAYS and the same thing was said. They kept saying the same XXXX thing until the mid of XXXX of XXXX which I knew was all XXXX. Citibank customer service reps had no idea what was going on in my account and they had no proper training on how to do their XXXX job. 

I went to a branch in XXXX and one of the bankers at the desk refused to help me and said he couldn't access my account when he didn't have his computer on. I went to another branch in XXXX XXXX and she reviewed my account, but said she wouldn't be able to help escalate this since she wasn't the one that opened the account and suggested I go to the branch where I opened it. Then I went to XXXX where I made an appointment with XXXX XXXX and while he was reviewing my account. He said with these chargebacks the security department is reviewing it ( At that time they weren't ) and will send my funds in another 60 days ... It is now close to 90 days since he said that and no funds have arrived. 

After multiple tries to get an update on this, I finally got one at the end of XXXX where the reps told me this account is being handled with the security team and transferred me to them. The reps at the Security team informed me this fund is currently being held and I should " contact the finance team where the payments came from, '' which made no sense at all. The security department would not give me any more information besides saying " Contact the finance team where the funds came from. '' They could not give me any more information but that which made no sense ... at all. I called XXXX since we processed the payments and they said they just forward the funds to the account. They don't deposit into theirs then ours. At this point, I have no idea who to contact for those funds. 

Opening an account with Citibank has been a living nightmare. Each order I received I have fulfilled with my personal funds without knowing if a chargeback occurred again in the account and who it was from. If I knew that this is how their services and process works, I would have NEVER opened an account with them. They all have been constantly lying and have no proper training on how to handle customer service. All I have been receiving are letters of deductibles on the closed account which my money has been. Chargeback receipts and deductibles from my account have equaled about {$5600.00} which means I should have and received the amount of {$9600.00} by now. I can not continue my business like this if Citibank is going to hold my funds. My business has been on hold since this occurred. All I want is my money that I earned.

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