Consumer complaint received 2019-07-09
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NJ
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
I purchased a vacation using my Citicard Mastercard on XX/XX/XXXX for {$5500.00} which was scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX. I had until the end of XXXX to cancel this trip with the merchant which I did on XX/XX/XXXX. I received a verification from the merchant that I would be receiving a refund. It did not appear on my next credit card statement so I contacted the merchant again on XX/XX/XXXX to inquire as to the status. The hotel reservation associated with this vacation still showed my name as a paid guest on XX/XX/XXXX. I did not receive a response from the merchant. When I checked again with the hotel on the date the vacation was to begin, XX/XX/XXXX, they showed my name as a cancelled reservation but I still had no credit on my credit card statement in XXXX or XXXX and at this point the merchant no longer had a website. I contact Citicard 's dispute department and I was sent a form to complete which was done and returned on XX/XX/XXXX. I was subsequently contacted via e-mail by Citicard to gather more detailed information on the matter. I wrote a letter and attached copies of all email correspondence I had with the merchant. I received an email again from Citicard that my dispute had been declined as I had not filed it within the time frame required which, I believe, would have needed to be done within 60 days of the purchase. Since there was 10 months from the time of purchase to the time of the expected vacation, that time frame would have never been met. Citicard asked me to try to contact the merchant again directly ( whose website was now back online ) which I did but received no response. I wrote to Citicard again indicating my attempt to contact the merchant and also expressing my disappointment at their failure to assist me. They re-examined the matter and tried to reach the merchant also with no success. I have been told again by Citicard that my dispute has been declined. I feel that I have been punished unnecessarily as Citicard 's required time for filing a dispute could never have been met. In addition, I tried to resolve this matter for myself before involving Citicard which was of no benefit and unappreciated. If the merchant is not responding to Citicard, it is they who should be penalized. I recognize they also have rights and protections with Citicard ; however, they are not cooperating in this matter and I have provided written documentation and complied with all of Citicards requests in an attempt to resolve this issue. If this was always a matter of failing to file the dispute timely, then Citicard should not have requested information, documentation or action from me from the beginning, much less continuing to do so. My last conversation with Citicard was on XX/XX/XXXX in response to their last rejection of my claim and the representative offered me a {$250.00} payment as a As a result, I feel I should be refunded this purchase.

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