Consumer complaint received 2021-03-04
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card
Sub-issue: Can't use card to make purchases

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2021 I applied for online and was approved for a CitiBank American Airlines AAdvantage credit card. After being notified of this online, it took approximately 11 days to receive my card in the mail and to be able to start using this credit line. That was on XX/XX/2021. I activated my card on the official CitiBank app for XXXX and I noticed that my phone number was listed as XXXX instead of correctly as XXXX. I corrected it in the app and was notified there that the changes had been accepted. I then began to shop with the card. After a few purchases at local stores, my card was suddenly declined when I attempted to make a purchase. 

On XX/XX/2021 at XXXX hours, I called the phone number listed on the card ( XXXX ), I entered my card number, I answered the security question I was greeted with, and I was transferred to a representative who told me they had to verify my identity. They asked for my phone number and I told them XXXX. They said that they could not verify my identity with that number. When I asked why they could not provide any explanation. They asked me for another phone number such as a family member 's phone number. I gave them my wife 's phone number, XXXX. They told me that my identity could not be verified with this number either and asked if I had any other random phone number. I told them no and that this did not make sense to verify my identity. I asked if I could verify my identity in any other way and they told me no. I asked for a supervisor and after resistance by the representative, I eventually was transferred. 

The manager went through the same exact verification process and denied me in the same exact way. I asked if there was any other way to verify my identity and they told me no. They told me that they would have to verify me in person by sending me an access letter in the mail. I asked if they could expedite this letter and they told me no and that it could take up to several weeks to arrive. I asked if there was any other way to be able to make purchases with my card in the meantime and they told me no. 

Around approximately XXXX hours that evening, I tired to login to my account in the app and was not able to login. After entering my login credentials, I greeted with a message to immediately call XXXX. I called the number,, entered my last four digits of my card number, gave my personal question answer, and again the representative could not verify me by using my phone number and had no other way to verify my identity. 

A few days later, I visited a Citibank branch location at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, CA XXXX. I spoke with a banker there who told me there was nothing they could do regarding Citibank 's credit cards and that their in-person services without a Citibank checking or saving account were limited to paying my credit card balance only. 

On approximately XX/XX/2021, I was contacted by a Citibank representative by phone ( XXXX ) and they explained to me that my account had now been unlocked and that, should I have issues verifying my identity in the future, I could use the reference number XXXX to gain access to my account or use the verification letter that had been sent to me by mail. 

I received a response to my original complaints with the XXXX, CFPB, and the California Attorney General 's office with an email from the Citibank Executive Response Unit. This letter explained that they had restored my access to my account. It also explained that they already provide an additional 2 weeks for their members to fulfill their sign-up bonus offer spending requirements on this card to offset the time the card would take to arrive by mail. They declined to give me any credited extension period to fulfill my sign-up bonus spending requirements. 

I never ended up receiving any letter from Citibank by mail. 

On XX/XX/2021 at approximately XXXX hours, I repeatedly attempted and was declined purchases on XXXX. I called in to the card support number ( XXXX ) and I was able to verify account access with a text message code sent to my phone. The representative was then able to approve my purchase when I reattempted it while on the phone with them. I also informed that representative that I intended to make a large purchase for over {$1600.00} to a Tennessee XXXX facility within the next day or two. The representative stated that they would put a note on my account for a large purchase intention and that it would be good for 3 days. They also guided me in the online portal for my Citibank account to where I could put in such requests myself in the future. 

On XX/XX/2021 at approximately XXXX hours, I received a call from the Tennessee XXXX facility and attempted to pay my bill with this Citibank card. The purchase was declined. 

On XX/XX/2021 at approximately XXXX hours, I called the Citibank customer support number for my card ( XXXX ) and spoke to a representative. I could not understand her broken XXXX well and the connection was bad but, from what I could make out, she could not verify my account using my phone number or by any other method over the phone with her. I hung up and called the same number back. This second representative echoed the same advisory. I informed him of the reference number ( XXXX ) I had been issued should I have trouble gaining access to my account. He told me that he had no record of any such reference number. I advised him of the email response I had gotten from the Citibank Executive Response Team and the various reference numbers listed there and he advised me that this could not help me to verify my identity to gain access to my account. He said that he would have to send a letter to me by mail and that it would take 5 7 business days to arrive. 

On XX/XX/2021 at approximately XXXX hours, I called back and requested an XXXX representative since the ones I had spoken to the previous day who had given me account access had an American accent. The representative I was transferred to told me that since a mail verification had been requested, there was nothing he could do for me at that time. I informed him of the various reference numbers and the email from the Citibank executive team and he informed me that this could not change anything and that there was nothing he could do for me.

Due to the fact that it has now been approximately one month since my first mail verification request letter was supposedly sent out, I am extremely skeptical that I will ever get said letter. 

On XX/XX/2021 at XXXX hours, I called back the number of the Citibank representative who called me to inform me that access to my account had been reinstated ( XXXX ). Nobody answered and there was no voicemail so I reattempted 8 more times in a row. Still nobody picked up. 

On XX/XX/2021 at XXXX hours, I called the Citibank Executive Response Team number listed on the email that I had received from them ( XXXX ). Nobody answered after I was placed on hold and I was transferred to a voicemail informing me that I was calling during their actual business hours but the voicemail told me to call back during their normal business hours. I left a message stating my intent to file a complaints with the FDIC, XXXX, CFPB, and California Attorney General 's Office should I not hear back within an hour or two from them. At the time of this submission, I have still not heard back from them. 

When I log into my account online, there is no way to clear the fraud alert through the online portal and I am advised to call the number above. I am alerted that my account access is limited until this fraud alert has been cleared. 

The sign up bonus offer for this card is that I have to make {$2500.00} in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. My account has now had charges denied a total of 6 times in the period of 17 days. I have now twice been limited in my account access and banned from using my own card with no functional working way to be able to verify my identity over the phone or in person at a branch location. My card has now been denied and my account flagged for fraud for 1/3 of my purchase attempts made so far. To me this is a clear example of how Citibank is, by default, denying their consumers the ability to realistically fulfill their sign-up bonus stated in the card-member agreement. How am I supposed to practically fulfill my sign-up bonus agreement spending terms when 1 out of three of my transactions are being incorrectly flagged for fraudulent use and when I am then being denied access to or purchases on my account for weeks at a time? 

At this time, I have made the initial complaints on to the XXXX XXXX XXXX, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the California Attorney General 's Office on XX/XX/2021. I made an updated complaint for this new related issue with the California Attorney General 's Office and the FDIC. I have not contacted an attorney. I have not sought court action or a law suit though I am now considering it.

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