Consumer complaint received 2023-06-23
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NC
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: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
Four of us travelling together went to XXXX, XXXX for a cruise. Landed at approximately XXXX on the XX/XX/XXXX, expected to have a cab sent by the hotel, but it did not show. Called the hotel, but there was some delay. A staff member of the airport found me a cab at approximately XXXX and it took me to our hotel, stopping along the way to run my Citibank credit card. The person running the credit card said it did not work, so I gave him another one, XXXX XXXX. That too was 'negative ' so my friend presented his XXXX XXXX card, which also was a no go. I then paid cash, for which I got a receipt, and we proceeded to the hotel. Once in the hotel we went on Wi-Fi and immediately started getting text messages from our respective banks asking about {$5000.00} plus charges on all 3 cards. We responded that we did not authorize the charges. All 3 cards were immediately and appropriately cancelled. Of the three cards, only Citibank went on to first post and then authorize payment on the card. We left the next morning for our 18 day cruise. 
Fraud department said since the 'chip ' was taken by the card reader then it was our responsibility to pay. We protested, and it ended up being moved to a billing dispute. The fraud department refused to look at it again. Billing dispute asked the vendor to respond and they came back saying I had either rented a car or car and driver, and it was accepted by the billing department as gospel, and once again it became my responsibility to pay. Now I can prove that I arrived at XXXX, at the hotel by XXXX, and left in a prearranged hire car to the port the next day. There is no way I would have rented/hired a car for the 24 hour period, and certainly not for $ XXXX. 
I contacted the executive department at Citibank, and have sent them all of the information, and they are supposedly looking into it. However, in the meantime the dispute center once again denied my claim, based in the response by the vendor, so I am not holding out much hope there. I contacted a lawyer who suggested I start here with you. 
Re the attachments : Here are some other attachments that I sent Citibank - # 1 gives the flight times, indicating our arrival time. # 2 was correspondence with the hotel setting up a ride from airport to hotel, unfortunately it did not occur and we ended up taking a cab from the airport. # 3 is transportation from the hotel to the port that we did take. This proves that we were in XXXX for less then 24 hours, and would not have taken a $ XXXX car hire/car service. # 4 proves we took a cruise out of the country. # 5 is a statement from the person travelling with us, who also used his credit card which was also charged $ XXXX - however, his card service was smart enough to not only deny but not turn around and pay the swindler. The last item is the receipt we got from the cab service, for airport to hotel.

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