Consumer complaint received 2023-05-03
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: LA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Savings account
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Didn't receive terms that were advertised

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I was induced via a targeted personalized offer in the Citibank app to open a Citibank Accelerate Online Savings Account as an existing Citi Credit Card holder for depositing funds, maintaining them in the new account for certain period of time and receiving a cash bonus. I am attaching XXXX screenshots with the terms of the bonus offer. Subsequently I was informed the Citi promotion code for this offer was XXXX. 

Citibank is refusing to honor their end of this bonus agreement and to deposit the promised bonus of {$450.00} to my Savings account. Fortunately I have kept evidence of all of the steps regarding this offer and am able to provide you with details for this investigation. 

In good faith and with careful attention to the details of the offer, I proceeded exactly as instructed in the terms and opened a new Accelerate Online Savings account via the Apply Now button in the Citi app. After opening, on XXXX XXXX XXXX I contacted a Citi agent ( named XXXX ) via the Chat function on the Citi website in order to confirm that the account has been opened correctly and according to the terms of the bonus offer and that the bonus is successfully attached to my new Savings account. The agent recommended that I contact a Citi Bank XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for better assistance and provided a phone number. I followed the Citi agents instructions and spoke to an agent on the phone on XX/XX/XXXX who proceed to carefully check and confirmed that the account is opened according to the terms of the bonus offer, the offer code is attached to it, the new savings account is added in a banking package with my existing Citi checking account, and there is nothing else that needs to be done with the opening process and enrolling in this bonus offer. In short, my new Accelerate Savings account was determined and confirmed eligible for this promotion by the phone agent. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I contacted again Citi via the Chat function, and spoke to an agent named XXXX, who stated : Our records show you enrolled in promotion code XXXX ( screenshot attached ). 

On XXXX XXXX XXXX  I again contacted Citi via chat, in order to confirm that I have satisfied the promo requirements of the offer ( which I did by that point ). I spoke to an agent named XXXX, who stated : Yes that is correct! You just completed all requirements of that bonus. ( XXXX screenshots attached ). According to the terms of the offer and as confirmed by the previous agents, 30 days after XX/XX/XXXX, no later than XX/XX/XXXX, I should have received the bonus in my Savings account. 

Since I did not receive the promised {$450.00} bonus corresponding to my tier of the bonus offer for depositing more than {$50000.00}, I contacted Citi again via chat on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX named XXXX checked all the steps to confirm that I have satisfied everything and confirmed : The cash reward should have been credited to your account on or before XX/XX/XXXX. The agent also asked me if I have raised a promotion dispute for this and since I had not, they stated : Please do not worry, let me file a promotion dispute for you and as promised by Citi you will get the cash reward. ( XXXX screenshots attached ) Citi replied to the promotional dispute via PDF letter on XX/XX/XXXX ( attached ), incorrectly naming in the letter my account Money Market, instead of Accelerate Savings, and denied the bonus with the reason that : Unfortunately, your account does not qualify for this promotion because the Basic Account package is not eligible under this promotion. 

I contacted Citi again via XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, and spoke to an agent named XXXX. The agent confirmed that my account ending XXXX is an Accelerate XXXX account and is enrolled and eligible for the bonus ( XXXX screenshots attached ). He proceeded to write another promotional dispute which did not bring any resolution to this case. 

I also spoke with a Citi supervisor named XXXX ( spelling? ) on the phone on XX/XX/XXXX, and the agent was not understanding nor polite at all and unwillingly proceeded with writing to the appropriate department to investigate further. She suggested that I will hear from the Citi in the following XXXX business days, by the end of the week ( which would have been XX/XX/XXXX ). Until this moment I have not heard from CitiBank. 

I am extremely disappointed that Citibank is refusing to honor their end of the agreement. I proceeded and completed all steps of this bonus in good faith, and followed all the steps and requirements as instructed in the terms and by the Citi agents. 

I insist that Citi credit my account with the cash bonus of {$450.00} immediately. I am extraordinarily unhappy that Citi can do this to their customers. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter!

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 monetary relief