Consumer complaint received 2022-01-16
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Problem getting a working replacement card

Complaint:
My XXXX was closed due to inactivity on XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PM XXXX XXXX I phoned Citibank and asked it the account could be reopened without a hard credit inquiry. I spoke to XXXX, who said that she would submit my request to reopen the account. XXXX said there would only be a soft credit inquiry and not a hard inquiry. This call was recorded by Citibank. The recording proves that I never consented to a hard credit inquiry and that I stated explicitly on that call that I only wanted to request for the account to be reopened if there would be no hard credit inquiry. XXXX expressly stated that there would not be a hard credit inquiry on my credit report and that there would only be a soft credit inquiry. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a credit monitoring alert that Citibank pulled a hard credit inquiry that was reported to XXXX, even though I never consented to a hard credit inquiry and Citibank had not informed me that they were going to pull a hard credit inquiry. I called Citibank right away at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and spoke to XXXX. She agreed to submit to the Credit Dispute Unit my report that I did not consent to a hard credit inquiry and my request to have the hard credit inquiry removed from my credit report. 
On XX/XX/XXXX Citibank Credit Management Department sent me a letter ( see Attachment ) stating We are unable to locate the credit bureau inquiry you are disputing based on the documentation you provided to us. Further information was requested and I provided that information to Citibank , N.A . XXXX XXXX XXXX by in writing by fax on XX/XX/XXXX ( see that fax, Attachment XXXX, which includes the requested further information : page 49 of my XXXX Credit Report from XXXX Citibank, XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, SD, XXXX, which shows that on XX/XX/XXXX Citibank , N.A . pulled a hard credit inquiry ). 
I also spoke with XXXX at Citibank XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX Time. XXXX stated that on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX had misinformed me when she told me there would only be a soft credit inquiry. She said that Citibank should have informed me that there would be a hard credit inquiry and that the account could not be reopened without a hard credit inquiry. She apologized for the mistakes XXXX made. She also assured me that XXXX would or has already received corrective training to help prevent her from making the same mistakes again. She stated that she was going to submit an electronic credit bureau dispute on her end ( on my behalf ), requesting to have the hard credit inquiry removed from my credit report as good will, since the mistake was on their end and since I never consented to a hard credit inquiry in the first place. 
Nonetheless Citibank , N.A . sent me a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX ( see Attachment ) denying my request for them to remove the hard credit inquiry, which was pulled in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act insofar as Citibank , N.A . did not inform me that a hard credit inquiry would be pulled when I requested to reopen my recently closed credit card account. To the contrary, the phone representative understood that I did not consent to a hard credit inquiry, and she explicitly stated that there would only be a soft credit inquiry and not a hard inquiry. 
This hard credit inquiry remains on my XXXX Credit Report through to the present. Please get Citibank to remove this hard credit inquiry from my XXXX credit report ASAP and have them let me know they you have done so.

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 non-monetary relief