Consumer complaint received 2021-07-01
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem when making payments
Sub-issue: Problem during payment process

Complaint:
Before my trip on past XX/XX/XXXX, I've called Citi and spoke to a few agents and notified theme about my trip abroad to XXXX and XXXX Those agents seem included the alerts under my Citibank account and at that moment seems I was good to go and use my card abroad - that is literally what they expressed verbally over the phone By the way, all calls are monitored and recorded : ) I was very concise during my call to Citibank before my take off to XXXX for example, I have asked not to block my cards abroad as I'll be using this card and this precise account as troop support for me, food, taxis, work lunches, etc. 

Citibank confirmed that they will not block my card only if I will request that If I recognize any suspicious activity on my account Here the nightmare starts I left the US on XXXX the XXXX to XXXX After a few days abroad I have got an online message on my account that for some unknown reason at least to me Citi decided to send me new cards to my addresses in XXXX I have surprised because the expiration on my card at that moment was ok and good to go till XXXX year XXXX And I have surprised with this action from the bank them knowing that I am abroad and that I just simply can't clone myself be in XXXX  to get their new card and be at the same time in XXXX Any way The card that I had physically with me in XXXX and again with an expiration date on XX/XX/XXXX worked fine during a certain period, days while I am still abroad Then approx on XX/XX/XXXX I have taken a taxi cab from XXXX XXXX to the Hotel and I just saw a small insignificant charge on the same taxi cab company and I have called to the bank and expressed my concern saying that it's a small extra charge probably made by the taxi cab company by the error and also I don't mind that they probably did by the error and the charge it's super small and insignificant. 

And again I have expressed to many customer support agents and to their supervisors that I need my card to be active and in plain English expressing telling them Please do not touch my account and do not block my card But seems they not following their client 's requests at all Did automatically did something opposite and they - Blocked My Card and all access to even leaving me without possibility to withdraw cash from ATM - Abroad I have spent hours and hours calling wasting my time from XXXX and trying to reactivate my card. 

Spoke to more than 10 different agents who was unable to reactivate my card spend hours in absolute anxiety and stress that they created during my important biz trip Then after walking like in the jungle during the night with all these nonsense time-wasting roaming calls. I finally found two different supervisors who convinced me to receive a new card to my hotel room in XXXX Before that, I already spend like a week without any idea how I ll be paying for my food, transportation, biz lunches, etc, etc Zero possibility to get cash from ATM They left me practically in the XXXX Hotel room disconnected and they cut all accessories to my money and my account without any reason They decided to send me their new cards and chase me all around the globe So which they did They send me a new card via XXXX and it took around 5 days to wait for the new card And because they didnt leave precise instructions to XXXX - let 's say juts simply leave the package in my room Because of their incompetence, The package was returned to XXXX offices far away from the center of XXXX And I have forced to find my new card chasing delivery tracks and rescheduling pick up of the package all around the city only that took me an entire day In parallel, I finally was able to reach Citi Bank already executive offices or how they called Citi Executive Response Unit Explaining an outrageous act against my time, and life abroad an entire mess that they are created with their blocks and their new cards flying around the world and chasing me in different countries Agent - XXXX, XXXX XXXX she created finally a specific case number and they finally started after more than 12 days of me leaving in XXXX taking serious my case Case number XXXX Case XXXX Her direct Info XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Case Researcher | Citibank XXXX XXXX XXXX Citibank XXXX XXXX | XXXX Citibank XXXX, XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX | ( : XXXX XXXX : XXXX | * : XXXX XXXX She finally got to the point and she seems understood absolute disaster and waste of time that includes biz lunches canceled, I was unable even to take a bus around the city, some friend helped me with cash in XXXX meanwhile I am struggling with this nonsense created by Citi bank Also non-necessary expenses like extending my stay in the hotel to wait for Citi new card - insanity After speaking to XXXX - I have requested at least to compensate me for those unnecessary expenses and waste of time stress that they generated Their response was a classic we apologize and unfortunately, we not obligated to compensate you for what we the Citibank!!! - caused during your trip That it's not all : ) Insanity follows Finally, I v got their new card in XXXX and was able to activate and use it for just a few days And guess what they locked that new card again : ) I have called and spoke directly to XXXX already who decided to handle my case and again waste of time hours seating and talking to the fraud prevention department twice they locked a new card twice again For every donut every bottle of water, every taxi cab the locking my card abroad They created an absolute mess in my biz meeting, my time, created huge stress and anxiety, I have wasted hours and hours to resolve the issues That again was not created by me it's their inner system works fault They locked access to my funds without my permission or knowledge And they should pay for the consequences Attaching a pdf doc that I have recently got from theme All tel calls are recorded where you can hear my desperate voice trying to resolve an issue that ruined my biz trip I have more emails from them as well All activities are recorded n my online account Hope you can help me to resolve this matter This a million for you time XXXX V T XXXX XXXX XXXX

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