Consumer complaint received 2021-02-24
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
On approximately XX/XX/2017 I went to Macy 's store at the mall to purchase a men 's suit and the cashier hard-sold me into opening a Macy 's credit card by offering me like 30 % -40 % off the purchase and making all sorts of promises about how foolish it was to not open a card. I've spent cash ( or debit card ) most of my life when shopping, so I wasn't easy to convince to open a credit card now, but he persisted. 

The associate also said that the bill would be automatically drafted from my debit card, so it was a no-brainer here to sign up for the card and get the discount. I was sold that my life wouldn't change as a result of using this card that day compared to the using cash/debit, so I finally agreed and signed up, and spent approximately {$300.00} ( after the big discount ). 

After I discover that the purchase was never auto-drafted/paid from my debit/bank, I immediately called Macy 's and paid it off and explained that their auto draft didn't work. The associate could care less about fixing anything that day. 

Then, After I discovered that my credit report was negatively impacted with a " 30-day late payment derogatory remark '', I call Macy 's and ask them to remove that derogatory remark, and I again explained what happened with their failing auto-draft system. 

Which, its possible that the retail associate lied to me about the auto-draft from my debit account, so I really have no idea who at Macy 's is at fault, ( the system, or the high-pressure salesman at the Macy store ) but regardless, Macy 's refused to remove the harmful remark on my credit reports, even though I paid it off immediately upon discovery and explained the situation.

Over the next several months/year I would follow up with Macy 's and the process was the same. They would pretend to submit a request to remove the harmful remark, and someone would deny it at Macy 's.

I naturally quit using the Macy 's card because to that point, it had only been a bad experience that they refused to help fix so I could use the card again.

THEN, in retaliation, Macy closes the card altogether, which puts YET ANOTHER ding on my credit score and credit profile by reducing the age of my credit profile. WITHOUT NOTICE, Macy closes my card and claims it is due to inactivity.

All other creditors give you NOTICE of inactivity that may lead to an account being closed, because it NEGATIVELY impacts your credit profile and credit score when you close an account. CREDIT AGE matters.

This derogatory late payment, and the closed account, has then gone on to cause me higher interest rates and denials during covid-19 when my business/life needs the clean credit profile and score. It has been a major problem.

1. Negatively effecting my credit due to a failed system or misleading company practices.

2. Negatively effecting my credit due to closing my account WITHOUT NOTICE. With proper notice before you continue to ruin people 's lives ( their credit ), I could have made a purchase on the card and kept my account open for credit profile purposes, and then I would only be fighting one problem of malpractice and unfair credit reporting practices.

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