Consumer complaint received 2023-03-10
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: IL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
The account was attempted by the customer to be closed XX/XX/XXXX ; Citi did not attempt to reconnect per its procedures or policies a disconnected line even thought the customer had called numerous times and given contact information in the event of such. Assuming then the account had been closed. The customer called again on XX/XX/XXXX after receiving notice for a past due payment for annual fee of XXXX $ on XX/XX/XXXX now being late after XX/XX/XXXX no payment was made. Citi provided no explanation at this time as to the customers grievance about why the account was never closed and the XXXX $ fee assessed from the XX/XX/XXXX call. The customer asked that this be investigated and escalated internally and never heard back from Citi. The customer called back in XX/XX/XXXX to investigate into this and was told this was being investigated and properly escalated within citi internally and never heard back. Citi is continuing to assess late fees and only now responsive after opening a complaint with cfpb. 

Citi reviewed the information submitted regarding account closure issue only after filing complaint with cfpb. Not once did Citi investigate at my request when calling in their phone line directly to request investigation internally on quality and control for why my account was never closed. Citi records reflect that I called and spoke with an agent on XX/XX/XXXX and upon reviewing the call, confirmed that I did make a request to have the account closed. Citi reports that I disconnected the call during disclosures and per Citi procedures, if the account closure disclosures arent read in full and the call disconnects, the account will remain open. Citi does not note that I attempted to call back in. Citi also does not note attempt to reestablish the call even after I confirmed my phone number and reported having issues with multiple agents and the the lines on Citi bank side disconnecting. Citi notes that I again spoke with an agent on XX/XX/XXXX, requesting the account be closed so the agent read all the account closing disclosures and completed your request. Citi does not note that I spoke to 6 different agents, bounced around different departments, trying to investigate into a fraudulent charge on an assumed closed account and not once explains to me that the reason my account was never closed was because the line disconnected. Had Citi explained this and then explained that the XXXX $ annual fee assessed is due to the account wrongfully never being closed on Citis procedure and lack of follow up - then I would've filed a complaint with cfpb at that time. At this time I also asked for more clarification around the XXXX $ charge to multiple departments when I had specifically closed my account prior to the annual fee being assessed. Again, not once did an agent clearly explain the fee due to an error with the previous attempt- to which the conversation would have been different. I then asked Citi to open an investigation again internally and I was told this would be done and never heard back from Citi as to the findings of that investigation - all this time Citi has found it fit to charge me late fees to my closed account annual fee of {$99.00} billed on XX/XX/XXXX. Because of the added AAdvantage miles benefits that come with this card, Citi will not waive the annual membership fee - even though when I previously canceled the card I switched from flying XXXX to flying XXXX, under the premises that Citi had indeed closed my account. So The benefits they feel fit to charge for I never received.

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