Consumer complaint received 2023-05-05
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: PA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem using a debit or ATM card

Complaint:
My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX. I live in XXXX, PA and I hold personal accounts at Citizens Bank. For ten weeks I have tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve transactions that were incorrectly debited from my XXXX Checking Account ending in XXXX. When I first called in I spoke with a customer service rep who was located in XXXX XXXX. After thirty minutes he stated he had submitted a fraud claim. Two weeks passed with no response from Citizens, so I decided to go into the XXXX XXXX and gave the XXXX a spreadsheet with seventy-four transactions incorrectly debited from my account. Ultimately the branch was unhelpful and turned me back to customer service. I was told that the branch and back office are two separate companies and that the branch didn't have time to deal with my issue. I was told two claims were filed for me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called in to customer service and discovered the claims filed were wrong. I was on the phone for over four hour. The customer service rep was aces. He went through every single one and stated that there is an issue, but he wasn't sure that it was necessarily fraud so he sent a notice for the fraud department to call me. Nobody from the fraud department has called me to this day. I received a provisional credit for one of the claims filed by XXXX. However during my conversation on XX/XX/XXXX I was told the claims did not contain the correct transactions. This was another reason I was told I had to speak to someone in the fraud department. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I spent over two hours on the phone with a customer service agent. She filed claims for the additional transactions that were never put into the initial claim, She also put a notice in for the claims department to reach out to me. There has several requests submitted for the claims department to call. However I still have NO call. 

Today a customer service rep told me to go to a branch and ask the branch to call their help desk on this matter. I went to the XXXX XXXX Branch and the associate told me she had nobody to call. I had asked her to notate my account that the newest claims were supposed to be filed with the original claim, since the transactions put in on Friday were technically passed the sixty day limit of Citizens Bank. She told me there was no sixty day limit. I was also unable to get a new debit card because she said their machine was down. She called another branch for a debit card, but their machine was down as well. She stated there was nothing more she could do for me. 

Between the claims and the subsequent overdraft fees that would be returned to me, I am out over {$6000.00}. I have bounced credit card payments and my mortgage payment. I have no groceries, negative hits to my credit report for missed payments, and a soon to be ex-wife who thinks I am trying to hide money from her. I need my money returned to my account yesterday. I feel like a can being kicked down the street. This is no way to treat a customer. 

XXXX, when I spoke to XXXX earlier today she stated that she would be following up with the claims department, and then she would get back to review the findings. She went as far as asking if she could leave a voicemail. I called XXXX this afternoon, but gother voicemail. I then called into the XXXX Customer Service Line and the representative told me that letters were sent out today stating that my three claims were not fraudulent and my claims were all DENIED. Now this is a major problem. I just spent ten weeks speaking to over twenty different representatives. I spent several hours on XX/XX/2023 with one representative who stated he had worked for Citizens for several years. That representative stated my transactions were not correct, but was not sure it was fraud. He thought it was possibly an issue with XXXX. 

How is my initial claim from XX/XX/2023 still open, but the XXXX claims I just had filed this past Friday have all been closed?? I have stated several times I am not sure if they are fraud. 

I just got off a call with XXXX. I stated again that there is an issue here. If I download these transactions from online banking they are only listed as " DDA DEBIT ''. In my XXXX statement, these transactions are NOT listed in the " ATM/Purchases '' section, they are listed in the " Other Withdrawals & Debits '' Section. XXXX said she would reach out tomorrow to the claims department and see if they could provide any documentation to validate the transactions and she said she will have them go through my statement transaction by transaction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .I am sorry, but isn't this what a Provisional Credit is used for? Credit given while the bank conducts an investigation. However they deny my claims and then are now going to conduct a thorough investigation? 

I would like to be provided with the documentation the Claims Department used to deny my claims.

I can not believe that after ten weeks of countless hours that Citizens Bank has decided to close my claims, not provide me with a provisional credit, and now will go through my bank statements.

Nobody called to ask me about a single transaction in those claims. Every time I called I gave specific transactions as examples to help validate my claim. Two of those examples are below. ] Attached are three invoices for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX of the transactions in question is in the amount of {$10.00}. In the " ATM/Purchases '' section of the statement I am charged {$10.00} from XXXX. However I am also charged {$10.00} in the " Other Withdrawals & Debits '' Section. The three invoices I have attached are from XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. I had canceled my service for the month of XXXX for financial reasons. 

Attached are the Screen prints from my XXXX XXXX Accounts Transaction History. You will not see a charge in the amount of {$250.00}. However listed in the " Other WIthdrawals & Debits '' Section you will find a charge from XXXX in the amount {$250.00}. 

I received a phone call at XXXX from my friend that XXXX had debited her account for {$200.00}, because Citizens Bank said I disputed the charge. Her husband, a retired SEAL, gave me until the end of the day, or he was coming to see me. I did NOT dispute this charge. 
I also received an email from my Executive VIP Host at XXXX. She also stated that Citizens Bank said I disputed charges. She was still awaiting the dollar amount. I did not dispute charges to XXXX These payments need to be immediately returned to these two accounts. They were never included in the claim that I filed with Citizens. Furthermore I was informed on Tuesday that my claims had been denied. I also need to know what other payments have been charged back to my account in case there are more of these mistakes. 

How can Citizens deny my claims, but still process chargebacks for my account? Especially these charges that were never included in my claim. 


XXXX, on XX/XX/2023, you responded to my email and said that someone from the Office of the Chairman would be in touch regarding my issue. Ultimately my claim was incorrectly denied by CItizens. As you know XXXX was supposed to get back to me with the documentation from the claims department. I also provided you with documentation regarding the transactions in question. Not one person responded to me on Wednesday. Yesterday, at XXXX, I received a phone call from XXXX XXXX It was one of the most inconsiderate calls that I have received in my life. When I answered she responded twice with, " This call is being recorded. This call is recorded. ". That was very off putting. She stated the following ... ... ... ... ..... 

When my account was placed into a " Credits Only '' status on XX/XX/2023 until XX/XX/2023. The transactions I made during that period with my debit card were pending until the status was removed from my account. I asked her how that would even be possible since a debit card doesn't work when an account is placed into a " Credits Only '' status. Her response was, " Oh no the debit card is a separate account and it would still work. ". Wow! 
When I asked for the documentation used to invalidate claims and support what she was stating, she said she could not because they private internal documents. I said to XXXX that under the Federal Reserve 's Reg. E. I am entitled to those documents. Her response basically was that's not true and she never heard that before now. WOW! 
She then asked for me to provide her with all of these documents and then she would conduct an investigation?? When I asked if a new claim was going to be opened, she said " No. There doesn't need to be one. ''? 
During the entire call her demeanor was condescending and basically accusatory. She brushed off anything I had to say. She said my account should have never been reopened when shuttered in XXXX. 
When I stated that the previous Customer Service Reps were the ones to call these transactions bank error. She said they will be coached?? 

My account was placed into a " credits only '' status in XXXX because Citizens Bank mistook me for my XXXX. Apparently he had accounts years ago that were bad. I was not born a XXXX, and this happens more than one would think. The last time I saw that man was the day he left our family in the wind 18 years ago. I have an XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, from XXXX XXXX 's University. I worked in XXXX 's retail division for four years before leaving to start my own business. I hold memberships with XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and so on. For Citizens Bank to treat me like l am a 3rd rate citizen is appalling. 


The money taken from the above accounts needs to go back to those accounts. I, myself, at the very least need a new claim opened and a provisional credit in my account today. I need to hear from someone at Citizens Bank, other than XXXX, before XXXX XXXX  today. I have been kicked down the street for almost ten weeks. Enough alread

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation