Consumer complaint received 2020-10-01
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: AZ
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
RE : Citicards Dispute Resolution Case XXXX Dear Sir or Madam : On XXXX XX/XX/XXXX I opened an online dispute with Citicards : XXXX. 
I had been fraudulently billed by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, a XXXX, AZ merchant with whom I had been conducting business. The merchant fraudulently billed {$4400.00} to my account. I was sure the charges were fraudulent so I requested multiple times from the merchant an explanation for the charges. The merchant refused to answer but to tell me, Its complicated. 
I requested that my account be closed, that the evidence in their possession be returned to me, and that the {$3500.00} retainer I paid prior to commencing business also be returned to me. I was informed by the agent at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that they would not close my account, return the evidence that was to be used in litigation in MN ( in which I am not a party ), nor would they return my retainer fee unless I paid the invoices. I had no choice but to pay the fraudulent charges. My account was closed on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. I was told my retainer fee of {$3500.00} would be returned within the month. 
To date, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, my retainer fee has not been returned to me and the merchant has collected on every fraudulent charge he made on my account -- {$7900.00}!! ( That includes the retainer fee ). 
On XX/XX/XXXX I initiated the billing dispute with Citicards. I was unaware of any activity taking place with regard to the billing dispute until XXXX XX/XX/XXXX when I logged onto my Citicards account to schedule my payment. I pay my bills in full, each and every month. I also log into my account only once a month to schedule that payment. Due to COVID, I expected the dispute process would be long and time consuming. 
I immediately contacted Citicard to ask why the charge of {$4400.00} was posted back on my account. I was told that it was because I had not responded to the letter that was mailed to me. I informed the agent that I had not received the letter. I also explained that our area has significant issues with not receiving our mail, but also receiving mail that belonged to others. Please see the attached Exhibit ; photocopy of two pieces of mail I received in my mail box on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. Astonishingly, one piece of mail was an Accurate Delivery Verification addressed to a person who lives within a few miles from my home. I am not familiar with the address where the credit card statement should have been delivered. Also find a copy of the XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card statement, belonging to my neighbor that was delivered in my mailbox on XXXX XXXX, XXXX. Obviously, I brought the first two pieces of mail to the local Post Office and the other piece of mail directly to my neighbor, Mr. XXXX. Mr. XXXX informed me that he too is very angry with our mail carrier because two months ago his pension check did not arrive, and after the Postal Service tried to track it, all they could tell him was that it was lost. 
The Citicard agent I spoke with on XX/XX/XXXX told me not to worry ; I had some time leeway. He instructed me to submit any further documentation I had, including a letter from my attorney. My attorney examined the materials I was sending to Citicard then drafted a letter to Citicards confirming that my statements were truthful. I emailed all the new documents to XXXX. I later called and verified that the documents had been received. 
As further documentation regarding the fraudulent charges was made available to me I also forwarded those materials to Citicards. Citicards could easily see that there was little to no doubt that the charges I incurred were fraudulent. I was informed multiple times by Citicard agents each time I called to check on the progression of my dispute that everything was fine, Citicards takes care of their customers, and all the fees would be reimbursed to meI did not immediately pay the {$4400.00} charge because I expected the dispute to be resolved in my favor. I was also told around the first week of XXXX that my dispute had gone into arbitration between the two financial institutions. 
Imagine my bewilderment when I received the enclosed letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, informing me that because I had not respond before the first deadline of XX/XX/XXXX the dispute had been closed. All this time I had been told various falsehoods each and every time I contacted Citicards Dispute Center, leading me to believe Citicards was diligently working on my case. 
Citicards Dispute Center, XXXX XXXX in particular, the person who was supposed to be handling my dispute and whose name appears on the correspondence from Citicards Dispute Center, does not answer her phone. The message the caller  hears when dialing her number for help is that due to COVID, she is also not checking her voice mail. Citicards has made concessions for them during COVID, but has completely and utterly betrayed me as their longtime and moneymaking customerCiticards nets 3 % of my charges. See the enclosed Annual Account Summary for XXXX. I used to charge {$50000.00} to {$60000.00} annually on that Citicard alone. No moreCiticards no longer has my trust or my business. Citcards owed me a fiduciary duty to protect my financial interests when using their bank to conduct business. I have no control over the USPS. Though Citicards leaves their customers with no choice but to consent to their deficiencies during the COVID pandemic, they refused to investigate my dispute after I notified them that I had not received the one and only letter they sent to methrough no fault of my own. 
Mr. XXXX XXXX, the CEO of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX has a very troubling past. He has more than a dozen LLCs with dozens of lawsuits filed against him in both XXXX XXXX AZ and XXXX XXXX AZ. Mr. XXXX had the brazen audacity to sell a phone number ( for $ XXXX ) to a law firm for a number he didnt own! See the enclosed email from the XXXX XXXX XXXX 
I am requesting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau intervene on my behalf. I am not trying to evade valid charges. These charges are fraudulent. Citicards accepted from XXXX XXXX  nothing but the same invoice it emailed to me, as confirmation that XXXX XXXX had performed these services. A fraudulent invoice doesnt verify that the charges on the invoice arent fraudulent! A further investigation should have been conducted after I sent numerous documents to Citicards corroborating my allegation of fraudulent charges. Citicard didnt want to do the work! They stuck me with the bill and walked away.

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