Consumer complaint received 2019-07-10
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NJ
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
My father  is over XXXX years old. He has a joint checking account at Citibank with my mother. My mother was not able to get on the phone. My father asked me to check his account statement online on XX/XX/2019, but I could not access his account. I called XXXX to try to resolve this problem and get access to his account. They spoke to my father directly. My father answered all their questions accurately, but they refused to grant him access to the account.

We spent over 50 minutes and spoke to several account representatives, and alleged " managers '' who could not resolve the problem. On the last failed attempt, the only two questions they asked my father were ( 1 ) his account number, and ( 2 ) the last four digits of his social security number, both of which my father answered correctly. I verified them myself. Yet he was told by the representative that the answers were wrong and they refused to give him access to his own account information. When I asked the representative to simply repeat what she had heard my father say, so that I may verify whether or not she heard it right, she refused and told us that it was against company policy to simply verify that they heard my father correctly. Her name is XXXX. Her subordinate 's name is XXXX. Their team ID No. is XXXX. I was told that the representatives were operating from XXXX XXXX, XXXX, but they could not divulge the name of the person responsible for the call center at which they work. They gave me only an address where I could mail my complaint. Citibank Retail Bank Executive Response Unit, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX TX XXXX, but they did not give the name of any person in charge. 

When I asked to speak to the head of the department, I was told they could not escalate the problem any further. I was not given an email address or a fax number where I could send a power of attorney, which my father had signed authorizing me to access his account so that I may manage his finances, and pay all his bills in a timely fashion. I was told that they would mail me a POA form. I gave them my address but when I asked them to verify what they had heard me say, so I could be sure they heard me correctly, she insisted that she could not verify the address that I gave her, to which they should mail the POA. So, now, I have no idea whether they have the right address, and it will be weeks before I or my father can access his own account online. 

It is sickening to realize that Citibank has outsourced the job of managing US accounts to people overseas, to save a few dollars, and at the same time has made the process of accessing information about US accounts so difficult that they have effectively made it impossible for US clients to access their own accounts. There isn't even a local Citibank branch near our house in XXXX NJ. Banks should not be permitted to operate in the US, if they are not available to handle complaints and provide efficient local customer service.

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