Consumer complaint received 2023-07-10
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NJ
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:
Solar was installed in XXXX of XXXX with a system ID of XXXX. Price was set at {$94.00} per month provided that the solar tax credits that I received from the state were given to XXXX by XXXX. The amount due at that date was {$8800.00}. I received a call on XXXX from a XXXX " rep '' telling me that I had a payment due of {$8800.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. I questioned it and they asked me to go into my portal where I could see the payment due. I told them I did not have the money for it and put it on a credit card. My credit card was Citibank Mastercard. Within minutes of the payment I received an email saying " thanks for the early payoff ''. I called XXXX back XXXX minutes after the credit card payment was made and requested a refund. The customer service rep told me that the payment was pending and to call my credit card company and dispute it. I asked for a letter telling me that XXXX would not block the dispute. They sent me an email confirming that they would not be blocking the dispute and apologized for the bad information given to me by the representative that forced me to make the early payment. There was a case idea generated by XXXX with the number XXXX. Citibank instituted a conditional credit on my account while they investigated the issue. The case was prematurely closed due to a clerical issue on XXXX and the charge reappeared on my statement. The dispute was reopened on XXXX through Citibank Mastercard where I was finally able to provide documentation of what had transpired with XXXX. I called XXXX and escalated this issue as this was literally fraud ( my being told that this amount was due when I had almost a full year on the terms of that portion of the contract ). Someone named XXXX XXXX was assigned to the case and served as an advocated for me through their billing and collections department. XXXX has a billing department to which you can not reach. I have never heard of a billing department without a phone number. XXXX on a recorded line has told me that their customers do not have the ability to speak to their billing and collections department. While Citibank was investigating the dispute, XXXX and XXXX generated a " one time '' courtesy refund for the full amount of {$8800.00} to my bank account despite informing me that the refund would be generated back to the original payment method. Upon receiving this refund, I immediately called Citibank and informed them I had gotten a refund so they advised me to close the dispute and just pay the bill. At the closing of the dispute, the full charge of {$8800.00} reappeared on my statement on XXXX. I then paid in full on XXXX. Citibank is stating a transaction ID of XXXX where they reversed the charge and reimbursed XXXX. XXXX is stating that they never received the payment and has now issued an immediate bill for the {$8800.00} again. This bill in currently due and interest and late fees might be assessed if not paid immediately. Neither Citibank nor XXXX will help me figure out where the money went between Citi and XXXX. Citi is maintaining that my statement of their reversal is good enough documentation that the funds were released to XXXX. XXXX is saying that they don't have the funds, period. In the interim I have requested that XXXX disable my auto-pay so that my bank account can not be auto-drafted this amount that I have already paid. That case ID is XXXX. Someone named XXXX XXXX has been assigned to my case from XXXX and thus far has not been able to get to the bottom or provide the resolution. Upon calling Citibank they will not provide me with the necessary documentation to prove that they have made payment on my behalf. Citibank continues to just maintain that they paid XXXX and that the reversal on my statement in proof that XXXX was paid. In the meantime XXXX has marked this as currently due and interest and penalty will be assessed.

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