Consumer complaint received 2018-04-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: HI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
When I tried to use my credit card back in XXXX XXXX I was notified by the merchant that my account was closed and they advised me to follow up with the bank. I called that evening and was notified by the representative that my account was closed by the bank and that they sent me out a letter explaining why as she could not view what the reason was. On XX/XX/2018 I contacted customer service multiple times to follow up on the reason why and each time I was unable to receive an answer however was advised to send a written statement requesting to reopen my account. On XXXX XXXX I sent the following message : From : XXXX Subject : Credit Account Closed By Bank Date : XX/XX/2018 XXXX XXXX Hi I contacted customer service multiple times yesterday to understand why my account has been closed. I was transferred numerous times and was just told that they sent me a letter due to confidentiality so the representatives were unable to see the reason. However, the last person I spoke to stated that I would be able to view the letter online on my account but I cant seem to find it and would like to know how I can review this information as soon as possible and not have to wait for that letter so that I can do what is necessary. 

They responded : Dear Valued Customer : Thank you for writing to us about your account today. 

To access the letter we sent, navigate to Services in the navigation bar then Statements & Documents. You will see the link for View E-Communications. Please note that documents will automatically be removed after 12 months, so you may want to save them to your computer. 
There is currently no way to manually remove documents from the E-Communications page. 

As always, we value you as our customer, and we appreciate your business. 

Thank you for using our website. 

I followed the instructions and was unable to see the letter. However it wasnt until XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX, XXXX  that I finally received the letter stating the bank closed my account. 

I called later that day multiple times to inquire as to how I can reopen my account. Each rep that I spoke to attempted to reopen it however, were unsuccessful and advised me to send a written statement to the Executive Response Unit. I sent the following letter via mail : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   XXXX XXXX, HI XXXX XX/XX/2018 Executive Response Unit Citibank , N.A . 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, SD XXXX To Whom It May Concern : This letter is regarding my account number ending in XXXX and the two letters that I received in the mail today from the Security Operations Team that were both dated XX/XX/2018. The first stating that there were disputed charges which were not related to a lost, stolen, or counterfeit credit card. After investigating these disputed charges with the information provided, it was determined that I am responsible for these charges. Then the second reiterated the first and declared that effective XX/XX/2018 Citibank has closed the above referenced credit card account. This action was taken because of a security investigation involving the account and that additional transactions will not be authorized. I am reaching out to the Executive Response Unit because I believe there was a mistake that was made regarding the fraudulent transactions. It was never intended for those charges to be labeled fraudulent as they were not only valid, but also authorized as I personally made these charges. Also, when I checked the Credit Bureau Report it states that my account was closed due to dispute resolved ; customer disagrees, when I havent spoken nor received any correspondences until now. When I called XXXX customer service I spoke with XXXX and he expressed that he believes this was all a misunderstanding and advised me to write a letter as well as reassured me, he notated his beliefs and comments as well. 

I am formally requesting to see if my account is eligible to be reinstated and opened. Initially, I was disappointed to hear of my account being closed considering Ive never missed or made a late payment. Recently, Ive gotten injured at work and thus feel that the features and benefits of this card would be immensely useful to me. This cards benefits surpasses other competitors by providing the simplicity of being able to use the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX as a XXXX membership ID ( only need to carry one card ), no additional hidden fees on purchases, and no annual fees. The cash back rewards benefit based off eligible purchases alone is why I chose this card over others. Convenience and peace of mind is really it. 

Therefore, my humble request to reopen my account is simply so that I can enjoy the cards wonderful benefits while also continuing to prove my value to you as a customer. I am hoping this letter finds its way to someone who can help me get my account reconsidered. Thank you in advance and please know that I sincerely appreciate your time and any help you can provide. Should you have any further questions I can be reached at ( XXXX ) XXXX or via email at XXXX Sincerely, XXXX XXXX As of today I still have not received a response and attempted to follow up on the status of my letter and called customer service who insisted they arent sure of what to do or what the process is. So on XXXX XXXX I messaged Citi once again via secure message center the following : Hi, I sent a letter requesting the bank to reopen my account and I havent heard back from them so I just wanted to follow up on the matter. I know that there is no direct phone number to contact but I was wondering if there is any additional information in regards to the process. For instance, once Ive sent the letter requesting my account to be reopened how long can I expect to receive a response? 

They responded : From : XXXX Subject : Re : Account Closed by Bank Date : XX/XX/2018 XXXX XXXX Dear XXXX, Thank you for your inquiry. 

We received your request to reopen your reopen account request. 
Unfortunately, we are unable to handle your request through the Secured Message Center. Please call our Customer Care Center. XXXX. 
If you are outside the United States, XXXX, and Puerto Rico, you may call us collect at XXXX. Our telecommunication number for our hearing impaired customers is XXXX. 

We realize that as a consumer you have many choices, so we thank you for choosing us. 

Regards, XXXX Account Specialist 3 Tennessee So today XX/XX/2018 I reached out to the customer service number they provided me with. Unfortunately to no availability, she was unable to assist me and so I sent the following message to Citi once again via their secure message stating : From : XXXX Subject : Bank closed XXXX Credit Card Acct . 
Date : XX/XX/2018 XXXX XXXX Per your previous message, I called and contacted customer service and unfortunately the rep that I had spoke to was unable to provide me a definitive answer. She was unsure and couldnt even provide me with information regarding to whom I needed to contact or speak with. After trying to reopen my account herself she needed to reach out to the Fraud department who informed her that the account couldnt be reopened and there was no supervisor who could do so. I stated that I understood what she was saying because the previous reps whom I spoken to attempted to do so and then reiterated that they advised me to send a written statement requesting my account to be reopened. Also I inquired as to whether or not the response she received from the Fraud department was current and from the Executive Response Unit but she responded that there were no notes so she was unsure. As per my previous conversations with reps, I had sent my written statement request to : Executive Response Unit XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX, South Dakota XXXX With that said, all Im simply attempting to do is follow up on the process that I was advised to do. Once Ive sent the letter, since I havent received a response Im trying to find out who I can directly contact since previous reps stated that department doesnt have a number to contact and reiterated the only option which was the written request. At this point, it is extremely frustrating because the only response I receive is either to keep getting transferred between departments or speak to someone who has no clue as to what I am talking about. They do try to help, but since they are unable to fulfill the task Im asking they just state that they can refer me back to the department where I can reapply. I really dont want to have to reapply because this account has everything for me and since things have changed over time I know I wont receive the same credit limit or benefits that I had originally. Thus, I understand that the representatives are unable to reopen my account, hence the reason for my letter to the Executive Response Unit whom has the authority to reopen it. Please help provide me this information or direct me to someone who can. If you are unable to, is there anyway that you can reach out to the Executive Response Unit and follow up with them. Once again, Im humbly attempting to get my XXXX Credit Card account reopened so that I can continue to receive the benefits. Ive been a loyal customer whose never missed a payment in my two years with Citi. 


Ive reached out numerous times to show how dedicated and loyal of a customer I am to the bank. However, no one is able to provide me information or in the right direction of who I can contact. They keep giving me the run around and its overly frustrating by this point. I just want to reopen my XXXX Credit Card account so that I can continue reaping the benefits that I enjoy especially since I am still continuing to make monthly payments. I really dont want to have to reopen another account either as the rep I most recently spoke to insisted on because circumstances changed and I wont receive the same credit limit nor the same benefits that I originally had and enjoy.

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