Consumer complaint received 2021-09-15
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Didn't receive terms that were advertised

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX - Signed up for a Citi XXXX checking account with an advertised " {$1500.00} welcome bonus with the terms " within 30 days of opening your account, deposit {$200000.00} or more in 'New-to-Citibank ' funds '' and XXXX maintain a minimum balance of {$200000.00} ... for 60 consecutive calendar days ''. Citi 's website crashed while completing the application, which prevented me from printing any promotional, application status or confirmation screens. After the site crashed, I promptly called Citibank and confirmed my application was accepted and promotion activated however I would have to wait until I received my debit card and pin number in the mail in order to deposit the necessary funds since I could no longer transfer the funds electronically as part of the application process because of Citi 's website technical issues. 
XX/XX/XXXX - Electronically deposited the necessary {$200000.00} per the terms of the welcome bonus in my Citi XXXX checking account XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi again ( spoke with XXXX @ XXXX ) to confirm my funds were received within the necessary timeframe to earn the welcome bonus and the 60 day counter would be starting in order to earn said welcome bonus. I specifically asked if I needed to sign up for any additional savings accounts or do any other activities to earn the bonus like making bill payments out of this account and was informed nothing else necessary. 
XX/XX/XXXX - 60 holding period satisfied for earning {$1500.00} welcome bonus XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again ( did not write down Citi representative 's name ) and confirmed that my welcome bonus requirements were satisfied in full and I would not have to wait for the bonus to hit my checking account. 
XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again to inquire on the status of welcome bonus ( spoke with XXXX ) and was informed that all requirements were met for earning the bonus and I would see it deposited in my checking account within the next 40 days XX/XX/XXXX - Verified my checking account still does not reflect the {$1500.00} welcome bonus XX/XX/XXXX - Spoke with my Citi XXXX relationship manager ( XXXX - XXXX Citi local branch ) who said he would be researching this issue on my behalf XX/XX/XXXX - Spoke with XXXX at Citi XXXX who said I should have indeed earned this welcome bonus based on my banking activity and she would be filing a claim ( ref XXXX ) for the missing welcome bonus. XXXX mentioned that some welcome offers require signing up for a savings account which I was not prompted to sign up for during my application process, but that this was not necessary in order to earn the welcome bonus XX/XX/XXXX - Notified by Citi letter that " we are not aware of any promotions offered in conjunction with the opening of your account '' even though I confirmed with multiple parties that the promotion was active, I had properly applied for it, and had satisfied the necessary requirements for earning the bonus XX/XX/XXXX - Sent additional requested documentation to Citibank to help confirm the welcome bonus offer I had signed up for XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again and spoke with XXXX who confirmed my fax was just received a day prior and I would be hearing back shortly from Citi with a response XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again and spoke with XXXX who confirmed my claim was denied and that the wrong promo code was likely applied therefore she filed a new claim on my behalf ( code XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again and spoke with XXXX who XXXX my claim was still pending XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citi XXXX again and spoke with XXXX who said my third claim was denied due to an invalid or non-targeted welcome bonus Each person at Citi I have spoken with since effectively earning my welcome bonus XXXX XXXX has asked me to provide a promotion code, even though no promotion codes are listed on any Citi XXXX  welcome bonus sign up page or anywhere I was able to ascertain during the application process. The only promotion codes I was able to obtain were provided directly by Citi representatives and appear to be an internal codes not visible to customers, and yet I have been repeatedly asked for this code to prove the terms of the bonus I signed up under and that I had indeed met the requirements of this welcome bonus after earning said bonus, but of course not once during my application process or holding period for earning the bonus. This appears to be a bait and switch tactic that Citi is employing ( fictitious welcome offer ), coupled with a fool 's errand digging up promotional codes that do not actually exist or are unavailable to the general public in an attempt to frustrate customers into giving up on the duly earned welcome bonus. I have included welcome bonus offer pages I was able to find shortly after I applied for my account, however I am not sure if they are the exact same offer I applied under ( directly from my logged in Citi credit card account ) considering the website crashed prior to fully completing my application.

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 monetary relief