Consumer complaint received 2019-09-17
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: FL
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:
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN XXXX XXXX AND CITI : I'm a XXXX-year-old single  XXXX woman who has lived in my home for over 40 years. I XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX for medical reasons. Since then Ive depleted my XXXX and have been doing my best to live on XXXX XXXX. Its only possible because I have a reverse mortgage and, therefore, no mortgage payments. Of course, the downside is that the mortgage company owns most of the equity in my house. My responsibility under the terms of the reverse mortgage is to pay my insurance premiums and keep my house in good repair. So, when my air conditioner flooded my bedroom and living room, it was my responsibility to get the damage repaired. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I hired XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to replace the floors throughout my house and to replace the walls and closets in the master bedroom which had been damaged by the flood. The contracts I signed total {$22000.00}. I paid XXXX XXXX {$18000.00} which included all of my savings, half of the insurance money awarded, and {$9000.00} charged to my Citi MasterCard. A {$3500.00} charge on XX/XX/XXXX to Citi for  XXXX XXXX was an obvious duplicate of the same charge on the previous day. It was removed from my account on XX/XX/XXXX, after I brought it to Citi 's attention. The remaining {$5500.00} remained on my MasterCard. I dont know if Citi recovered the {$3500.00} duplicate charge from the Mr. XXXX XXXX. 

Mr. XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX abandoned the job on XX/XX/XXXX, after providing only a fraction of what he had promised to do and significantly damaging my home. Most important, he stole the money I had paid him to buy flooring for my entire house which he never bought. At that time, Citi suggested I dispute the charges for XXXX XXXX on my MasterCard because I had not received the services promised. The man in Citi Customer Service told me, Dont you worry, Citi has your back. The charges were removed from my account when I filed my dispute. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received notice that my disputes were open and Citi sent forms for me to complete for the transactions on XX/XX/XXXXfor {$2000.00} and XX/XX/XXXX for {$3500.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX, since the two transactions I was disputing were identical, I submitted both of them on one Citi dispute form. With the form I sent copies of the contracts, a detailed explanation of the dispute, sales receipts, receipts of my payments, a list of all my email contacts with the merchant since he left and disconnected his phone, and photos of the damage to my property inside and out. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Citi saying they had completed the review of my {$2000.00} dispute for the charge on XX/XX/XXXX but did not have enough information to support the claim. The conditional credit, interest and fees were being reversed from my account, and they told me I should contact the merchant. There was no mention of the {$3500.00} charge on XX/XX/XXXX that I submitted with the {$2000.00}. 

I called Citi Billing Disputes when I received the letter. Because I submitted the two transactions on one dispute form with one set of attachments and their computer can only recognize one, it confused the computer. The {$3500.00} transaction was being processed and the {$2000.00} transaction was rejected since it appeared to the computer that it was submitted without documentation. They agreed to move the documentation attached to the {$3500.00} claim over to the {$2000.00} claim and reconsider it. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Citi Billing Disputes regarding both claims. They needed three things : ( 1 ) If the service involved merchandise, I should make it available for the merchant to pick up, and they needed the date I attempted to return the merchandise with the merchants response to the return request for credit ; ( 2 ) The last date I received service ( which Id already clearly given to them in answer to the same question on the forms they had me complete and in the narrative I wrote ) ; and, ( 3 ) A review from second similar merchant with proof directly comparing the contracts with all items purchased and the comparison may not include only simple overviews. They noted that their system can only support black and white PDF copies. ( My color photos never made it to the Dispute Dept. ) The next day, XX/XX/XXXX, I called Billing Disputes and told them ( 1 ) I didnt receive credit from the merchant because I purchased services not supplies and had nothing to return for credit. Also, the merchant moved and was nowhere to be found ; ( 2 ) The last date of service was XX/XX/XXXX ; ( 3 ) I will obtain a report from a professional comparing the condition of my house to what was promised in the contracts. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX in Billing Disputes asking for the same information they had asked for on XX/XX/XXXX and I had answered by phone on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I sent an email responding that ( 1 ) The dispute was for services only ; no merchandise was involved to return for credit ; ( 2 ) Last date of service was XX/XX/XXXX when Mr. XXXX XXXX sent his assistant to do some plaster work for a few hours ; ( 3 ) The XXXX   County Building Inspector who examined my home on XX/XX/XXXX in regard to the XXXX XXXX contracts agreed to follow up his visit with a report to Citi specifically explaining what he found compared to what had been promised. I would forward that report as soon as received. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Billing Disputes which was a duplicate of the prior emails on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. I emailed them that I had sent the first two items of information requested and apologized for the delay sending the written review from the building inspector. I said Id follow-up and get back to them right away. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I talked to XXXX in Billing Disputes about the {$2000.00} transaction that was still on my statement. She said shed have an investigator reconsider the {$2000.00} dispute and take it off my statement while it was being reviewed. She told me to send the information they requested as soon as possible. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi Customer Service Team sent a letter to me regarding both transactions requesting the same three pieces of information requested in the XX/XX/XXXX email. It directed me to return the letter with the requested information by XX/XX/XXXX so Citi could continue the investigation. ( Theres a single reference number on the correspondence referring to both disputed transactions : XXXX. ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent an email to Billing Disputes telling them I realized I owed them the report comparing the services received to the services promised. I said today, for the third time, Id contacted the county building inspector who surveyed the job and said he would write the report for Citi. I again expressed to him the urgency of this matter and explained that, if I didnt hear back from him in two days, Id hire someone else to do the comparison. I told Billing Disputes about my conversation with XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to remove the {$2000.00}, and explained, once again, that Id sent the first two pieces of information ( which I repeated ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Customer Service and spoke to XXXX who eventually transferred me to Billing Disputes where I talked to XXXX. I wanted to let someone know the report and last piece of information they needed was on the way and to ask that my dispute not be closed until they had it to complete the review. XXXX said there was nothing he could do to assure my dispute would stay open but I should send the information right away. XXXX said I may get a couple extra days before my cases were closed depending on the investigators case load. If the investigator had a heavy caseload, my disputes could sit on the desk for a day or two before review in which case they could be accepted after the deadline. However, if the inspector picked up the disputes to review them on XX/XX/XXXX and the  information requested was missing, the cases would be closed for good. Apparently, these are rules established by Mastercard, not Citi, and are not flexible. 

At XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, I sent an email to Billing Disputes explaining that Id tried to keep them updated on my attempts to get the letter they needed. I told them it was promised to me by the XXXX County Building Inspector who investigated the job in depth for the county hearing and, since the county needed the same information Citi was requesting, the inspector said he would write the letter to Citi from his report. I wrote that despite my phone calls and emails, he hadnt done so, and that Id had to hire someone else who was reviewing the job and contracts and emailing his report to them that day. I summarized my story, the money Id lost, how Id tried my best to provide everything Citi needed, and how important it was for them to decide in my favor. I pleaded with them to wait until they had the report later that day before making a final decision. 

At XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, as promised, I sent an email to Billing Disputes with a detailed 2-page letter from a professional ( approved in advance by Citi ) comparing the services  promised by XXXX XXXX XXXX to the services they actually provided and didnt provide. I said Id told them, at least six previous times, the last date of service was XX/XX/XXXX,  and that I had also explained several times that I received services and, therefore, had no supplies to return to this merchant. Also, that I had told them Mr. XXXX XXXX had moved from his apartment, disconnected his phone, closed his business and was nowhere to be found. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX in Billing Disputes referring to both transactions. He requested ( 1 ) the last date I expected service ; and, ( 2 ) a description of service with itemized invoice. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed Billing Disputes that : ( 1 ) The last date I expected service was sometime prior to XX/XX/XXXX, when my homeowners insurance was due to expire. My policy was not being renewed due to the flood damage but I was told the company would consider reinstatement if the damage was repaired prior to the expiration of my current policy on XX/XX/XXXX. Mr. XXXX XXXX assured me the job would be finished in no more than two weeks when we signed the contracts in XX/XX/XXXX. I reminded him on a regular basis how important it was for him to complete the job before my insurance expired. ( 2 ) I attached copies of the contracts with detailed descriptions of the services to be performed and the charges. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Citi thanking me for sending the information they requested regarding the {$3500.00} transaction on XX/XX/XXXX disputed as of XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi Customer Service Team sent me a letter regarding both the {$2000.00} and {$3500.00} transactions. It said that Citi was not able to further assist me since I didnt respond to their request for documentation supporting merchandise was made available for pick-up. They said they needed this to support their request for credit from Mr. XXXX XXXX bank. The letter also said any further dispute would have to be directed to the merchant, that the Citi investigation was completed, and that the conditional credits for these charges + interest + fees were rebilled to my Citi MasterCard. 

I had clearly explained to Citi on numerous occasions that I received services not merchandise. I also had told them more than once that the merchant, Mr. XXXX XXXX, was nowhere to be found -- - not by me, the County, the police, or the State. I had explained to Citi that he had moved his family from their apartment, disconnected his phone, closed his business and his XXXX  XXXX XXXX bank account. 

I called Customer Service in response to the XX/XX/XXXX letter and explained the situation again. They told me that once a dispute was closed, it could not be reopened ( Mastercard rules, not theirs ) but that I could resubmit the disputes and they would be considered. 

Note : On XX/XX/XXXX,. before I had received Citi 's XX/XX/XXXX rejection letter, I called them to see when I could expect to see the charges on my bill conditionally removed. I was told it generally takes 7-10 days to remove dispute charges. I also called to check on the status of my claim and was told the person working on my disputes would call me in 3-5 days. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I resubmitted the disputes. I sent four emails to Citi, two for each transaction ( {$2000.00} and {$3500.00} XXXX because there were too many attachments for any single email, and I was required to send duplicates of all documents to allow each transaction to be processed independently. To further support my disputes, this time I was able to include the XXXX County Order that fined XXXX XXXX {$1000.00} and ordered them to pay me {$17000.00} for services they didnt provide. The Order also recommended I receive {$5000.00} from XXXX County, the maximum retribution they can pay. ( This has since been awarded to me. ) Mr. XXXX XXXX did not show up at either of the hearings. I followed up with Citi by calling Billing Disputes to assure they had received my new claims. They received them on XX/XX/XXXX and told me to give them 7-10 days to review. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi sent me a letter thanking me for providing the information they requested regarding the {$2000.00} dispute on XX/XX/XXXX and assigned it a claim number. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from Citi saying my account was overdue. I was automatically paying $ XXXX/mo. on my account toward a 0 % interest balance transfer so it would be paid off when due XX/XX/XXXX. Because they had added the conditional disputes, etc. back to my account, {$100.00} didnt cover my minimum payment. I told them Billing Disputes had received my disputes on XX/XX/XXXX and said it would be 5-7 days before the charges were conditionally removed from my account again ; therefore, I thought my {$100.00} payment would be more than required to cover my minimum payment. Obviously that hadnt happened so I paid the extra amount due. Then I talked to XXXX in Billing Disputes who told me he would assure the two transactions ( total {$5500.00} ) and the accumulated interest ( {$210.00} ) be removed from my account while my disputes were being  reviewed. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi Customer Service Team sent me a letter regarding both disputes. It said that, as they had told me in previous letters, Citi has no further recourse in this matter. The investigation was closed. The letter also said this was their final letter about the matter and I should consider this investigation complete. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, before I received the XX/XX/XXXX letter, I received another collection call. I called XXXX in Billing Disputes and was told the interest would be removed and my account would be adjusted. He told me not to worry because, even if they denied my disputes and put them back on my account, they would not charge me interest for the time they were being reviewed. ( Unfortunately, XXXX was wrong. ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Billing Disputes and spoke with XXXX about the XX/XX/XXXX denial letter. XXXX told me to ignore the letter finalizing my claims, to tear it up. He explained that it was probably an old form letter sent out before the reviews on the resubmitted disputes began. He said something about my disputes being high dollar cases that took longer to be reviewed. He told me to wait 7-10 days and call back if I hadnt heard anything, and if I was asked for any more information, to give it to them asap. He also said that I should disregard anything else that was not from the investigator reviewing the second submissions. 

In mid-XX/XX/XXXX, I called Citi to find out the status of the duplicate set of disputes I submitted. In summary, I was told the XX/XX/XXXX letter was correct and final and to drop it. For a month I tried to get the reason my disputes were denied. I talked to Customer Service and Client Focus and Billing Disputes on numerous occasions. I spoke to supervisors and managers and tried to obtain an email or other address for anyone who could at least tell me why I was denied. One man said it was because I didnt try to return the merchandise for credit as Citi had requested multiple times. When I told him there was nothing to return, the merchant was gone, and I had told Citi this many times, he said I should have ripped up the flooring that was installed and returned it to XXXX XXXX  for credit myself. Ridiculous! Who would have even thought to do this?! But I would have gladly had someone rip up the partial flooring and try to return it if anyone at Citi had told me that was what I needed to do to have them remove the {$5500.00} from my account! 

Approximately {$500.00} was spent on supplies and {$200.00} was estimated as the value of labor for all work done at my house before XXXX XXXX abandoned the job. I even asked Citi to deduct this entire amount from the {$5500.00} charged on my Mastercard and remove the remaining {$4800.00} from my account as payment for services not received. I already had sent Citi receipts for the few supplies purchased and statements from XXXX County and a letter from another professional detailing what little work was done before leaving my home looking like a war zone. My request to Citi was denied. I was told that, if I received any part of the services promised, no matter how insignificant, Citi had to treat my dispute as a complaint about receiving unsatisfactory services and any attempt to rectify the situation would have to be directed to the merchant. 

When Citi reversed the XXXX XXXX charges and interest back to my account, I didnt have the money to pay the bill in full. I increased my monthly payments to {$200.00} because so much of my payment was going to pay interest. ( Ive always paid my bills in full and dont remember ever paying interest on a charge account in 50 years -- - until now. ) I called Citi Customer Service and explained that my retirement savings were spent, and I was having difficulty trying to live on $ XXXX/mo. XXXX XXXX. I told them I had no idea how I could pay my routine expenses plus add this {$5500.00} for services I never received and pay a new contractor to do the work XXXX XXXX was supposed to have done. I pleaded with them, since I was a loyal, long-time customer, to at least lower my interest rate. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, a letter was sent to me from XXXX XXXX, V.P. declining my request for payment assistance to amend some of the terms of your existing Credit Card XXXX because I didnt qualify as an extreme hardship case. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Citi Customer Service to ask for part of my payment to go toward paying down my balance transfer debt so I could pay it in full when it became due. They said my payment had to be applied toward the charges with the highest interest, XXXX XXXX {$5500.00} charges. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called the number the XX/XX/XXXX letter directed me to call. After I went through my entire story and asked them to explain the letter, I was told they didnt handle extreme hardship in that department and transferred me to Client Focus. I explained my circumstances and asked why I didnt qualify as an extreme hardship case. They couldnt tell me. I asked for the definition of extreme hardship or a hypothetical case so Id better understand why I didnt qualify. They didnt answer. I ended up with the direct phone number to Client Focus and instruction to call them in a few weeks so they could further investigate my case. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Client Focus directly. After telling my story one more time, I was told they would reevaluate the extreme hardship decision and get back to me. I never heard back from anyone. 

I'm attaching what I think will be helpful to support my complaint including the contracts ; the report requested by Citi from a professional comparing the contracts to work done ; the page from my Citi MasterCard statement with XXXX XXXX charges ; the citation issued following the county hearing, and, receipts for all purchases by Mr. XXXX XXXX. I have copies of all my payments to Mr. XXXX XXXX ; a summary of all my emails to and from Mr. XXXX XXXX, the dispute forms sent to Citi ( three times ), and other documents I can make available if needed. 

I continue to work with an attorney from XXXX XXXX XXXX and with the attorney who has been assigned this case in the State Attorney 's office. The State recently located Mr. XXXX XXXX living in XXXX XXXX, FL,. He was arraigned by the State Attorney 's Office on XX/XX/XXXX and has a hearing scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX

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