Consumer complaint received 2019-08-19
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: WA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Problem with fees

Complaint:
This past XX/XX/XXXX while looking at my credit card bill online, I noticed some fees for a service called “Enhanced Debt Protection”, I also noticed that it had nothing to do with the interest being charged every month so I called Best Buy credit card customer service to find out what was going on. Well, it was worse than a mistake I had expected, it turns out on  XX/XX/XXXX I was somehow enrolled in Enhanced Debt Protection through Best Buy credit card completely unknowingly. It was years ago, but thinking it may have been from when I upgraded my sound system for my car when I was XXXX, but I do not recall if that is correct. Fast forward to over 7 and a half years later I am livid to find out that I have been charged for "Enhanced Debt Protection" without my knowledge....for 7 years and 4 months of my adult life. In the letter they sent me, they said since I was "protected by the benefits of the program up until canceling, all previous fees are non-refundable". Those fees were being charged without my knowledge for over half of my adult life. This WHOLE time I thought I was paying down interest, but mostly just this hidden "Enhanced Debt Protection" fee. I know there were also times I paid that “pay over the phone” fee which is also a complete joke to actually charge customers that. I have also paid my fair share of late fees in my earlier XXXX, but that is beside the point. I was floored to find out I was paying who knows how much for Enhanced Debt Protection for 7 years and 4 monthsI have statements ready to submit to CFPB dating back to XX/XX/XXXX regarding this “Enhanced Debt Protection” that I had no idea about. I have contacted Citi Bank four times to request they send the rest of my statements from beforeXX/XX/XXXX all the way back to XX/XX/XXXX(a month before I was enrolled in EDB program with CitiBank). After saying they can put in a request to get me all the statements, not all of them arrive in the mail. Then my second time calling the Best Buy credit service line they say they can get me some statements, but can't get me other statements, etc.  Two months now we've been going back and forth....they did send me a set of statements....but there are three years missing. They say there is a period where Best Buy Card was owned by XXXX XXXX and another time XXXX so they can't get me that info, told me they could get me 6 more months of statements but they still haven’t shown up in the mail. I should be able to login to my paperless statements via email link to see statements as my consumer right, correct? but alas it will not work. I've tried to estimate the correct amount of so-called Enhanced Debt Protection fees I paid without knowing it, but cannot be completely accurate without paperwork with the exact amount of fees. I am estimating that it is AT LEAST the equivalent of $XXXX  in fees at this point in my adult life.   I originally got this card and account with Best Buy to buy my first laptop for community  college before transferring to XXXX XXXX University to pursue my dreams. First-person to go to college in my family, and graduate. The deal was no interest for 12 months. I could definitely do that! So I signed up for the card.  I told many people I knew who also grew up poor like I did that it was a great way to go if you didn’t have $XXXX saved up for a new XXXX  laptop! Then after I pay that off (on-time) I get completely XXXX over by using this credit card in the future. Side Note on a further complaint I think I will be submitting next month...I noticed that the 2nd laptop I bought for work this last XX/XX/XXXX on my Best Buy card with no interest for 12 months deal....it only shows I've paid $XXXX  on the promotional balance under the details tab when under the payment history it shows I have paid $XXXX towards the $XXXX  purchase made XX/XX/XXXX. It says the deferred interest is a total of $XXXX. Although I am going to pay the entire balance of the purchase within 12 months I still have a feeling that because I have a previous balance on my card that I will get slammed with the deferred interest, because I read that on a list of complaints on this site as well. Honestly, all of this is so sneaky I wouldn't put it past Citi Bank and Best Buy,  I feel SO taken advantage of.  it's beyond infuriating, how can they get away with this stuff with so many people? If I don't get money back from these fees, I am NEVER buying anything on my Best Buy credit card EVER again. I have attached all necessary statements including letters denying to refund fees for a “service” I had no idea I had even signed up for.

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