Consumer complaint received 2021-02-06
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX
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:
I, XXXX XXXX, purchased a tour of the XXXX XXXX XXXX  in XXXX  from XXXX XXXX XXXX  via a telephone call with a female on XXXX XX/XX/2020. I used my Citi Card and charged {$670.00} and there was NEVER a mention of any non-refundable policy at the time of the call. The tour was scheduled for XXXX XX/XX/2020 from my notes. Around XX/XX/2020, our flight to XXXX  was cancelled and shortly afterward we started to hear that the borders and the tourist attractions in XXXX  were closed/closing. We waited until XXXX to see if the border shutdown would cease, but we had to make the decision to cancel the trip around XXXX XX/XX/2020. We cancelled all the tours, trains, hotels, etc ... including XXXX XXXX XXXX  ... all refunded our monies paid EXCEPT XXXX XXXX XXXX. They only offered to give us a 'credit + 25 % for a further trip ' but we did not want to go back to XXXX  anytime soon due to the COVID virus, border closings and tourist attractions uncertainty. We only wanted our money back for a tour that we had cancelled with plenty of notice ( over two weeks ), and that we were unable to participate in due to both the US and XXXX  enforcing travel restrictions on tourists. I was forced to chargeback the {$670.00} in XX/XX/2020 with Citi Cards shortly after we were denied a refund from XXXX  XXXX XXXX. 

On XXXX XXXX Citi Cards ( attachment 1 ) and XXXX XXXX XXXX ( attachment 2 ) responded to the chargeback. XXXX  XXXX XXXX stated the tour was non-refundable in a response that was un-readable. They stated that I booked the tour online ( not true ) and I checked a box agreeing to the refund policy ( not true ) and that they executed the tour prior to my departure date ( not true whatever that meant ). Citi Cards stood by the merchant and not the consumer and reversed the charge back to me. 

I appealed the decision on XXXX XX/XX/2020 and was told by Citi Cards to appeal based upon 'good faith denial of services ' ( see note on attachment 1 ). In 'good faith ' we paid for two tours for my family and were denied access to the tour by XXXX  with the US Tourism shutdown ( or the US shutdown of the tourist access to XXXX  ... either way it was a government block ). I received the Citi Cards letter dated XXXX XX/XX/2020 ( attachment 3 ) requesting documentation, which Citi Cards already had. 

I sent a written letter of explanation on XXXX XX/XX/2020 ( attachment 4 ), and called XXXX XX/XX/2020 to make sure Citi Cards was working the appeal. On XXXX XX/XX/2020, Citi Cards issued another denial of chargeback letter ( attachment 5 ). 

Frustrated, I called a Citi Cards Manager ( XXXX ) on XXXX XX/XX/2020, who stated that Citi Cards has done all it is going to do and that they have to pay the vendor and I was responsible for a charge on a service I was denied to utilize. I called XXXX at the Executive Office of Citi Cards on XXXX XX/XX/2020 and he initiated another investigation of the matter and would take up to 15 days to complete. I got another name ( XXXX XXXX ) who would be the investigator. I received no resolution so I called XXXX XXXX in the Executive Offices of Citi Cards on XXXX XX/XX/2020. I called three times for an update and he never called me back. Then I got a letter dated XXXX XX/XX/2020 ( attachment 6 ) stating that the merchant was giving a credit to us for future use but too bad, we are out the {$670.00} for a tour that was cancelled in a timely manner for a reason that was outside our control and that we did not and could not use. And we are forced to return to XXXX  to use the credit should we want to get resolution. 

This is a complete lack of customer service on the part of Citi Cards and it is illogical, cold hearted, immoral and wrong to force a card holder to pay for a service that was not rendered.

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