Consumer complaint received 2021-04-02
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I have been using Macy 's XXXX XXXX card for several years now with no issues of any kind. I always pay off the card as soon as possible when it becomes possible to make a payment on Macy 's website. On XX/XX/2021 I made a purchase at a Macy 's store XXXX {$53.00} XXXX. After about a week I went online to pay off the card. After I completed the payment I saw the usual screen confirming a successful transaction and crossed the payment off my list. I haven't used the card since then. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a voice message asking me to call Macy 's. I thought there might be some scam going on, went to check my account online and saw that instead of {$0.00} balance I had {$120.00} balance and it was not any additional purchase I never made but " late fees ''! The account looked as if I had never paid off that {$53.00} balance. I immediately checked my Citibank account that should have the record of the transaction from the middle of XXXX when I paid off the card - and found nothing. So apparently what happened is even though I was shown the screen confirming successful payment after I completed it on Macy 's card website, no payment actually went through, there was no warning of anything incorrect and no communication from Macy 's regarding unsuccessful transaction and later potential late fees. I called Macy 's to explain the situation and they immediately canceled the late fees and I paid the initial sum via phone ( confirmed by Citibank ). I was really shocked by all that but the worst was yet to come : several days after that I received an email informing me that a late payment on my account has been reported to Transunion! I called the number dealing with Macy 's credit card again and after multiple conversations they still refused to remove the late payment from my report saying that they understand the situation but they can't do anything because I can't give any document to support that I made that payment in the middle of XXXX. I asked them again and again to look at my history of years of immediate payments of much larger sums, including recent history, the size of the credit line, etc - all of which make it unbelievable that I would just miss a payment like that - but they keep repeating I have no document. I realize it was my mistake not to have taken a screen shot of that " successful payment '' screen - but after such a long history with Macy 's and no issues any time I guess I was naive enough to trust them. According to XXXX, they have now destroyed the credit history that I have built up over the years and have so carefully maintained - 90 points lost. I can't believe that they should be allowed to do something like this to people and that there is no remedy. I understand we all make mistakes and any website, even a really good one, can have a glitch but to refuse to correct the error of this kind and damage a loyal customer 's credit score to that degree is very wrong, especially in these times. I am sure I am not the only person who finds herself in this situation because if a glitch like this happens once it is sure to happen again and Macy 's XXXX XXXX representatives will again provide no warning of no actual transaction happening, send no email regarding potential late fees alerting their customers that something went wrong and then proceed to cause potentially significant financial difficulties to them by damaging their credit history.

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