Consumer complaint received 2018-04-24
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: AZ
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem when making payments
Sub-issue: Problem during payment process

Complaint:
I have file full of documentation, including by chat lines and phone calls, but I can not access the information now, without closing this window, but I can give you the general problem. 

It concerns the inability to make a payment to Best Buy on an internet website that is maintained by CITIBank. The website has a problem, and they are now going to be charging me a late charge on my account even though I have spent perhaps 20 hours on the phone with both Best Buy and Citibank. Today, XX/XX/2018, I got woke up by a recorded message from Best Buy. I don't know why I even bothered trying to call them first, but I did, and was told to call back when they are open. But I already knew from the Corporate Headquarters of Best Buy in XXXX, Minnesota, that the website is provided by, and maintained by, Citibank, not BestBuy. So I started the parade of people in XXXX, First XXXX in XXXX XXXX, XXXX, then back to the US where I got XXXX ( XXXX ), who said he could transfer me to technical support, which sent me back to XXXX and XXXX, who sent me back to US and XXXX, who first said she was in customer support and then changed it to technical support. By that time, I have been sitting on the phone in my underwear for about 40 minutes, so I asked her if the call was being recorded, and she said it is, so I gave a very detailed explanation of exactly what the problem is that anyone actually in technical support and the IT department would clearly understand.. 

If I had not just changed from XXXX to XXXX XXXX, and wanted to drive 84 miles round trip to the nearest XXXX XXXX, to make a deposit that would clear the Best Buy payment, I suppose I could do that, however, I believe it is the responsibility of Citibank to fix the program on the Best Buy Credit Card payment site, so that customers can enter a new payment source, and to also fix the same drop-down window problem in the secure message portion of the website. It is not my responsibility to make a long drive at my expense to let them force me to use a bank account of THEIR choice. 

When you go to the page to make a payment, but you want to enter a new bank account, the page will let you enter routing and account numbers, but then there is a drop-down menu where you have to mark the type of account it is, as an example checking or Money Market, but you can not select either because of the technical problem. The CHOICES CAN NOT BE SELECTED. Before my next payment was due, about XX/XX/2018, I then tried to send Best Buy a secure message, but that window also has a drop-down window with a lot of choices about why you are sending the message, but again, YOU CAN NOT CHOOSE ONE OF THEM, nor can you send a message. 

And that was where the chat came in. I have three pages of trying to explain a technical programming problem to someone who is minimum wage in XXXX. When you ask for Technical support you get customer support. I spent a whole day, and finally called the corporate offices of Best Buy in Michigan where they explained that it is a CitiBank website, not a Best Buy website, and it is maintained by CitiBank.

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