Consumer complaint received 2020-09-15
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Fee problem

Complaint:
Dear CFPB : Yesterday I noticed that Citibank had charged me in my Citibank Checking Account numerous unauthorized fees that I never agreed to and that in the same account for more than 10 years I was not charged. 

I opened the account in XXXX California A approximately 13 years ago. I also have other accounts with Citibank. 

Citibank had advertised to me and agreed with me that there would be overdraft protection and no overdraft fees. For more than 10 years, Citibank honored that agreement. 

Citibank also advertised to me and agreed with me that there would no monthly or other fees for the checking account. Again, for more than a decade there were no monthly service fees. 

Yesterday when I logged into the account, which I seldom do, I noticed that I have negative balance and an overdraft charge, both of which were unexpected. Looking closer, I saw that for the last 13 or 14 months, Citibank has been taking {$25.00} out of my checking account as a " Monthly service fee '' every month. 

My main complaint is that neither the monthly service fees, nor the overdraft fee that resulted from them, were ever agreed or authorized by me. 

As an ancillary complaint, I have spent more than two hours, spread over multiple phone calls as well as an online chat session and leaving a voice mail, while experiencing terrible service, trying to resolve the matter with Citibank yesterday and today. 

My original call was dropped -- apparently inadvertently when I was put on hold -- and I had to start over. From there, I have been multiple " blind transferred '' as explained by the call center personnel. I understood I was being transferred to someone with more authority, only to be explained to by that person that they had background and we had to start over. 

At one point, the employee told me I must go in person to the branch where I opened my account and that this was a " branch '' issue. However, the branch is closed. And, what's more, I am in another state with no way to go to that branch even if it were still open for business. 

In addition, yesterday an employee promised I would be called back within 24 hours, and I was not. When I called back today to inquire, I was again passed off to several successive employees, including being derailed to a security unit to ask about a charge from 2018. That person told me they would need to freeze my account access. Perhaps that was an unintentional diversion or tactic but insisting I talk to another team and asking to freeze my online access obviously makes it difficult for me to pursue the hundreds of dollars in unauthorized fees they have charged. 

Ultimately, I was told there was an approval request outstanding that " normally '' would take an additional 24-48 hours to process, and that I should not call back and they would not necessarily call me back whatever the outcome of that request was. 

I am very frustrated by the fees and that is exacerbated by Citibank 's response. Citibank has ended up with hundreds of dollars of my money and will not answer a straight question or promise to respond to me on any timetable now. 

On the plus side, Citibank has reversed two of the fees -- the erroneous overdraft fee as well as the most recent month 's monthly service fee. However, while have said they will look into the complaint, they have not provided any information about when I should expect a response or how I might learn the outcome. 

Further, they have refused to confirm either way whether Citibank plans to charge those fees in the future ( for example, next month or if there is ever an overdraft again ). 

Please help me resolve this matter. I am a lawyer and I am happy to go out and engage a hungry plaintiff 's lawyer who can see a slam dunk case and pursue it. But I would sooner just get my funds back. 

Regards, Consumer

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