Consumer complaint received 2021-02-09
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:
Citi Bank Dispute with XXXX, XXXX Amt. XXXX Filed dispute with Citi Bank on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Never received a letter from Citi Bank requesting back up documents for my dispute. 

Emails to Merchant CANCELING the order were forwarded to merchant on XX/XX/XXXX ( within 24 hours of said order ), XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX ( and have been submitted to Citi Bank ) No responses to above emails from merchant, even though they state they have 24/7 Customer Service ( and submitted to Citi Bank ) Merchant shows a XXXX  XXXX, CO XXXX address on their website and they are actually located in XXXX, XXXX. Citi Bank is informed of this information. 

Merchant has removed their website from the internet. Citi Bank was informed of this information. 

XX/XX/XXXX Received E Communications Letter on Citi Bank 's secure website, that my dispute is closed, the charge is reversed back to me and Citi Bank rules in favor of the Merchant. Copies of XXXX 's rebuttal are attached at the end of this communication! Nothing attached! 

Copy of Citi Bank 's response : Date Amount Description XX/XX/XXXX {$160.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX A copy of the merchant 's response is enclosed. 
Based on the information available, we have closed our investigation and reversed our credit. 

( No Merchant response attached ) I have NEVER RECEIVED any email communication from the merchant, other than confirmation of order. I have NEVER RECEIVED any products ordered, despite Citi Bank stating they have PROOF OF SHIPPING AND PROOF OD RECEIPT but have NEVER FORWARDED SAME TO ME. 

I thought I had done my due diligence, verifying this merchant was located in the XXXX, however, have since found, that many SCAMMER XXXX Merchants are securing US addresses for their websites to convince US citizens they are buying from an American company! ( Verification of several merchants who are located in XXXX and using US addresses were investigated. Call made to one company whose address was used and they verified no such business is located at their address ) I request a reopen of my dispute on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Citi Bank informs that said back up documents can be emailed to them to XXXX Back up documents forwarded. Never receive confirmation of receipt of documents from Citi Bank. 

XX/XX/XXXX On Line Chat with Citi Bank states, no email received. Original email was never sent back as UNDELIVERABLE. Forwarded email 2 more times. 

XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Confirmation from Citi Bank that email was received. Direct quote from Citi Bank in email : Thanks for providing additional information regarding your {$160.00} dispute. We're reviewing it and will get back to you. 

ON LINE CHAT conversations with Citi Bank ( through their secure website ) : Request is made to receive merchant 's rebuttal documents. Citi Bank informs the documents will be uploaded and available in 24-48 hours. 

48 hours later, no documents are uploaded. 

Conversation with Dispute Back End ( Specialists ) Team Member, only document received from merchant is copy of order form. 

ON LINE CHAT : Citi Bank states they are in receipt of a PROOF OF SHIPPING AND PROOF OF RECEIVING receipts from the merchant. Request is made for these documents. Citi Bank states they will upload within 24-48 hours. 

48 hours later, no documents! 

Citi Bank now claims dispute was submitted under wrong classification and should have been submitted as UNAUTHORISED CHARGE and Citi Bank may NOW not be able to assist with dispute! 

Citi Bank uploads one document with no letter head, but is obviously as what the Dispute Back End Team admitted Citi Bank received from merchant, ONLY a copy of the order. 

Request answer from Citi Bank how this dispute was submitted in the wrong category and Citi Bank may not be able to assist, when it is clear the order was authorized. NO RESPONSE. 


Citi Bank informs that the order was made, then canceled and submitted, GOODS NOT RECEIVED and I, the consumer must understand, there is a difference. On line, it is clearly a submissions of an Unauthorized Charge or Good Not Received. Since the charge was authorized, how can Citi Bank say it was filed incorrectly and no assistance may be available? No Response. 

Requests are made many more times requesting a copy of the PROOF OF SHIPPING AND PROOF OF DELIVERY. Citi Bank informed it is being mailed. No receipt of any documents. Request was made again. Citi Bank forwards a copy of the blank ( no business letter head ) original order, but no PROOF OF SHIPPING OR PROOF OF RECEIPT documents, that Citi Bank said they had. 

Citi Bank does not reopen said dispute, no reverse temporary credit is made on account. 

Citi Bank forwards a letter for signature and states : Citi Bank DEMANDS copies of emails from merchant stating the merchant accepts my cancelation request. 

Citi Bank DEMANDS a copy of the merchant cancelation and refund policy from their website ; which, no longer exists, however it is found on a Suspicious Review site on XXXX XXXX, and states : Please contact us as soon as possible. Any items already shipped can not be canceled. ( Order was canceled within 24 hours! ) All refunds will be made within 10 business days. This has been submitted to Citi Bank, but is refused because it is not the merchants website, which Citi Bank has been informed ( on many occasions ) the merchant no longer had a world-wide website!

From Citi Banks Letter on E Communications through the secure website : If you continue to dispute this charge please provide : Proof of the terms and conditions you agreed to and documentation to prove you cancelled in accordance with those terms and conditions. An example of this proof is a cancellation confirmation email from the merchant. 

Request made that Citi Bank to do THEIR JOB and request said information from the merchant since no emails in response to cancelation and no product was ever received from the merchant to consumer ( ME )! 

Citi Bank was informed that the merchant used a fraudulent address in the United States as their location, when they are actually located in XXXX, XXXX. 

Citi Bank was also informed the merchant charges State Sales Taxes for the states that require State Sales Taxes ... when indeed, the merchant in located in XXXX! 

Citi Bank is now informed that even though their customer may be a XXXX XXXX, she does not have a fragile mind or XXXX and is feeling Citi Bank is intentionally trying to intimidate and bully their long time, paid in full every month, credit card customer! 


Merchant 's phone number is verified the merchant is located in XXXX, XXXX and reported to Citi Bank. 

XX/XX/XXXX Citi Bank forwards the following E Communications letter ( BEAR IN MIND, THE ORIGINAL LETTER RECEIVED STATED DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY XX/XX/XXXX! ) Date Amount Description XX/XX/XXXX {$160.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  We have reviewed the information concerning this dispute. Unfortunately, we are unable to resolve this dispute in your favor since we have not received the proof of what was expected versus what was received and the document showing you made an attempt to resolve this dispute directly with the merchant. Please contact the merchant to pursue this matter further. We now consider this investigation complete. 

Response made to Citi Bank in reference to above by email, dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX : PLEASE NOTE AND BE ADVISED OF THE FOLLOWING : 1. Citi Bank Dispute Dept. stated in the On-line Chat through Citi Bank 's website ( Check your records! ), that Citi Bank has received PROOF OF SHIPPING AND PROOF OF DELIVERY receipts from the Merchant, XXXX, located in XXXX. You also stated that you were mailing said documents to me and I have today, received a copy of what looks to be the order, on a blank paper, no business name etc. The PROOF OF DELIVERY AND PROOF OF RECEIPT DOCUMENTS WERE NOT ENCLOSED! 

2. Using this document received however, does show proof on intent to purchase, which clearly shows that I DID NOT SUBMIT MY DISPUTE UNDER THE WRONG CATERGORY WHICH CITI BANK STATED, MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST ME BECAUSE I DID NOT FILE IT UNDER UNAUTHORISED CHARGE! but GOODS NOT RECEIVED! ... WHICH IS TRUE! THEITEMS HAVE NEVER BEEN RECEIVED! 
Citi Bank has also violated my rights to return said requested documents, that I have in my possession ie : copies of MY EMAILS that state this is to be CANCELED etc. As I have repeated MANY TIMES ... I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANYTHING FROM THIS MERCHANT IN RESPONSE TO MY CANCELATION EMAILS ... THEREFORE, IT IS CITI BANKS RESPONSIBILITY TO PURSUE THIS REQUEST WITH THEIR MERCHANT! NOT ME, THE CONSUMER, especially since I have no access to the Merchants email account to provide said documents, that do not exist in the first place!

( Citi Bank On-Line Chat responses have been saved )

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