Consumer complaint received 2019-04-13
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MN
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 have been a Citi Bank credit card account holder for 22 years. In XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed three fraudulent charges of {$83.00} each, on my account. I contacted the Merchant, who refused to assist or even respond to my concerns. I then contacted Citi Bank in XX/XX/XXXX. I was informed that all three charges could legitimately be disputed, but that only one could be done automatically, because the automated dispute process goes back only 18 months. The fraudulent charges were from XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. Citi assured me that all three charges would be handled in the same way, but that I would have to request paper statements for the two earlier charges, and then e-mail those to Citi Bank to accompany my request. They said that the XX/XX/XXXX charge would not require this step, because it was within the past 18 months and their system automatically held the records. 

So, following their instructions, I contacted the proper department within Citi and requested paper copies of the two prior statements. I did not receive the statements or hear anything from Citi for several months. I requested them again, via Customer Service, and finally received them in XX/XX/XXXX, a full year after I began the Dispute. By this time, it appeared the XX/XX/XXXX charge had been resolved in my favor with the Merchant. I highlighted the remaining two Disputed charges on the paper statements, XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, and sent them to the e-mail address provided by Citi Bank : XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. This correspondence is included in my Attachments. I received NO communication, response, or resolution from Citi Bank. 

I called Citi Bank one month later to inquire about my Dispute. I also repeated the question from my XX/XX/XXXX e-mail regarding the third charge. I was told that the documentation was received and being processed, and that the third charge ( XX/XX/XXXX ) had been successfully reversed in my favor. Citi assured me that, since all three charges were from the same Merchant for the same thing, the other two would be handled expeditiously in the same manner. I then heard nothing from Citi Bank. I called them again a few months later, and was told that they had contacted the Merchant and were now in the process of reversing the remaining two charges in my favor. I again waited MONTHS and heard NOTHING from Citi Bank, and saw absolutely no credits or reversals on my account. 

Since Citi Bank 's Billing Dispute Department is skilled at lying by phone and performing no actual work, I contacted them next by e-mail. I literally forwarded the XX/XX/XXXX e-mail to them ( it is now XX/XX/XXXX!! ) and asked for an immediate response. Of course, Citi Bank did not respond or even acknowledge my e-mail. The address is correct and accurate, so clearly, someone in the Billing Disputes Department is receiving the messages and ignoring them. After waiting only a few weeks this time for the inevitable non-response, I called Citi Bank on XX/XX/XXXX. The Billing Disputes Department, in true form, was complete chaos. NOW, they told me that they have no record of this Dispute. 

I demanded to speak with a Supervisor, so after a 1.5-hour wait, I was connected to " XXXX, Billing Disputes Supervisor '' ( Employee ID XXXX, according to her ). Totally contradicting her own employees, she informed me that they DID receive my e-mail, but it wasn't handled until " a week or so ago. '' I asked her for the resolution to that Dispute, and she said that, since it was just assigned, she would need " 5-7 days to complete the investigation and respond. '' After I reminded her that I had been waiting over a year and demanded her Employee ID number, she said she would make sure this was resolved and I was contacted within a week. Of course, SHE DID NOT. 

What did she do? Apparently, she deleted the whole case. Since nobody from Citi Bank followed up, and no credit was applied, I contacted Citi again on XX/XX/XXXX. Multiple employees, including the " Manager, XXXX '' told me that they have no record of this Dispute at all ( total amount {$160.00} ). Interestingly, he was the first person to tell me that the Billing Disputes Department, when admitting they had read my e-mail and assigned someone to the case, should have given me a Case Number. The fact that they did not do so makes it abundantly clear that these criminals had no intention of ever working on this case. I then asked XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX, about the status of the other Dispute I discussed with XXXX. This was for a {$1300.00} charge on XX/XX/XXXX, for which XXXX had transferred me to Customer Service. On XX/XX/XXXX, the Customer Service representative had ( claimed to ) submit a Charge Dispute on my behalf for this charge, while she profusely apologized for the incompetence of the Billing Disputes Department. Unsurprisingly, XXXX notified me that he had no record of this Case either. 

I have never experienced such an appalling lack of professionalism and competence in my entire consumer life. To think that I maintained an XXXX credit score while these XXXX abdicated their duties for two years is incredible. I will not allow their continued negligence to affect my credit history and I will not pay {$1500.00} in fraudulent charges while they refuse to do their jobs. Yes, please do publish this case on your website to alert consumers worldwide to the joke that is Citi Bank Credit Card Services.

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