Consumer complaint received 2019-10-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Traveler's check or cashier's check
Issue: Confusing or missing disclosures

Complaint:
In late XX/XX/2019, I recieved a personal check from a former landlord for the amount of {$5700.00}. The check was from Citibank. I do not have an account with Citibank, so I took the check to my local citibank to get it cashed. The Citibank closest to my home did not even look at the check. As soon as I approached the teller saying I need to cash this check they said we do not cash checks here go to the next town over and cash it there. I went to the Citibank in the next town over and they told me that they will not cash a check for over XXXX $ and to get a cashiers check or 2 smaller personal checks. I went to my former landlord and told her what happened she immediately called her bank to ask them why a  check she issued was not allowed to be cashed. They advised her to issue a cashiers check which they said is like cash and will not be rejected no matter the amount. So she gave me a cashiers check with my name on it a few days later. It was an official check signed by an official person employed at the Citibank where my landlord has her account. They said there will be no problem cashing the check as it itself is as good as cash. This time before i went to the bank I was anxious about getting embarrassed again. I decided to call the Citibank XXXX number to verify that intact I can bring a cashiers check issued by Citibank to Citibank in the amount of XXXX $ and get the cash for it even though I do NOT have an account with Citibank. I wanted to know this for sure. So I called you he XXXX number more than one time as did my wife just to make sure for sure that I could cash this cashiers check. Every time I called they said of course you can cash it, it is as good as cash, no account needed, and the purpose of a cashiers check is the guarantee of funds especially for large amounts. So again I went to the Citibank closest to my house first and the same thing happened as last time. They said we do not cash checks here please go to the next town over, I told them that I just spoke to Citibank customer service and they said that a cashiers check is like cash. They said they do not have XXXX $ in cash but the other Citibank does. So I went to the other towns Citibank and they said they can not cash a check over XXXX $ even a cashiers check. I told them I just spoke to the Citibank people over the phone and they said its as good as cash. So that branch told me to go to the exact Citibank where my landlord got the cashiers check and that Citibank would have to cash it. Because the funds were guaranteed from that bank and the person that signed the check officiating would be able to verify its validity. I drove to that Citibank location. This was the second day of work that I had to miss because what I thought was going to be 30 minute errand turned into a dehumanizing 2 hours long gas wasting ordeal. And of course for nothing. When I arrived at the Citibank that issued the cashiers check I was holding. The same bank that told my landlord that a person with no account will have no problem cashing the cashiers check at any Citibank branch. The very bank told me no that the official cashiers check that they signed at that same branch location would not cash the check because I do not have an account. I had all my identifying documents whatever they needed. This was devastating, that money was to be a down payment for a place to live for my wife and our XXXX babies. Out of desperation and out of options I was forced to go to a check cashing place that was able to cash the check for me upon going through all the necessary security protocols, such as calling the issuing bank and the calling, the landlord, all things that Citibank could have done. The check cashing place charged me XXXX $ to cash the check. They charge a percentage of the amount of the check. Please help. Why would the Citibank phone reps keep telling me that a cashiers check is good for any amount, no account needed, as long as you have ID and the check is as issued and signed by Citibank. I feel like I through away 2 work days and XXXX XXXX Why even issue a cashiers check if you are not going to honor the guarantee being made.

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