Consumer complaint received 2022-10-10
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: FL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Add-on products and services

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX while in the XXXX XXXX I signed up for a card with Best Buy via a point of sale terminal, service desk. The employee did the process for me as I stated I was inexperienced with this sort of thing ( my first credit card ). The employee proceeded to sign me up for something called Enhanced Debt Protection without informing me of what it was, that he was signing me up, and that there was a cost as well. He simply did it all without checking in with me. 

Since XXXX I've been charged fees ranging from around XXXX a month to XXXX dollars or more per month without me noticing since the rates were so low. However, once I did notice it I looked into this and as it turns out the CFPB issued an order to Citi Bank for this very thing back in XXXX. For people that were signed up for this service via a service desk ( which I was ) anytime after XXXX. Citi Bank was ordered by your organization to refund {$700.00} XXXX to the affected accounts which included mine. However, back in XXXX I had no idea I was being charged for this. 

I reached out to Citibank to 1. cancel the enhanced debt protection back in XXXX of this year. 2. Request a refund for the 12 years of them charging me these fees without my approval or knowledge. 

They said they would try and get it approved and that it would take 10 business days and that I'd be notified via mail. So I promptly asked to have my mailing address updated. I waited 15 business days and had not received word. I called back, only to be told it was sent to the wrong address. I verified the correct one once more and they assured me it wouldn't happen again. However, by late XXXX I reached out once again and they apologized saying they sent it to the wrong address AGAIN. At this point it seemed they weren't taking my inquiry seriously. I am now still without word on what their decision for this refund is but it does seem based on your prior ruling in XXXX that I am included in this population that was signed up for services under false or predatory practices. I have given them over 3 months worth of time to simply notify me of my request for a refund and they have failed to do so. 

I know that as an individual in this country I don't have the money to fight something like a bank. So I am glad the CFPB is here to fight for the people who have been wronged. 

I have statements from the last XXXX years and when I asked to have statements from XXXX they have also failed to get those to me. However, they did state that I've been billed for enhanced debt protection since XXXX when I first opened the card at the service desk in store. 


https : XXXX XXXX is the link to the post that your organization made back in XXXX, highlighting the fact that citibank has XXXX done this exact same thing from accounts dating back to anything past XXXX, and that includes people who were signed up via a service desk.

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