Consumer complaint received 2022-12-16
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: OR
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
I opened a secured credit card account with CITIBANK, N.A., on XX/XX/XXXX for {$200.00}, which was debited from my person checking account. 

It was exactly 8 weeks before I received my card after making my initial deposit to them in XXXX, XXXX. The first red flag. 

I always paid my balance off before the due date and always paid over my minimum payment due. I would usually pay off the entire balance owed. 

However, after 8 months of nothing but problem after problem, with using the credit card that was issued to me, spending more time on the phone with them ( than I spent on myself ), always having to calls for discrepancies in my balances, amounts credited to my account, just always some errors or issues and got to be too mentally drained. I only got the card to build my credit. And the fact that I sent all my payments thru XXXX XXXX, electronic bill pay, which the creditor receives payment in minutes, not weeks! The recorded ordeal you need to go through to speak to a human was a 45 minute wait, on any given day or night and the fact that Citibank would not credit my account for 10-15 days after receiving my payment. 

After the third card they sent would not work, as the previous two, I was told to " try ordering online ''. That was their answer on how to resolve the issue that none of their cards worked at any store, ATM, etc. 3 cards, within 6 months. Not one single ATM. That day, I told the girl, who had such a heavy accent I could not understand what she was saying but did understand that she kept telling me it was the 120 credit card machines I had tried to use the card at, that were defective, not their cards. I decided to close the account, that day. 

I phoned the customer service on XX/XX/XXXX and inquired about a {$100.00} payment I submitted on XX/XX/XXXX, that was not credited yet to my account. 

After being told that my Agreement stated that credits could take up to 10-15 business days to credit to my account, I told the representative to close my account and send me back my money. 

She stated that : 1 ) I had to have a XXXX balance in order to close my account. Since my Payment had not been credited, I told her I would call her back when it was added to my account. 

Upon receiving XXXX 's statement, my balance I owed was {$100.00} and was not due until XX/XX/XXXX. 

I submitted the payment on XX/XX/XXXX for {$100.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I checked my balance and it now showed I owed {$130.00} and no sign of the {$100.00} payment I made on XX/XX/XXXX. They had charged me {$29.00} late fee and where the {$2.00} came from, who knows? This was a normal statement I received from them each month. I called and argued about the {$29.00} late fee because the minimum payment due was {$35.00} and was due on XX/XX/XXXX. I sent payment on XX/XX/XXXX, by electronic check but conveniently was not credited until XX/XX/XXXX. Therefore they could charge me {$29.00} late fee. 

Again, I called customer service and a phone message read they would be closed until XX/XX/XXXX. 

I then went to the XXXX XXXX and sent a detailed message ( via email ) regarding the above and indicated, again, that once my payment of {$100.00} is credited, to " close my account ''. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I phoned Citibank, yet again inquiring about different balance amount and where was my {$100.00} payment at. I was told that, " the payment I made in the amount of {$100.00}, was being held due to a checking account that I had linked to my credit card account was overdrawn. 

I about flipped out. I explained to him that there were NO checking accounts linked to that credit card and that there must be some mistake because I never opened a checking account nor funded any checking about affiliated with Citibank, ever! 

I then asked to speak to his supervisor. This was the rudest, unprofessional, person I ever spoke with. He literally was screaming at me telling me that the payment I made for {$100.00} will not be released until I bring the checking account balance to XXXX. 

I told him I would do no such thing because I never opened the account. He said " then your account will never be credited '' and slammed the phone down and hung up on me. 

I called back and told a different gentleman to credit my account with my last payment I made, close my account and return my initial money to me that I was done and horrified at what had just occurred. 

I immediately followed it up with another email stating what occurred and to close my account, return my deposit and I was done with their company. 

I then received an email the following day for a checking account they said I opened. The account was overdrawn because there was no money ever deposited into the account and they charged me a {$15.00} monthly service fee and since there was never any money funded into this alleged checking account, they then charged me a {$34.00} fee for not having the {$15.00} service fee in the account, which indicated I now owed {$49.00} for an account I never opened, signed for, never received any documentation for and never funded. 

I again called the following day, XX/XX/XXXX, when I filed a Complaint with the CFPB for not crediting my payment. 

That was the top of the iceberg. I never received another thing from Citibank, no email, no paper mail until XXXX, XXXX. 

I received a XXXX Notice from XXXX XXXX indicating I now owed Citibank {$260.00}? 

Again, I called Citibank and after a 136 minute phone call, I was told that it was sent in error and that I should be expecting my deposit within 4 weeks. 

I contacted a different branch about the alleged checking account and was told the account would be closed, I would not be charged and she would close my credit card account and refund my {$200.00} and should receive the deposit in 4-8 weeks. This was XX/XX/XXXX. 

After being assured this " collection was in error '', I again waited for my deposit. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX XXXX about switching auto insurance. The gentlemen quoted me an unusually high quote. I then asked him why was it so high, he replied because of my poor credit ( FICO ) score. 

After hanging up, I checked my credit score and I went from a 702 credit score to a 423.

Citibank had recorded my credit card as non payment for 6 months, was a " charge off '' and was closed due to non-compliance and non payment! 

How can they destroy an innocent person 's credit for falsely making such untruth statements. 

I closed that account and have several emails to Citibank proving they received it. The {$100.00} payment I made on XX/XX/XXXX, was NEVER credited to my account. They took the {$130.00} they said I owed and continued to keep my account opened and charged me {$49.00} each month for " late fees '' which gave me a total of {$260.00}. Why they stopped there and aren't still charging me, who knows. 

Also, I checked with XXXX and the " charge off '' was made by Citibank a week after I filed my complaint with your offices. 

The letter that they responded and you enclosed for my review, was nothing but lies. 

They did not honor what they agreed to do to resolve this matter but instead, stole my payment of {$100.00}, did not close my account as requested 3 times, the last time on XX/XX/XXXX and also intentionally kept the account opened to run up the fees to where I owed them money. 

The letter, which by the way I never received but had to get a copy from the CFPB, from Citibank reflected that my ending balance was {$230.00} with a minimum payment due of {$100.00}, which they state was credited to my balance. That is a complete false statement. They indicate they received the payment, however, there are no statements from XXXX through XXXX that indicates that payment was credited. In fact, I have enclosed copies which I received from Citibank of my XXXX 's I XXXX statement, my XX/XX/XXXX statement which indicates I owed {$130.00}, not crediting my {$100.00}. 

When and what date was the {$100.00} payment credited to my account? They didn't have any record of it and I was told it was being held to cover the overdrawn " phony '' checking account I never opened or funded or authorized. 

Citibank also advised that the " checking account '' that was mysteriously opened by a ghost, would be addressed under a separate cover. I never heard or received any additional correspondence from Citibank after last receiving my XXXX statement. 

As I said, I never knew it was sent to collections nor did I have any knowledge that Citibank scorned my credit by keeping my account opened after 3 emails and numerous calls I made prior to XX/XX/XXXX to CLOSE MY ACCOUNT but refused to do so and kept charging me. I have statements where in XXXX I still owed {$130.00}, no credit of the {$100.00}. XXXX, no statements were found, XXXX statement they said I owed {$320.00} and minimum payment of {$290.00} was due. Then the statement the collection agency sent me indicated I now owed {$260.00} and {$260.00} was due. 

Where in the world do they come up with these amounts. And who does their billing? Every month it was like that. A jigsaw puzzle that you had to take out all the pieces and put them all together and every month, their amounts were " over '' charging me and used the " oh, your payment wasn't credited to your account '', which explains their tactic for holding onto a payment for 2 weeks, just to mess up the billing to overcharge and intentionally device the consumer, " me ''. I will try to upload all the copies because I have copies of every email, logged down every phone call and have even ordered my call logs from my mobile service provider for the months of XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, which indicate the hours upon hours I was on the phone with this company. My emails however, are my hard proof. 

There was no reason why they did not honor my written request to close my account and was no reason, except malicious intent, to leave it open to accrue bogus charges. 

My account was paid in full and had a XXXX balance. Not to mention the identity theft and/or criminal acts to open a fictitious checking account then place fees on it, all to hold a payment I made? 

There is not one thing that was legal, ethical or morally right in the way that they handled my account and makes me weary of what information they have and if they can damage my credit score in a drop of a hat, I hate to think what else these people are capable of. I have filed complaints with the proper credit bureaus and filed an identity theft report with the XXXX XXXX XXXX Attorney 's office in reference to this checking account I never opened. 

Needless to say, I have NEVER received my {$200.00} and now I am not only going to file a Complaint with every Federal Agency, but will retain an attorney and sue them for damages they have done to my credit report, along with the money they owe me and other punitive damages that I am more than entitled to. 

In my opinion, this company is corrupt at the highest level and should be banned from being able to harm and damage anybody 's credit score. They destroyed my credit score so badly, I couldn't get a {$.00} loan for a stick of gum and it was done with malicious intent to where they could destroy my credit and not have to pay me what they owe me which is the highest level of fraud, deceit, corrupt, unethical and unprofessional business practices and should be shut down for good. I have never in my life dealt with such corrupt practices. 

I already filed a false reporting against Citibank with every Credit Agency, XXXX, XXXX, etc., But have not heard anything back as of the date of this filing of this " new '' complaint.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation