Consumer complaint received 2020-05-27
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with balance transfer

Complaint:
In XX/XX/2020, I opened a Citi XXXX Preferred Credit Card with Citi. 
On XX/XX/2020 I requested a balance transfer to pay an existing balance of {$2700.00} on my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Credit Card. 

On XX/XX/2020, the balance transfer amount of {$2700.00} posted on the Citi bank account, but the payment for the balance on the XXXX XXXX credit card account had not been received by XXXX. My credit card statements confirmed XXXX had not received payment. 

On XX/XX/2020, the balance transfer fee of {$130.00} posted on my Citi account. At this point, XXXX still had not received payment from Citi, once again my credit card statements confirmed that XXXX had not received payment. 

On XX/XX/2020, I opened an investigation because XXXX still had not received the {$2700.00} payment for the balance transfer. I asked for the check to be investigated by Citi, since XXXX had no records of having received the check that Citi claimed to have sent to XXXX. 

On XX/XX/2020 Citi sent me a letter with regards to the inquiry into the check sent to XXXX. The check number is XXXX. Citi sent me a copy of the check and asked me to contact XXXX XXXX for additional questions. Citi claimed that the copy of the check is proof of payment. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX again to have them research the check # XXXX and they did not find any evidence in their system that the check sent from Citi was negotiated with XXXX. 

Upon investigating the details of the check copy, I found that the check had an electronic endorsement from XXXX  XXXX XXXX. I called Citi bank back to ask further questions about the details of the check and the electronic endorsement from XXXX  XXXX XXXX. After speaking to several account specialists, and a manager, Citi could not tell me why XXXX XXXX XXXX had endorsed the check. They urged me to contact XXXX about the whereabouts of the check and would not provide any further assistance. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I went to a XXXX  XXXX  XXXX branch in XXXX, CA on XXXX XXXX and spoke to a regional manager named XXXX. She was able to locate internal records within XXXX  XXXX XXXX that proved XXXX  had received the funds from Citi on XX/XX/2020, but since XXXX  XXXX XXXX did not know which account to deposit the payment, they claimed to have returned the funds to Citi on XX/XX/2020. ( Once again, XXXX holds my XXXX XXXX credit card, not XXXX  XXXX XXXX. ) Still on XX/XX/2020, I then went to a Citi branch in XXXX, CA on XXXX XXXX and asked for help. With documents in hand showing that Citi sent the balance transfer amount to XXXX  XXXX XXXX, instead of XXXX XXXX, branch members communicated with Citi customer service representative on my behalf but were told that nothing could be done because Citi records showed that the check had been deposited and were not willing to accept the confirmation that XXXX had provided me with that showed Citi wrongfully sent the check to XXXX XXXX XXXX. I returned to the same XXXX  XXXX XXXX branch where XXXX and XXXX XXXX helped me open a commit case to investigate the location of the funds. 

On XX/XX/2020 I received a letter from XXXX  XXXX XXXX that asked me to contact Citi directly. 

I called Citi on XX/XX/2020 and asked to speak with an account specialist who could escalate my concern. I explained that I still owed the balance to Citi for the balance transfer plus the balance transfer fee, but XXXX still had not received any form of payment from Citi to credit the XXXX  Credit Card balance. I notified him that Citi had wrongfully sent the funds to XXXX XXXX XXXX instead of XXXX XXXX. I spoke to an account specialist who ensured me that Citi had found records indicating that they did in fact send the check/funds to the wrong bank. He notified me that my Citi account would be credited for the balance transfer amount, as well as credited for the balance transfer fee. Citi would investigate, and I would receive credits on my account. 

On XX/XX/2020 Citi sent a letter which I received on XX/XX/2020. The letter from Citi stated that Citibank did not initiate anything with XXXX XXXX XXXX on my behalf. The letter stated that I needed to contact XXXX XXXX to ensure my payment was listed for {$2700.00} from Citi. I called Citi again to ask when I would see the credits post on my account. The account specialists claimed that no formal investigation had been opened and the investigation would need to be opened again on the whereabouts of the funds. I asked for Citi to cancel the balance transfer and retract the funds and I do not want to try to resend the check for the balance transfer to XXXX XXXX anymore. They have not honored my request to cancel the balance transfer, retract the balance transfer funds, or credit the outstanding balances on my account.

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