Consumer complaint received 2019-02-07
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Other problem

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX In XX/XX/XXXX I called the Best Buy ( citibank ) Credit Card customer support to get a payoff amount, make payment and close the account. This was completed at that time, amount/payment made/closed account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX Best Buy/citibank withdrew {$190.00} in autopay on a paid off, closed account. I called customer support immediately upon seeing this on my banks app. I was told then that it was a mistake and would be refunded within 10 days. 

No refund was completed so I called back, asked to speak to a supervisor and was again told it would be 7-10 days. On the XX/XX/XXXX, I  received an email from Citi that the refund was being processed and should be in my account within 3 days. 

No refund appeared within the timeframe so I called again, they gave me a account number the refund went to which was not mine, nor the account the money had been withdrawn from. After advising them of their inaccuracy and reproviding the correct account number, I asked how and why this could happen, the account had been set up on autopay and the {$190.00} they withdrew was from the same account I had just re provided. Again I was told 7-10 days.

I called again the following week and requested to be transferred to the next level management as every answer was becoming 7-10 days.

Upon reaching the Executive response team, they agreed that they made the mistake both by withdrawing the money to begin with but also for refunding it to " some other account which was not mine ''. I was told by that team that they had another 7-10 days to review and work on the issue. 

I received a call ( the first callback during this issue ) on the XX/XX/XXXX from the executive response team stating that the only issue left was for her to get verbal confirmation from me that I did not have an account ending in XXXX ( the account they sent the money to ), I confirmed and restate here that I do not have an account ending in those numbers. Her response was that she would rush that confirmation to the " other office in charge of disbursements '' and to expect the refund in my correct account within 5-7 days. 

Upon yet again not receiving the refund I called today XXXX and again spoke with my executive account specialist ( XXXX ) XXXX, she advised me she had been given bad information and that they also needed to recover the money from the erroneous account prior to paying me back for their error. 

( I would like to reiterate that even today Citi confirms they made a mistake, they know I don't own the account they supposedly sent the money to, that they will not refund their mistake-my money until they get theirs back ). 

During this phone conversation which they record, my specialist also informed me that : 1. She now had a response date/iou to me to get back to me by XXXX. 
2. They/Citi can't/wo n't as a matter of policy refund me until they secure their money first.

3. They have no ability to find anything out about the account they sent it to as they do not know who owns it, nor can the receiving bank give out information without the account owners approval, but she has until the XXXX to get back to me, they sent the receiving bank a letter and " I hope they can help ''. 

I requested to speak to the next level of management as I simply could not believe a company as large as Citi could do business in such a way. She told me the next level was the office manager but he wouldn't have access to my account. I said that was fine I would still like to speak to him. She then asked me why as he had no account access? I stated he didn't need to have account access, I wanted to ask him about policy. She then informed me that the office manager doesn't speak to customers. I found these actions pretty telling and is what prompted me to contact Consumerfinance.gov.

We are currently on day 58 of this process as of XXXX and the only difference today from XX/XX/XXXX is that instead of the past 7-10 response time promised, Citi has done 2 things, one upped the time frame to 21 days and 2 advised me they won't refund me until they get their money and they have no way to do that. Citi employees words not mine. 


Any help you can provide on this will be greatly appreciated as I see this as fraud on the part of Citibank/Best Buy Credit institution.

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