Consumer complaint received 2016-09-13
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Billing statement

Complaint:
I have a department store card with Macy 's, who is misapplying payments to their gain. The account has a regular revolving portion, but they also offer 12-month no interest promotions for large purchases. I have been told repeatedly that payments and credits get applied to the revolving account first. XX/XX/XXXX, the balance due by XX/XX/2016 was paid IN FULL for all purchases that had not otherwise been returned by that date. We also paid and additional {$100.00}, which we were planning to allocate to the interest-free balance once payments posted. However, when we got our statement ( closing date XX/XX/2016 ), I was shocked that we had more than {$800.00} in the revolving balance, due on XX/XX/XXXX. We did not make anywhere near that amount in new purchases. After reviewing the statement I found that they had arbitrarily and mistakenly applied most returns and payments ( {$510.00} ) to the no-interest balance. This left a huge balance in the revolving account making it eligible for interest charges, to Macy 's benefit. 

I have had several lengthy conversations with multiple representatives in multiple departments to no avail. I called customer service on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX and they were clueless on what to do. I asked to be transferred to the credit department and the woman who answered had no clue how to make sense of the statement either, so I asked for a supervisor. I was then transferred to XXXX XXXX ( supervisor ) who could n't understand what was happening either. I had to explain multiple times what the issue was before she understood what was happening. How does a supervisor not know how to read a statement? Even when she got what the problem was, she still did n't know how to fix it. She was supposed to call me on Friday XX/XX/XXXX but she did not call back with any answers. 

On XX/XX/2016, I left a messages for both XXXX at XXXX, as well as for XXXX at XXXX. Sick of the getting the run around form Macy 's, I also filed a complaint with the XXXX on XX/XX/2016, to which Macy 's did not respond. 

On XX/XX/2016 with the help of the XXXX, I finally got ahold of a woman by the name of XXXX XXXX at XXXX and was told the account would be audited and I would hear back from her within two weeks. She also assured me that any interest charges would be reversed since this is a problem they have dragged on, not me. 

She never got back to me so I tried reaching her today, XX/XX/XXXX, to no avail. I left a voicemails for her but I work during the day so when I ask to get off early to deal with this problem, I ca n't just sit around waiting for a call. I called the front desk at XXXX and asked if I could speak to XXXX XXXX, but was told she does n't take incoming calls. This is interesting since she took my call before when the XXXX intervened and she personally gave me her number for me to reach her, but now she suddenly does n't take incoming calls. I asked if someone else could help and was transferred to XXXX XXXX, who was not familiar with anything on the matter and could not help in any way. Apparently the person who transferred me just wanted to pass the buck. XXXX also promised to call back, but my confidence is low based broken past promises. 

The problem is simple, yet Macy 's had to conduct an audit and still ca n't figure out that XXXX was posted to the wrong account on XX/XX/2016. Just looking at the " Activity and Details '' on page XXXX of the statement ending XX/XX/2016 makes this painfully obvious to anyone with eyes, yet multiple professional representatives ca n't figures this out? 

According to the XXXX site, and confirmed by XXXX XXXX, Macy 's gets these types of complaints all the time. As I feared, there was an interest charge on the account on XX/XX/XXXX for {$20.00}. The first of many if this problem drags on. Maybe these are n't mistakes, but a deliberate scam to make more money by Macy 's who ca n't seem to keep their stores open.

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