Consumer complaint received 2023-11-29
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NJ
Product: Credit card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Problem getting a working replacement card

Complaint:
Hello, My complaint is against Citibank Credit Card Division for Wayfair website business. 
Last Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, I was on Wayfair website trying to purchase an item which was on sale for XXXX  XXXX. 
I applied for Wayfair credit card, managed by Citibank trying to take advantage of a 0 % plan. 
I was approved. 

After applying, customers can see a message right after your application was successfully submitted. A reference number for that application and the telephone number of Wayfair to follow up. 

I made the phone call to Wayfair to find out what was next. A female representative assisted me. I explained that I applied for the credit card, I was approved, and that I wanted to purchase the item that I had in the shopping cart. 
Wayfair transferred my phone call to the Citibank Credit Card Division for Wayfair. A lady, from that division department, wanted to confirm if I applied for the credit card, I said, yes, and she authenticated my identity as well.

Congratulations on the approval! She said and asked me which of the two credit cards I want it. I told her that I did not know there was more than one. She answered that they both were the same, but the difference was that one plastic, Wayfair has the Master Card logo, and the other Wayfair does not.

What is the difference? I asked again. And she responded that with the Master Card logo, I could use it to purchase in different businesses besides the Wayfair website, and the one without a logo, only for Wayfair website.

I said, Ok, I want the one with the Master Card logo, then. 

However, I asked the lady if I had to way until receiving the plastic to finish the purchase of the item that I had already in the Wayfair shopping cart. My concern was that the sale with the special price was going to finish XX/XX/XXXX. 
The lady responded, No. you do not have to wait. In fact, within five or ten minutes, go to the shopping cart and you will see the credit card there and finishing placing the order.

I was busy. Therefore, after three hours or so, I went back to the shopping cart, and when I did not see any credit card appearing there. I called Wayfair, and I explained to a female representative what was going on. That representative told me that I could not see the credit card yet because the one with the MasterCard logo, does not appear in the system, right away, but the one without the logo, yes.

I told her, the lady representative from Citibank did not tell me so, and she even said that I just had to wait five or ten minutes to see the credit card and finish the purchase. 
The female representative from Wayfair told me that the Citibank lady gave me a wrong information. And she apologized to me for the inconvenience that I was having. 
Two hours later, I called Wayfair again. Yes, I had to explain again what happened. 
Another female representative named, XXXX, genuinely, tried to help me. She told me she was going to call Citibank Credit Card Division for Wayfair to request a token ( a kind of number ), and with that token, she would see the credit card in my account with Wayfair and finish the purchase.

A male representative from the City Bank Credit Card Division for Wayfair, asked me a few questions to authenticate my identity. He was also willing to help, but in the end, the token that he provided to the female representative from Wayfair, was not working. Then, he asked me to call the next day ( Friday ) because the issue was going to be solved. 

Next day, Friday, XX/XX/XXXX around XXXX XXXX., I made the phone call to City Bank Credit Card Division for Wayfair, and a male representative was the one assisting me.

After explaining everything including the token failure, I let him know that what I needed was to switch from the Wayfair with the Mastercard logo to the one without the logo because I could not wait a week to receive the plastic to finish the purchase. The XXXX XXXX deal will end by that time. 

This male representative answered with an attitude tone that there was no way for the bank to switch the cards once the customer choses either one. So, You have to wait, Maam to receive the plastic within 7 to 10 business days. He spoke.

Thinking that by that time the sale was coming to an end, I asked the representative what about if I close that credit card and reapply again for the one without the logo? He responded that I could do so. The only thing was that I had to wait 24 hours to apply again.

I repeated, 24 hours? That means that tomorrow around XXXXXXXX XXXX, I can re-apply, and he said, Yes. 
I asked him, Are you guys to run my credit report again. 
He said, No, because we already did it. You just need to re-apply and we are going to attach the new application to the existing one.

Ok, let us do that. I spoke.

He asked me for permission to close the card and I granted it. 

Next day, Saturday, XXXX, late evening, I went to Wayfair website, trying to reapply for the credit card. However, the website was not allowing me because for the system I already had a credit card. 
There was nothing that I could do because it was already Saturday night, and the next day, Sunday, when I remembered to call a representative of Wayfair, it was more than XXXX XXXX, and any of them were working until Monday morning. 

Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, the last day of the sale, I called Citibank Credit Card Division for Wayfair. A male representative was assisting me. After explaining all the story, he recommended calling Wayfair and asking them to close my existing account on their website. Likewise, I could create a new account and reapply for the credit card. 
I did it. But the female lady from Wayfair recommended me not to close the existing account because I was not going to see my shopping history anymore. 
I told her that I had a second email, and I was creating an additional account with that email. 

I re applied. I received a different reference number. However, because the system recognized my SS # and my address, even though I was using my second email, I received a message that I had already a credit card and prompted me to call a representative. 
I called Citibank Credit Card Division for Wayfair one more time.

A female representative assisted me. I told the story. And to my big surprise, that representative said Oh! I do not know why people give incorrect information. Whoever told you that you could close the credit card and re-apply within 24 hours, did not know what was saying. Customers, must wait 30 days to re-apply. 
I was in shock. I could not believe what I was listening to. 

I told to the representative, THAT I TRUSTED TO THE INFORMATION THAT GUY ON FRIDAY XXXX, AROUND XXXXXXXX XXXX. TOLD ME. IF IT WAS TRUE, THAT YOUR BANK RECORD ALL PHONE CALLS FOR QUALITY PURPOSE, THEY COULD CONFIRM MY ARGUMENT. 

She replied, I apologize for the inconvenience that you went through. 
I was mad, and I told her Your apologies are not going to solve my problem. 
YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT YOUR BANK RAN MY CREDIT. PUT A HARD INQUIRY IN MY CREDIT REPORT FOR NOTHING?

TWO OF YOUR BANK EMPLOYEES GAVE ME A WRONG INFORMATION.

IF THAT GUY TOLD ME LAST FRIDAY WHAT YOU ARE TELLING ME NOW, I DO NOT CLOSE THE CREDIT CARD.

I TOLD HER THAT I WAS GOING TO ESCALATE THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS NOT AND IT IS NOT FAIR THAT FOR THEIR NEGLIGENCE, MY CREDIT SCORE WAS AFFECTED. POINTS WILL BE SUSTRACTED FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNG, AND MORE POINTS WILL BE SUSTRACTED FOR CLOSING IT.

WHY I SHOULD BE THE ONE LOSING HERE? IF THEY WERE THE ONES MAKING THE MISTAKE?

UNFORTUNATELY, ERRORS ARE PAID WITH MONEY.

I AM DEMANDING ONE OF THE TWO : YOU GUYS RE OPEN THE CLOSE CREDIT CARD, BECAUSE ANYWAY, YOU HAD NOT EVEN CREATE THE PLASTIC, OR YOU MUST SEND A LETTER TO THE CREDIT BUREAU ASKING THEM TO REMOVE THE HARD INQUIRY FROM MY CREDIT REPORT.

SHE SAID NOTHING!

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 non-monetary relief