Consumer complaint received 2016-07-19
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: OH
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
I enrolled in the CitiGold bank account with the promise of receiving XXXX XXXX XXXX Miles. The conditions required a {$1000.00} minimum spend and two bill pays in successive months. I met these requirements, however it took me 3 months to complete, instead of the typical 2 months because of problems with the delivery of my card and PIN. 

To elaborate, my checking card was sent by XXXX, and required that I be present for the delivery. This was not possible because the delivery attempts were made while I was at work. Despite multiple lengthy calls to both Citi and XXXX, I was unable to arrange for delivery of my card & PIN. First I was told by the Citi representative that I needed to arrange with XXXX for delivery via their online portal. I did this, but they came at the wrong time anyway. When I contacted them about it, they said that they needed to get the request directly from Citi, so I did that & they attempted at the wrong time again, then sent the card back to Citi. Meanwhile, I was locked out of my online account, had no way to monitor my credit card OR my bank account, and suffered {$100.00} in fees & interest for a late bill that I was unaware of. 

At this time, I called Citi and explained the problem, as well as my concern that the card would not arrive in time for me to make the spend within 2 months. I was assured that there were notations on my account detailing the extreme difficulty I had in simply obtaining the card. Ultimately, they re-sent the card & PIN, & I drove 20 minutes each way to the XXXX facility and received by card & PIN. I proceeded to meet the requirements in the 2 successive months after receiving my card & PIN. 

Since meeting the requirements I have been told on multiple occasions that I met the requirements, and that I simply needed to wait a designated time before the miles would be issued. After it became clear that Citi was dragging their feet on the issue, I began documenting my phone calls. 
-On XXXX/XXXX/16 I called and spoke with " XXXX , '' who personally verified that I met the requirements, & stated that the promotion code was noted on file. He said " I do n't know why it has been delayed, but it should be issued soon. It is probably delayed because of the billing cycle. '' He told me that XXXX miles would definitely be awarded by the end of XXXX. 
-On XXXX/XXXX/16 I called and spoke with another representative who again confirmed I met the requirements, & provided me with a reference number in case there was any other problem. She also told me that the case was being in some way prioritized, that I would receive a secure message within 72 hours & provided an access code for the message. No message was received. 
-On XXXX/XXXX/16, after receiving another bill and still no response regarding the reward miles, I called yet another representative, XXXX . I stated that I had upheld my end of the bargain, but I felt like Citi had not. Further, they had not met the deadlines they set for themselves in previous conversations with me on XXXX accounts. I had been charged $ XXXX/month for having the account open while they decided if they should uphold the promise they made when I opened the account. The representative, XXXX, agreed to credit my account with {$60.00} for the last two months ' fees, as well as waive the next month 's {$30.00} fee. 
-On XXXX/XXXX/2016 I received notification that Citi was denying me the miles because I had not completed the spend in the timeframe they designated. There was no mention of any of the aforementioned problems, conversations, or promises. 

My entire experience with this Citi promotion has been frustrating, time-consuming, and not worth it. They have not upheld the promises they made, they have not met the timelines they set, and finally they have not credited me with the reward they offered.

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