Consumer complaint received 2016-01-06
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NC
Product: Credit card
Issue: Credit card protection / Debt protection

Complaint:
I have been a customer in good standing of Citibank , NA since XXXX. In XXXX of XXXX, I was laid-off. 
On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I reviewed my Citi statement and found a charge from Payment Safeguard. On page XXXX and XXXX of the statement, Payment Safeguard Classic Activation was shown as ended. However on the same statement there are several notifications as well as charges, for an optional Debt Protection Product from Citi Payment Safeguard. The Citi Payment Safeguard website only provides general information on the debt protection product and no specifics on the Terms & Conditions for Payment Safeguard. The hyperlink to the Terms & Conditions did not work after several attempts on several different days at different times and has not since this review. Therefore, I have asked for a written copy of the Terms & Conditions to be forwarded to me by Citi Payment Safeguard directly. 
During the customer service call, I was advised that Payment Safeguard was still active and simply changed vendors in XXXX, but did not widely communicate this to its customers. Moreover, my benefit was still active. There were XXXX parts to the benefit I would be considered for. The customer service representative was more than happy to execute the XXXX time credit of {$200.00} immediately and the documents for the Job Loss Benefit for up to 24 months. The Job Loss Benefit for up to 24 months appears to be at issue. A copy of the Terms & Conditions were to be placed into the mail that day along with the Job Loss Benefits request documentation. 
To date, the written version of the Terms & Conditions that Citi Payment Safeguard expects to hold me accountable for has not been received. This information has been requested from each customer service representative during each benefit review status call update and in writing. Each time I confirmed that the customer service representative understood what was needed, each confirmed and agreed to forward ; this has been a total of 4 times. At this point, I do not believe the information will be forwarded and that it is policy not to do so. 
A lack of visibility to Citi Payment Safeguard 's written review process, specific Terms & Conditions, as well as the additional requests for " proof '' of job loss above and beyond documentation from that of a state, in my opinion, ( 1 ) is not the most efficient manner to process customer claims in light of online research techniques that are available, ( 2 ) gives the appears that the company may be stalling while the customer continues to pay for a benefit they are not receiving as well as ( 3 ) adds to the stress of the job loss situation. 
In addition, I was asked to submit a copy of severance information or a bank statement as proof of job loss. This is inappropriate for ANY reason from a third-party vendor to request from a customer. Particularly, when that third party vendor is doing so on behalf of Citibank. There does not appear to have been a change based on the service I 've received thus far from Citi Payment Safeguard to that of Payment Safeguard.

Company public response: Company chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief