Consumer complaint received 2016-06-30
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: FL
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
I signed up for a Citigold personal checking account with Citibank , NA, pursuant to a promotion offering XXXX XXXX XXXX Advantage miles contingent on meeting certain requirements after opening the account. The Citi promotion code was XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, 2016, I sought to confirm with Citi, in writing, that the promotional offer was linked to my count. On XXXX XXXX, I received a response from XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that Citi confirmed my account was enrolled in the promotional offer. The communication went on to list out my progress toward completing the requirements ( XXXX out of XXXX were completed at the time ), and contained an affirmative statement that the Aadvantage miles would be credited to my account following my completion of the last requirement. On XXXX XXXX, 2016, via secure message, I again contacted Citi to inform them that I had completed the last of my requirements, and sought to know when I should expect the miles to be credited to my account. The Citigold representative ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) responded on XXXX XXXX, 2016, in writing, stating that I had indeed completed all requirements associated with the aforementioned promotion code, and that, per the terms and conditions of the offer, I would receive the miles 90 days from the end of the statement cycle in which the requirements were completed. The Representative further stated that the miles would be credited to my Aadvantage account by XXXX/XXXX/2016. I accepted this as true, and after waiting over three months and still having not received the miles, I again contacted Citigold via secure message on XXXX/XXXX/2016 to inquire about the miles that should have posted. I received a reply ( from a XXXX XXXX ) the following day stating that Citibank now deems me ineligible for the offer, because, they contend, that this was a " targeted promotion to which ( I was ) not a participant. '' The Citi representative went on to state that though I met the requirements, this does not render me eligible for the promotion ( which is in direct conflict with what the other Citi representative told me three months ago ). Citi 's sudden reversal of position after confirming my eligibility and going so far as to tell me a specific date when to expect the promo miles to transfer to my account is a reprehensible act. They held out an offer to induce my business, I accepted, and even went out of my way to confirm that their records indicated that I had met the terms of the offer, and received such confirmation, only to be told three months later that Citi has now decided not to honor their offer. This is a classic bait-and-switch tactic. If I were truly ineligible for the promotion ( which I dispute ), I should have been told the same by XXXX of the XXXX different Citi representative that I proactively sought confirmation from in XXXX, 2016. If XXXX out of XXXX Citi representatives are n't able to tell whether I 'm eligible for a promotion, then how can I be reasonably expected to know? Citi should stand by its representations and honor the deal. The written correspondence is attached and is offered as evidence.

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