Consumer complaint received 2022-11-28
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: UT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2022, I bought and paid for a cruise with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for my sister and me. Because the cruise was only a week away when we purchased it, I put the charge for both of us on my Best Buy XXXX credit card, issued by Citibank. It posted to my account the next day. A few days after I paid for the cruise in the amount of {$2900.00} my sister came down with Covid-19 and we had to cancel her portion of the cruise. We did so in writing on XX/XX/2022. I have a copy of that email to XXXX XXXX where I told XXXX XXXX my sister would not travel, but I still planned to travel. We each purchased the insurance policy from XXXX that said either one of us could cancel for any reason up until departure time and receive XXXX XXXX of the cruise fare back. The charge for my sister was {$1000.00} and the XXXX XXXX Booking Confirmation XXXX, including the insurance coverage, can and will be provided to you. 

Because my sisters cancellation was so close to departure, I didnt expect to hear back from the cruise line until I returned. On my return, I waited and waited to hear from XXXX and they didnt respond in writing. I sent them a second email asking them to reimburse me for my sisters fare and still no response. I then started calling the customer service number at the cruise line and spent many hours on hold, only to be disconnected hours later. In utter frustration, I filed a dispute with my Best Buy XXXX card and was told I didnt have to pay the disputed amount until the issue was resolved. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I had another charge on my Best Buy XXXX credit card statement in the exact same amount of the original charge of {$2900.00}. I started calling XXXX customer service number and on XX/XX/2022, I finally managed to be connected to a XXXX XXXX customer service representative by the name of XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX seemed to understand the situation and he immediately credited me with a future cruise credit for my sister and refunded the amount of taxes we were charged. The email between XXXX XXXX and me can also be sent to you. I followed up a week later and XXXX XXXX said there was still no word from their credit card department on why there was a duplicate charge to my credit card bill. Another email a month later went unanswered. I assumed the mistake was with XXXX XXXX because they said they would respond as soon as they had an answer from their credit department, but no response was forthcoming. 

In total frustration, I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX, the President of XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2022. That email can and will be provided to you. XXXX XXXX responded to me on XX/XX/2022 saying that the duplicate charge was a REPOSTING of a previous charge. There had been a reposting of the amount of my sisters portion in the amount of {$1000.00} on XX/XX/2022. The next charge of {$2900.00} was the whole amount for both my sister and me. In other words, I was charged twice for my cruise and once for my sisters cruise. XXXX XXXX said the mistake was with XXXX and I should contact my credit card provider, Best Buy XXXX. 

At that time, I started contacting XXXX. I spoke with XXXX at Best Buy at XXXX mountain time on XXXX XXXX, 2022. XXXX said he understood the issue and was sending it to his account XXXX, XXXX who would be sending me an updated letter within 10 days. The letter from XXXX never came, so I called back again and spoke to XXXX on XXXX XXXX, 2022, who promptly disconnected me. I called back again and spoke to XXXX at XXXX on Tuesday, XX/XX/2022. XXXX transferred me to XXXX who asked me to send my documentation to him in order to facilitate the credit for the duplicate charge. I should have been suspicious when XXXX put me on hold for half an hour but did not give me an address to send the documentation. He gave me a time stamp of XXXX on XXXX XXXX, 2022. XXXX did agree that it could not be a charge back since the original charge of {$2900.00} was never credited back to me, only my sisters portion of {$1000.00} was credited back on XX/XX/2022. I was told the adjustment to my account of {$2900.00} would be accomplished no later than XX/XX/2022, when the new statement was sent out. That didnt happen. I have heard nothing from XXXX, there is no credit to my account, so Im contacting you. 

I have gotten the run around from both companies, but XXXX XXXX has put my issue in writing. Despite assurances from XXXX that they understood the duplicate charge issue, they have never put anything in writing. Im told it will be rectified, then nothing happens. In the meantime, Im out {$2900.00}. I hope you can help me. I pay my credit card statement in full every month and I can not afford to float a loan to XXXX in the amount of almost {$3000.00}. Thank you. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, UT XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX

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