Consumer complaint received 2020-08-12
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: IL
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:
BACKGROUND OF PURCHASE : I purchased what I believed to be a physical book through XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) and instead received an access code to a digital book in the mail on a piece of paper. There are multiple reasons I was expecting a physical book : 1 ) The price ; {$180.00} makes absolutely no sense for an access code on a piece of paper. Any logical customer would come to the conclusion that they would receive a physical book for that price tag and not just a piece of paper.

2 ) I have knowingly purchased a different digital access code through this same website. I received the access code immediately in my email for that purchase as expected. Any logical person would then conclude that digital access codes would be sent to email, and physical books would be sent via physical mail. Because I was expecting something through physical mail, my only interpretation was that I was receiving a physical book.

Needless to say, I was disappointed and confused when I received the access code in my physical mail. In the process of registering the code for access to the digital book, I was presented with an option to purchase the same exact materials for over {$50.00} cheaper directly though the textbook company, XXXX XXXX, so I called XXXX XXXX to return the code on XX/XX/XXXX. They said that because I scratched off the code on the paper that they couldnt take it back. I explained that I had to enter the code in order to be presented with the option via XXXX XXXX to purchase the code through them directly. Despite this, he refused to accept my return. It is obvious that I was bait and switched through the retailer website, on top of there being a cheaper alternative for what I actually received. 

DATES OF CONTACT WITH CITI : I explained all of the above numerous times to Citi, my credit card company, on the following dates ( in reverse chronological order ), over a 2 and a half month span when they indicated it would take no longer than 60 days to fully resolve the issue : Using Citi Dispute Direct Line ( XXXX ) XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Using General Line ( XXXX ) XXXX ( some of these calls may have focused on the interest portion specifically but it was always related to the disputed purchase ) : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX SUMMARY OF CONTACT WITH CITI : The day I received the incorrect materials was the day I initially contacted Citi for the dispute, which was XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi informed me that they were siding in favor of the merchant, but that I could continue disputing the charge if I provided the materials they requested. On XX/XX/XXXX, Citi sent me a document of the materials they were requesting and on XX/XX/XXXX, I provided all of the materials via email in a XXXX XXXX document that included images and screenshots of everything requested. They said they would review the document and then get back to me, and on XX/XX/XXXX, I got a notice saying they were again siding in favor of the merchant because I provided inadequate information in my documentation ( I believe they said I was missing an image of the product and an image of what I had ordered through the website when my documentation provided both of those things, as well as proof that I contacted the merchant directly, which I also provided in my documentation ). I called them that day to get an update and they said they would escalate and prioritize the issue and to see what specifically was missing from my documentation. I did this 3 more times on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and today, XX/XX/XXXX, and I confirmed that no one had actually looked at my case since XX/XX/XXXX, the day I initially confirmed with a representative that I had adequately provided all the requested materials. I confirmed this again with 2 more representatives and I was told the same status, that they were missing materials from my end  and that they would escalate. 

There were a couple calls specifically to speak about how interest would be handled, and I was told that I would not have to pay interest on the purchase since it was still in dispute, and that I would pay the full amount of my credit card bill for the month minus the initial charge for the activation code plus its interest. This process has taken over two months and it now appears that interest is racking up the longer it takes for them to resolve the issue, which leads to my next concern, which is that they may be intentionally taking a long time to look into this issue in order to rack up interest charges, with no intention of refunding either the initial charge nor the interest. 

I was told by a representative that since the charge was still being disputed, that I could pay the full balance of the card less the cost of the disputed charge and any interest. But considering how long this process has taken and that it's now been longer than the given timeframe of 60 days, on top of no one actually looking at my case, I felt it urgent to reach directly out to you. I have exhausted all options ; I've reached out to the merchant directly who refused to refund me, I've been in a months long back and forth with Citi while interest charges rack up, and now I'm appealing to you as hopefully a way to finalize this process as I've gone above and beyond the due diligence for something that should have been refunded very quickly in the first place. Total interest racked up to date for this purchase is {$28.00}, plus the initial purchase of {$180.00} is a grand total of {$210.00}. 

Please reach out to me if any information is unclear or inadequate, I'm happy to provide any additional proof/materials.

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 explanation