Consumer complaint received 2015-09-15
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MD
Product: Credit card
Issue: Billing disputes

Complaint:
After my household income situation had changed, I began calling XXXX to explainthat I could no longer send them over {$300.00} each month to pay down my bill, and that I would need them to consider some sort of interest reduction, or somehow reduse the minimum monthly payment due because I was now living on a monthly budget of only {$730.00} from SSI. After several months of struggling to make the payments, I was finally enrolled into a " Pay Down Program! '' What I later found out, is that the lady who 'd enrolled me into the program had lied to me! As a result of her lie, or " misinformation, '' I incurred a {$1200.00} interest fee! As this woman was taking my information to put me in the program, I 'd told her that my first purchase on that card was on an 18month payoff promotion, and that it was almost paid off. The original purchase was for a {$1500.00} television, but that I only owed {$400.00} at that point, and that there was still a few month left to pay it off and that I 'd like to pay that off first because I did n't want that payment to eventually " balloon! '' This woman insisted that I would not be able to get into the program " without '' a promotional balance on my account. Well, I certainly could n't continue to send almost half of my XXXX check to them each month, so what could I do? She said that there was just no way that she could put me in the program, and that all of those ballooned charges would be included in my monthly payments. It was all so despicable! As a customer, who did n't file bankruptcy, who did n't just ignore the bills, but who instead, is on the phone for months trying to take responsibility for the debt I 'd created, I was horrified to find that the company I 'd decided to trust with my credit would behave this way! One woman I 'd spoken with as I was trying to find out about help, transferred me to another woman who swore up and down that she did n't know of any programs like the ones I 'd told her that the previous woman had told me about, and then after about five minutes of playing dumb, she finally admits that she works in the frekkin ' department I 'd been asking about! I could n't believe it! She was actually trying to " hide '' the information! And no, she did n't put me into the program! I was n't able to get into the program until months later, and then that 's when I was lied to - and then hit with that {$1200.00} bill! I 've already called and requested that they pull that phone call, as I understand that they are all recorded. They called me back and told me that that phone call was " unavailable '' and that unfortunately, they would not be able to remove that charge from my account! Well, I told them that in that case, I would certainly be talking to someone else who possibly can! They should not be allowed to get away with doing something like that! Please help! I have allowed this company, as part of the agreement, to auto debit my account {$150.00} each month for 58 months - and then I find out that I was lied to by the agent! I had been calling in for months, asking for some assistance from them until one day, I quit! I did n't send in my payment! I 'd never missed a payment. Never been late - but I was done! A couple weeks later, I 'd decided to pick up the phone again, and try again to get some help. I did n't want to let this thing destroy everything I 'd spent years to build. I was eventually put into that program at some point later! To my surprise and horror, I later found out, that because I 'd missed that ONE payment, XXXX had slapped on hundreds of dollars in late fees and penalties! My credit limit was only around {$7000.00}, but because of " their '' activities, my starting balance when they finally put me into the program, was over {$7600.00}! I 've been paying {$150.00} each month since XXXX - and I still have a balance of {$6500.00}!!!? I need your help CFPB! This company should not be allowed to abuse the consumers like this!

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