Consumer complaint received 2016-06-16
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Closing/Cancelling account

Complaint:
The following is a request letter sent directly to XXXX regarding their reporting late payments which in my view was unfair. Appreciate any assistance CFPB can provide. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
XXXX, CA XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, 2016 Citibank XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX IL XXXX XXXX : Best Buy Account # XXXX To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to request that Best Buy 's credit card company, XXXX remove the XXXX late payments that are currently shown on my credit report for the months of XXXX and XXXX 2016, and send a revised report to each of the major credit reporting agencies notifying them of the revision. These past due reports have severely impacted my credit score, which has placed stress on my family 's finances due to denial/reduction of other forms of credit that we rely on, and, more importantly, it has affected our ability to qualify for a mortgage for a home for our growing family. I would hope that some leniency would be granted given my overall consistency with payments, and also because my husband 's account with Best Buy has always been in good standing and on time for over 5 years. 
Some points that will hopefully help justify why this revision should take place are as follows : 1. I accept complete responsibility for the balance that was on the account, {$190.00}, and would have paid in full once reminded of the balance, however, I do not have any record of being notified, in writing or via phone, that there was a past due balance. If phone calls were in fact made, please provide the dates and phone numbers that the calls came from so that I can cross check my phone bill records. If not provided, I 'd assume that the calls did n't take place, and hope that this would further substantiate my request. 

2. Unfortunately, I did n't XXXX the past due balance until pulling my credit report on XXXX/XXXX/16. Upon finding the late payments, I immediately contacted XXXX to find out what I could do to take care of the balance and remove the late payments. XXXX stated that they had closed the account so there was no opportunity to remedy the situation. 
3. In a further attempt to remedy the situation, I filed a dispute with XXXX ( report # XXXX ) in order to explain the situation again, but the only response was, " Account closed at credit grantor 's request. '' 4. As a last resort, I called XXXX directly again on XXXX/XXXX/16. I was told voice messages were left notifying me of the late payments, and that the late payments could not be removed. During the call, the representative from the Escalation Department stated that I had selected paperless statements when I made the purchase, but she also acknowledged that I had not created the online account. It would make sense that if a customer supposedly selects paperless statements during the application process and then does n't create an online account, your system should be flagged to send a follow-up paper bill. Another missed communication opportunity. I refer back to item # XXXX above for the request of records to support the claim of attempted communication via phone. 
Again, I in no way was expecting to be relieved of my responsibility for the balance, and accept that I should have been more diligent in remembering what credit balances exist in my name. I just wish a better effort had been made to notify me. 
Should the request to remove the late payments not be granted, my husband and I will reconsider future purchases being made at Best Buy, and will definitely work to move my husband 's Best Buy credit balance to another banking institution. 

Thank you for your consideration, XXXX XXXX XXXX & XXXX XXXX XXXX cc : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX Disputes Department - 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 explanation