Consumer complaint received 2016-07-06
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: VA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Customer service / Customer relations

Complaint:
In paying my regular monthly payment for my Best Buy card for the month of XXXX, I attempted to pay the regularly scheduled payment due. I was shocked when I received a call from my bank telling me an item for over {$2000.00} from Best Buy was attempting to clear my account. Somehow, in trying to make my payment of {$66.00}, a payment for the full balance was made. I believe this is because Best Buy has the full balance as the default amount, & when paying through the mobile site, things constantly bounce back and forth & change before you are able to realize anything has happened. I immediately called Best Buy customer service, & I was told that once they received the payment back from the bank, I could make the correct payment, plus submit the information showing the fee I was charged by the bank ( that they would not refund ) so that Best Buy could refund that fee. This was on XXXX/XXXX/16. On XXXX/XXXX/16, I received another call from my bank ( XXXX VA ) letting me know that this same item has again been presented for payment. I again requested that the item be returned. I was charged another fee by the bank. Unfortunately, the bank also paid this item against my account instead of returning it, causing my account to be negative. I was unaware that the item had been paid until XXXX/XXXX/16 when I checked my account online. XXXX, the bank associate I dealt with, suggested that my only course of action was to come in to the bank & file a dispute. From working at XXXX previously, as well as several other financial institutions, I know first hand that customers should ALWAYS contact the merchant or company in a dispute situation before asking the bank to step in. I advised XXXX that I was aware of this, & would contact Best Buy first. Again, I immediately called Best Buy 's customer service line, & spoke with a different agent than I did the first time. This agent informed me that an item that has been returned will attempt to clear a total of 3 times, something I was not told in the beginning ; I was originally led to believe that once the item was returned on XXXX, that was the end of it. This individual let me know that once the item tried to clear the third time, I could call Best Buy back & begin the dispute process. I would need to write a letter describing the events that transpired, send a copy of my account transactions showing the fees that were charged due to this situation, & request that Best Buy refund them since the bank would not. When I noticed on XXXX that the item had been paid by the bank & not returned, I called the branch & spoke with XXXX. I asked why the item was paid not returned as we talked about ( I was never given a clear answer on this ) ; I also asked about the autodrafts that would be coming through my account on XXXX & XXXX as it was too late to stop them. After much discussion, XXXX told me that she would pay those items through & not charge an overdraft fee for them ( the items were {$25.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX, {$100.00} to XXXX, & {$250.00} to XXXX XXXX ). I was forced to call back on XXXX when I discovered that the {$25.00} item to XXXX XXXX XXXX had been returned & a fee charged. XXXX stated that there were not enough funds in the account, & denied that we had ever had a conversation concerning the items. Thankfully, my husband was home when I originally spoke with her, & the phone was on speaker. At this point, the dispute had already been filed with Best Buy, & I was simply waiting on the refund to my account. XXXX was extremely rude, & suggested I should have bypassed Best Buy & gone straight to the bank & I would have already had my money back. At this time, I have XXXX NSF/OD fees charged, & after multiple communications with Best Buy, they refuse to assist with ANY of the fees. I have requested that XXXX of the fees be refunded, and they refuse.

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