Consumer complaint received 2018-12-27
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX
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:
After several months of faulty and unhelpful correspondence with CITI, my confidence in their common purpose of serving their clients and safeguarding assets is shattered. As a last resort, I researched the Fair Credit Billing Act ( FCBA ), CITIs practices and discovered several clients have asked the CFPB to intervene with CITIs unfair billing practices. 
Please note, my long-time boyfriend purchased airline tickets and airline travel insurance to Florida as a celebratory act for our first XXXX, using the account ending in XXXX. Per the details of my CITI account-XXXX on XX/XX/23, the insurance was {$18.00} and the returning flight was {$700.00}. I am asking that the CFPB reach out to CITI to have the previous charges removed from my account for the following reasons : A ) My partner asked that our insurance be utilized and our flights cancelled. The XXXX   representative refused. 
B ) There were conditions set forth by XXXX XXXX, which could have presented health concerns for the first trimester of my XXXX : a. Several on boarders had aggressively barking dogs which were not in containers but small leashes. This presented an issue of personal safety. 
b. I felt I could not breathe due to the broken air conditioning. I could feel my body overheating, I began to get dizzy and could not stand in the extremely long line. Research shows, insufficient air conditioning can cause a number of immediate and long term issues. 
C ) He walked to the front of the line and asked for our flight to be cancelled and resold to other patrons. The XXXX  rep rudely demanded he go to the end of the line and would not assist. We called CITI and explained that we could not board the flight. CITIs representative relayed we would not be billed if we did not board the flight. She offered to cancel the card, so we would not be charged and stated we could buy an airplane ticket with a different XXXX. CITIs rep reiterated, we would not be billed for the XXXX flight. The card ending in ( XXXX ) was cancelled. 
a. We purchased a {$1000.00} flight returning home with XXXX XXXX given the instructions of the CITI representative and the conditions of XXXX. 
b. New card was opened ( ending in XXXX ) and the XXXX XXXX charge was unbeknownst to myself reapplied. 
D ) I have asked that CITI provide verification, we were aboard this flight. They have not. 
E ) We should not be charged for a flight we attempted to cancel. The same flight a CITI representative empathetically stated we would not be charged for. Which led us to purchase a {$1000.00} returning flight with a differing airline Please note, I have disputed this charge three times. More recently, I called CITI again at the beginning of XXXX to inquire as to what was occurring with the dispute. A CITI rep asked me to submit verification that the flight for XXXX was purchased and the charge would be removed in 10 days. I immediately submitted verification of this. The amount was not removed. I called back, I was on the phone for over an hour, as representatives were not able to location my cases information. Eventually in the Dispute Department, I spoke with XXXX who informed me the investigator on my account- XXXX XXXX XXXX reach out to me within 1-2 business days. Given the holidays I gave MsXXXX XXXX additional time ( as of to date ) I, disappointingly have received no follow-up contact. I am asking that you all intercede and have the amounts credited back to my account. As we are anticipating the arrival of our bundle of joy, the now unauthorized charge of over {$700.00} can be used for more practical and welcoming matters. I have included verification of the closed CITI account and the email sent to the representative verifying the purchase of the XXXX XXXX ticket. We did return from Florida on the XXXX XXXX flight.

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