Consumer complaint received 2018-06-29
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Other problem

Complaint:
My complaint involves Citibank and its process of handling disputed transactions. In the two disputes, Citibank does not make its decision based upon the correct issues, nor considers a good deal of relevant information which I provided, at Citibank 's own request. Following are details of my and Citibank 's actions since XX/XX/XXXX I disputed multiple transactions conducted with two merchants in XXXX, XXXX, during XXXX XXXX. After returning home, receiving the merchandise on or about XX/XX/XXXX, and continued communication until XXXX by phone and email with the merchant regarding return of merchandise, I realized the merchants acted dishonestly with me and conducted fraudulent sales. On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I disputed all credit card charges made with the two partnering merchants involved, XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX, both processing their transactions as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Of the seven credit card transactions involved, three were decided in my favor by XXXX ( {$23000.00} was refunded to me ), two were conceded to me by Citibank as I was told they mistakenly communicated to me decisions were made in my favor and so would honor their mistake ( {$5700.00} refunded to me ), and in the two remaining credit card transactions with Citibank ( {$9900.00} and {$5500.00} ), decisions were made in favor of the merchant. I have continued attempting to work with Citibank regarding these two disputes, my latest contact a XX/XX/XXXX, 37-minute phone conversation with XXXX XXXX of Citibank 's Executive Response Unit. Per Citibank 's latest letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, Citibank continues to find for the merchant based upon : 1 ) merchant 's provision of a signed transaction receipt and 2 ) the " Sorry, no refunds ; exchanges only within 30 days '' clause of the Sales Contract. 

1 ) I do NOT dispute that I signed transaction receipts ; this is a non-issue. 2 ) As to the Sales Contract, the merchant himself breaches the contract. The very first clause of the Sales Contract states : " Seller agrees to provide certificate of origin for items purchased. '' Merchant NEVER provided these certificates to me, despite multiple requests that he do so. A simple solution would have been for the merchant to simply send them to me a second time ; merchant did not even offer to do this, no less do it. In a phone call made to me by the merchant in late XX/XX/XXXX, when he did not agree with me on return of merchandise, he said, " I am not going to talk with you anymore, '' and hung up on me. After that, the merchant ceased to reply to any of my emails, and did not return a phone call made to him by XXXX. 
As to merchant 's guarantees of my ability to return merchandise, he adamantly told me MANY times it would be no problem. Merchant claimed to make frequent trips to the U.S. for shows and customers, and he could personally pick up merchandise if I did not wish to keep it. Merchant also claimed he had merchandise held in XXXX XXXX. In my fully comprehensive and cooperative attempts to return merchandise to the merchant, I offered to transport his merchandise myself, at my own expense, to his XXXX XXXX warehouse ( I live in XXXX, CA. To go to XXXX XXXX is a 400-mile drive for me. ) I asked the merchant multiple times on the phone for the address of his warehouse. He ignored the question ; would not answer it. 

I have provided 30+ pages of documentation to Citibank , including 1 ) an appraisal ( paid for by me ) of one of the carpets involved in the transactions, which proves it is not at all what the merchant claimed = merchandise is not as expected, and 2 ) one response to Citibank 's request of additional information included Exhibits A-G, as proof of my claims as to facts of the case. Two exhibits clearly show the merchant engages in telling lies. Citibank requested additional information in support of my case, but then did not give it any consideration or weight in its decision. Then for what reason was it requested? When I send you copies of this information, it will be apparent that I spent HOURS compiling comprehensive and thorough additional information for Citibank. 

Also, FYI, Citibank sent me a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating my {$9900.00} dispute is open and in process. In both XXXX 's XX/XX/XXXX phone conversation and in her letter of XX/XX/XXXX, she states this letter was mistakenly sent to me. Clearly, something is amiss with Citibank 's dispute process. This is the third dispute where the same customer is mistakenly given incorrect dispute status information. 

I do not include with this online complaint filing copies of all my documentation, as it involves so many pages ( 30+ ) : letters written by both Citibank and myself, documents of several types, invoices, appraisal, etc. If you can please provide me with an address to which I may send copies of all my supporting documents, so it may considered in dispute review, I will send them ASAP. I am more than happy to do so. All this documentation needs to be considered in the disputes, and given warranted attention. Citibank is already in possession of copies of all these documents. I am still working with the Turkish embassy regarding this merchant, too. What this merchant does must be put to a stop.

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