Consumer complaint received 2016-07-28
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: OH
Product: Credit card
Issue: Billing disputes

Complaint:
I purchased a TV on 12 months same as cash from Best Buy ( XXXX 2016 ). I provided them all my personal information when I signed up for the card. CITI is the bank that provides the Best Buy card to their customers. The first bill was sent to an address that I lived at over 5 yrs ago. I luckily called CITI customer service looking and asked them why I have not received my bill. I called looking for the bill and found out the bill was sent to the wrong address. As a result of the first bill arriving at the wrong address my payment was late. CITI reluctantly waived a {$25.00} late fee due to their error. They made the address changes and I received the XXXX bill on time and have not received any since. I contacted them today XXXX/XXXX/16 and asked why I have not been receiving a bill. I found out that they left out XXXX XXXX XXXX on my address. During the call I found out that several payments were arriving late and that I received XXXX late fees over the course of several months totaling {$87.00} in additional financing charges. 

XXXX ( my bank ) pays this bill automatically every month reoccurring on the XXXX of each month, my bill is due on the XXXX of each month. When XXXX sent my first payment that sent an electronic transfer request. I am told this is a bank to bank electronic transfer this takes 2 days. The ACH Request was declined by CITI. This resulted in XXXX having to send paper checks to CITI. XXXX is sending paper checks from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX. This is a 4.5 hr. car drive ; my payments are not being received and processed until 7 to 10 days after payment is being sent. XXXX said there is no way it takes 7 to 10 days to get to the creditor given the close proximity of the XXXX locations. 

I have included a copy of the date the payment was sent and the day it was processed. None of the payment was processed on or before my due date, yet some months I do not get charges a late fee and some months I do. 

I am not being treated fairly from CITI, they should have accepted the ACH request from XXXX ( my bank ) and they would directly receive payment 2 days after it was sent. All of my payments would be received on XXXX of every month, 2 days early. 

This is a situation that I should not be in and am upset that CITI is treating me with such disrespect and are charging me for their shortcomings. 

I called CITI and was told that all this was my banks fault and that I just need to send payment earlier. I have attached a document from my bank showing the date the payment was received and the date it was processed. The dates CITI are telling me is processed are one day after my due date on the XXXX of each month. When I asked the Best Buy sales clerk if I could pay the bill electronically from my bank to the card provider I was told yes. I would have also would have been able to monitor this is Citi fixed my address correctly on the first call to them requesting the correct address to be loaded into their system. CITI is collecting a financing fee in the form of late fees due to their inability to process this bank to bank transaction. I think you should review all CITI 12 month free same as cash transaction to see if the is a wide spread problem

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