Consumer complaint received 2023-06-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit 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:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I purchased a kitchen renovation using my Home Depot credit card through Citibank. The total charged to Citibank was {$7300.00}. XXXX XXXX told me that I wouldn't be able to move forth with the project unless I pay them 100 % upfront. I never pay contractors like this but I agreed. After I paid them, I waited a long period of time for a contractor to become available to reface my cabinets and install a blind corner optimizer and pull out basket. Around XX/XX/XXXX, the cabinets and backsplash was installed. I immediately started having problems with the kitchen project. The blind corner optimizer was not functional in my cabinet and could not be used as described. There was not enough space for the organizer to pull out and clear to the right so I could utilize the other side of the tray. One of the contractor kept moving the stove and wanted to mess with my gas line to keep it. I did not agree, I just wanted a refund. The pull out basket was not as described. It was made of inferior quality where the organizer was flimsy and did not look like it could hold the weight as described in the advertisement. When I contacted XXXX, my sales consultant, on getting a refund and resolving other issues. She kept dragging out the refund process telling me that I needed to wait on the contractor while the contractor was telling me that they couldn't do anything without XXXX 's authorization. I was contacted by XXXX the install manager that also gave me several issues with the return. I waited for months to resolve things with XXXX XXXX to no avail. I even waited on the contractor to call me that XXXX said would but didn't. Finally, I contacted Citibank on XX/XX/XXXX, to try to get a chargeback. Citibank first told me that I won the case but they refused to send me anything in writing or credit my account. I called almost everyday for anything in writing but they refused. Then when I saw the document in my portal, it said that they considered it resolved. They kept closing my case without doing a proper investigation. First, I requested that Citibank get an itemized statement from XXXX XXXX because they didn't want to provide me with anything telling me what I had purchased for the item and paid for the kitchen project. Citibank would just close the case and I had to call back and demand that they reopen it and hold XXXX XXXX accountable by producing a itemized statement. When XXXX XXXX found out I did a chargeback they finally contacted me telling me that they wanted to try to resolve it. The problem was they tried to cheat me out of my money. The install manager named XXXX told me he knew for a fact that I paid {$300.00} for the blind corner optimizer and {$150.00} for the pull out basket. He even produced his own statement that didn't look right. The SKU numbers didn't match. XXXX did the same thing telling me that she knows I paid {$400.00} for the optimizer and {$150.00} for the pull out basket. XXXX kept pressuring me to sign it even though, I felt I paid more for it seeing that the project came up to {$11000.00}. I kept asking Citibank to intervene but they wouldn't. Finally, I was provided with my in store order from other sources outside of the XXXX location. I found out that XXXX XXXX tried to cheat me out of my money. Once I got my order number, I was able to look up my own receipt and see that I paid {$920.00} for the XXXX optimizer and {$200.00} for the pull out basket. I was charged XXXX times the amount for XXXX item and I almost signed for it seeing that Citibank wouldn't move forward with the chargeback. I felt like some type of price gorging was going on. I told Citibank but they refused to do anything. Lastly, I requested repeatedly for Citibank to produce an itemized bill with a better detail breakdown. I found out I was overcharged {$1900.00} for a backsplash in installation costs alone without materials. Their contractors did shoddy work and tried to make me pay twice as much as average for the bad install. Also, I found out that XXXX XXXX charge me twice as much for the subway tiles. Citibank refused to do anything to help with the chargeback. XXXX XXXX wants me to sign a settlement agreement and release agreement to stop me from talking about the thousands of dollars that they cheated me out of. They also want me to believe that I am suppose to accept the shoddy work they did knowing I was overcharge. Citibank refused to do any chargebacks or any credits to my account. The only credit on my account was when I returned a bathroom item unrelated to the kitchen renovation. Please see attach picture of the shoddy work. XXXX XXXX only wants to refund me money for the optimizer and pull out basket. They don't want to give me any type of money for the bad backsplash install and other overage charges on my bill. They are refusing to allow me any measurements quotes to see because I felt that they measurements was wrong. I really feel that some type of fraud was going on with XXXX XXXX and I express this with Citibank but they did nothing. I have expressed all of this to Citibank and they have done absolutely nothing to protect me from XXXX XXXX and their unfair and deceptive practices. Citibank refuses to hold XXXX XXXX accountable.

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