Consumer complaint received 2020-06-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: PA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Problem with fees

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, Citibank closed my ATT Universal Card account without me knowing due to inactivity. I have been a cardholder since XXXX ( 29 years ). When I found out about it, I called and they reopened the account. 
In XXXX I charged {$57.00} to the card, to make sure I was using it. I had Bill Pay set up and had it set up to automatically pay any amount less than {$200.00}. This had been the case for years, with no issues. 
On Mon, XX/XX/XXXX, I was doing my taxes and tried to login to my account to print my year-end summary ( I do this every year when doing my taxes ). I could not get into my account so I called. 
When I called, I found out my account was closed due to delinquency and had been referred to a collections agency on Fri, XX/XX/XXXX. The amount due was now {$190.00} due to late fees and finance charges on the {$57.00}. 
I never received any notification from Citibank that my account was delinquent before they referred the account to XXXX - not by email ( I was enrolled in e-services and they had my correct email address ), not by mail ( they had my correct mailing address ), and not by phone ( they had my correct phone number ). 
The referral to XXXX and to credit agencies plummeted my credit score from an XXXX to a XXXX. 
The customer service agent told me I had to fax or mail my dispute. I faxed it on XX/XX/XXXX. 
On this call, the rep was not able to tell me the underlying amount due. But he would arrange for statements to be sent. 
I paid the underlying amount due on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Since XX/XX/XXXX, I have not been able to get anyone with actual information to call me or speak to me in relation to this issue. I have called on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX and noone can help. The week of XX/XX/XXXX, the Citibank XXXX XXXX XXXX was closed indefinitely due to the Coronavirus ( a unit that impacts peoples credit in a time period where credit was critical for many, was unable to open four weeks after things were shutdown? ). 
On the XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, I was calling in response to letters I received from Citi, saying more information was needed for my inquiry and I needed to call the number on the letters ... but when I called noone knew what information was needed and one rep even told me there was no record of a letter having been sent in relation to my account. Just that I should call back in 3-5 days or refax my dispute. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a response on the original inquiry saying they were denying it because I was enrolled in e-statements. That I was enrolled in e-statements was never in dispute. That was acknowledge on the original XX/XX/XXXX call and in my letters. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I faxed and overnighted ( USPS bc it was a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) another letter of dispute with copies of everything and I also sent by overnight mail ( XXXX  XXXX ) a copy to the CEO. 
The only response I received from Citi in relation to the XX/XX/XXXX letters was another of the same exact form letter saying that more information was needed and I should call. 
So, on XX/XX/XXXX, I called and again when I called they had no idea what information was needed. My only option according to them was to fax in a new letter with more information. The supervisor I spoke to said she couldn't override the decision. I let her know that I wasn't looking for her to override the decision, just to get in touch with the XXXX XXXX team and find out what information was needed. She could not do that. 
I'm left in an endless loop that apparently even the CEO or his office can't get me out of where I fax a letter of dispute, get a letter saying to call because more information is needed, call and get told to fax a letter again ... endless loop. 

Additionally, in regards to the letters I received from Citi, all of them have taken about a week from the date on the letter to be mailed ( postmark date ) and the XXXX package apparently took 18 days to get to me : XX/XX/XXXX letter, postmarked XX/XX/XXXX, received XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX letter, postmarked XX/XX/XXXX, received XX/XX/XXXX XXXX letter, postmarked XXXX, received XXXX XX/XX/XXXX letter, postmarked XXXX, received XXXX XX/XX/XXXX letter ( with results of investigation ), shipped XXXX ( XXXX ), not delivered until XX/XX/XXXX I'm left wondering if Citi really even has anyone working in their Dispute Investigations team? Are they just sending out letters to meet some sort of regulatory timing requirement on these disputes? or have they fully reviewed the information that is in the attached requests? 

By this point, Citi should either have fixed the fees and finance charges and corrected everything with the credit bureaus, or they should have provided the information I've requested in the attached with what communications were made before this account was closed for delinquency and referred to XXXX and the credit bureaus - for emails and letters - dates, times, copies of them with the exact wording use, for calls - dates, times, who called, who they spoke with and what was said - exactly. 

Please review all of the points I've made above and in the attached copies of letters. Please actually communicate with me, by having someone call me - let 's set up a meeting and resolve this ... or is Citi just looking to lengthen this further while they continue to charge more fees and finance charges on the fees and finance charges they should be waiving, by having the only option be to fax ( which was a real means of communication when I became an account holder on this account 30 years ago ), and end up in an endless loop? 
This has now been under investigation for over two months and no progress has been made beyond the original XX/XX/XXXX call.

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