Consumer complaint received 2021-02-07
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: IL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX I received a mail from Citibank that they have closed one of my credit account of 7 years due to inactivity with no recourse. As a good standing customer of 7 years, I never failed or defaulted any of my past credit payments. Its only during this covid crisis, I started using the card less, Citi decides to drop this bomb on me right in the middle of the pandemic, right before the holidays. 

Im extremely disappointed with Citi lack of empathy and how they treat me as their long standing customer, but what frustrates me even more was wasting hours of my time trying to communicate with Citis team of poorly trained outsourced representatives from the XXXX that struggled to understand my issue and still failed to help me reach my resolution, which was to re-instate my closed credit account. 

The following are the series of events that has happened before I decided to write to CFPB to hopefully reach a US-based representative to help me resolve my issue. 

XX/XX/XXXX ( Livechat XXXX ) - Repeated to me that my card was closed due to inactivity, and theres nothing he can do on his end to help me reopen or retain my history on the account - He advised me to call the number on the back of my card, which I did XX/XX/XXXX ( I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) - My call was diverted to a XXXX  call center, after explaining my issue and my request - The rep had a tough time understanding my problem and assisting me - She claimed that in order to keep my account credit history, Citi will need to do a hard credit pull in order to put my account on review for reinstatement. 
- I explained to her that I currently have my credit accounts frozen to prevent identity thief, will that affect the outcome of my review with Citi, she assures me that it will not be an issue. So I went ahead and gave her all my personal details to proceed with the credit pull. 

XX/XX/XXXX ( Livechat XXXX ) - XXXX weeks after the Holidays, I decided it's a fair time to follow up - I reached out to Citi Live Chat Team again to inquire about the status of my account that was put in review. 
- Once again, the Live Chat Rep had no resolve and advised me to wait as my status is still pending, or directed me to call again to find out more information. 
- I decided to continue waiting for the an update. 



XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ) - I reached out to the @ XXXX XXXX team, hoping to find any competent US based rep that understands what I need, but only to redirected to the call team again, which is, surprise, brings me back to the team based in the XXXX - A voicemail was left behind by a snooty named XXXX from the Thank You Rewards team. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I called and got through to XXXX, and she was extremely rude and unhelpful. 
- Firstly, she was very firm that I no longer transfer out all my hard-earned Thank You points to my husbands Citi account, because my account was already closed, she claims there is nothing she can do on her end to get me my points other than redeeming for a gift card. But since my account was closed, Citi made it impossible for my to log into my Thank You account to do any form of redemption. 
- Secondly, she claims that Citi had already sent me a letter informing me on my account review status. There is nothing I can until I wait for that letter. 

XX/XX/XXXX I received a mail from Citi that apparently got lost or the team had forgotten to mail it out to me, but the letter was dated on XX/XX/XXXX when I received it a month later on XXXX XXXX! In the letter, it explained that because my XXXX  account was frozen, Citi was unable to pull a credit report. 

Infuriated by the whole tail spin, I called XXXX  to lift my credit freeze and once again tried contacting Citi for the SIXTH time to make the same request, to reinstate my account. At this point I dont even want the stupid Thank You Points anymore, I just need someone competent to get me the help I needed! 
- I called the checking department to take care of another issue on my checking account. 
- Had the rep transfer me to the proper Thank You Team. 
- Another girl from the XXXX answered my call, and once again struggled to understand what I needed and seemed to have a lot of difficulty on her end to put my account for a reinstatement review. 
- Firstly, she actually mis-read my social at least 3 times! I dont understand how someone can do this job when they can not even enter a few numbers. 
- Secondly, she keeps claiming the system wouldnt let her do a credit report pull despite me providing her all my personal information - Then she transferred me to the FRAUD department! And had the audacity to question me TWICE if I was a US citizen! Yes! you hear me right, claiming I was a fraudster doing something illegal. 
- After confirming my identity with the fraud team that Im legit, I was transferred right back to her. At this point, shes beyond puzzled and totally helpless, you can clearly hear she doesnt know what to do. 
- She then proceeded to make me hold on the line for the next hour or so, hoping that would force me to hang up, which I didnt. 
- Then finally told me, theres nothing she can do on her end, and to call back again to resolve my case. 
- At this point, I am BEYOND XXXX, after making me holding on the line for hours only to tell me to call back. I demanded to speak to a supervisor. 
- After speaking to the supervisor, he explained to me that the system is facing some issues, but he already put a note in the system, and that will be picked up the credit review team, so I should be receiving a mail with 5 business days on the outcome. 

Trusting the supervisor that had did the right thing was my final mistake. 

Its been 10 business days since I last contacted Citi. No mail. No Call. No follow up. I refused to go through the ordeal dealing with the team of terrible untrained nightmare. Its just like Citis way of giving me the middle finger and tell me to get lost. To a customer of 7 years and still holding an active checking account with them for 10 years. 

I hope this complaint gets into the right hands in Citis management, and this is no way to treat your customers, especially during this economy! If anything, Citi should be fined for all these horrible practices of lying and cheating their customers!

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