Consumer complaint received 2016-09-18
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MI
Product: Credit card
Issue: Customer service / Customer relations

Complaint:
Costco Citi Visa Credit card -Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance coverage, as outlined XXXX in booklet " Your Guide to Protection Benefits '', sent to us with our new CitiCostcoVisa cards. The week before departure, I verified XXXX x by phone that the Travel Protection Benefit would cover the trip. Our applications for travel visas to go to XXXX XXXX Planned Trip dates : XXXX XXXX XXXX, 2016. 
XXXX TravelPartyMembers all covered, designated as TPM # XXXX, # XXXX, etc XXXX CLAIMS = XXXX. Nonstop flight XXXX to XXXX, XXXX ; airline sent luggage to XXXX. 
XXXX flight XXXX, ( XXXX ) cancelled, due to weather. 
XXXX.Passport stolen by a fraudulent taxi driver, causing consequences for Travel Party Member , XXXX, XXXX XXXX, which added days to passport replacement procedures. 

I called CostcoCitiVisa cust svc 4 times, regarding coverage for XXXX trip. XXXX XXXX XXXX, 2016 to find out if trip insurance would accompany the flight & hotel reservations that I charged XXXX on XXXX. I asked if the trip would be covered by CostcoCitiVisa since it was purchased on XXXX, and the Costco account was switched from XXXX to CitiVisa on XXXX the answer was 'Yes, all Costco purchases prior to XXXX are turned over to CostcoCitiVisa, so it will be in effect '. To make absolutely sure, I reiterated the dates reservations were purchased and dates trip will occur after XXXX is no longer partnered. Again I was assured that 'Absloutely, the insurance offered with CostcoCitiVisa will cover it '. I would have purchased other trip insurance if their answer had been 'no '. On the subsequent 3 calls to CostcoCiti Customer service, XXXX, after XXXX # XXXX and # XXXX were back home, the coverage was denied. So I called XXXX : said they no longer have access to my account. I paid the charges on XXXX to COSTCO CITI VISA. 

CLAIM # XXXX XXXX : XXXX settled baggage claim incurred since bags sent XXXX. Total {$92.00}. 
CLAIM # XXXX. Cancellation of the connecting flight to destination ( = XXXX, XXXX ), due to " weather ''. Not getting to XXXX resulted in a cascading series of travel rearrangements, extra expenses = a. XXXX had already charged the XXXX XXXX hotel cost for XXXX night in XXXX that was impossible to cancel due to our not-knowing of the late flight cancellation ; XXXX XXXX cost for TPM # XXXX, who had gone to XXXX to meet up with us. 
c. The cascade effect of lost day meant travel member TMB # XXXX had gone to our next stop where we were going to meet her, cost for extra night at hotel. 
d. TPM # XXXX was able to rearrange his meeting day = {$0.00}. 
The interruption made us lose 2 days of travel/sight-seeing, missing pre-arranged appointment with a XXXX city official, cutting out our visit to XXXX completely. 

CLAIM # XXXX ; Flew from XXXX to XXXX, where we unknowingly took an illegal taxi, despite Security watching the taxi service. Police informed us the taxi charged us 3 times the normal fee. The passport of Travel Party Member # XXXX was lost in the shuffle- not recoverable by police since that taxi was an uncertified, " illegal '' taxi. Trip interruption due to this theft resulted in transport charges to/from police station, XXXX XXXX XXXX to replace passport & visa, and later to apply/get replacement passport/visa. We lost XXXX day, with police reporting + XXXX day at the XXXX. The theft caused XXXX # XXXX to have to return to USEmbassy to finish the process later. 
Travel Party Mbr # XXXX departed XXXX XXXX ; # XXXX departed XXXX ; # XXXX & # XXXX departed XXXX XXXX ; # XXXX had to continue his trip many days due to trip interruption consequences, requiring him to return to XXXX XXXX ( XXXX, XXXX, since closer than XXXX, r, less expensive trip to make ~2weeks later )

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