Consumer complaint received 2016-06-12
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: SC
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a Citigold checking account with an offer stating I would receive XXXX Thank You points ( worth approx. {$500.00} ) after meeting certain criteria. I then met those criteria, confirmed with a Citi representative that I had met the criteria, and was told to expect the XXXX Thank You points to be deposited into my account by XX/XX/XXXX. During this time I was charged a monthly service fee of {$30.00}. Now, after confirming this promotion was applied to my account, confirming that I had met the requirements, and confirming that the points would be deposited XX/XX/XXXX, Citi has pulled a bait and switch. They have suddenly decided I do n't qualify unless I can find a postcard from 5 months ago showing the offer. I do n't keep mail around for 5 months, and NOTHING was ever said over the past 5 months about needing to keep that post card. Now I have {$30.00} of fees and I will not be getting {$500.00} worth of Thank You points. I 've done google searches and found forums full of people or are recently having this same problem with citibank. It 's not right. I 've been lied to, and my money has been taken. Apparently I have to uphold my end of the terms and conditions by paying a monthly service fee, but Citi does n't have to uphold theirs. Something needs to be done. I hope enough pressure can be put on Citibank to make them honor the promotion they already told me I qualified for. I have documentation through a secure message where citibank told me I had met all qualifications for the offer and would receive the points by XX/XX/XXXX. Here is a copy/paste of the secure message where Citibank acknowledged I had met the requirements for, and would receive the bonus points : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Subject : Re : Promotional Offer Reference:XXXX Dear XXXX XXXX XXXX, Thank you for choosing Citigold Online Messaging Services. My name is XXXX and I will be more than happy to assist you with the XXXX ThankYou points promotion for checking account number ending in XXXX. 

Thank you for opening a checking account with Citi. We are honored to serve you! 

Our records confirm your account met the requirements for promotion code XXXX. 

The bonus ThankYou Points will be credited to your existing ThankYou Member Account within 90 days from the end of the statement period in which you complete all offer requirements. 

Please keep in mind this waiting period is standard for all promotions and can not be waived. Your promotion bonus will be applied after your 90 day waiting period is complete or no later than the XXXX XXXX statement. 

If you would like to be notified of the status of your bill payments, you can set up alerts using our free Citibank Online wireless alerts service. This service provides you with the option to receive notices when bill payments can not be issued due to insufficient funds and when bill payments have not cleared in 15 calendar days. You can also receive alerts for all bill payments that cleared the prior business day. In addition to bill payments, you can get alerts on balances, deposits, or checks. You can receive the alerts on a text-enabled cell phone, at any e-mail address, or both. To set up wireless alerts please click on the " Account Management '' link and under " Account Services & Enrollments '' select " Enroll in/Manage Citi Alerting Service ''. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX, it was a pleasure providing you with the incentive information. I hope you have a great weekend! 

At Citibank, we take customer satisfaction seriously, and invite you to share your opinions about the service you received from me, XXXX XXXX. Please click the link below to take a short survey on your contact experience. You will need the reference number # XXXX listed above to complete your feedback.

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 non-monetary relief