Consumer complaint received 2020-04-18
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: UT
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information about a dispute over the phone

Complaint:
In XXXX of XXXX, I reached out to Citibank and set up a payment plan/ agreement based on a financial hardship after undergoing XXXX XXXX XXXX and being unemployed so I could recover. The representative I spoke to closed the account and set up a payment plan for what I understood to be {$350.00} per month ( I now know it is actually {$340.00} per month ) due on the XXXX of every month. 
Since entering the agreement in XXXX of XXXX, I have made the following payments, which are also reflected in your system ( Bank payment history reflecting payments included herewith ). 
XX/XX/XXXX : {$350.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$350.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$350.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$150.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$200.00} XXXX days after the due date. 
XX/XX/XXXX : {$350.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$150.00} XX/XX/XXXX : {$200.00} -14 days after the scheduled due date. 
XX/XX/XXXX : $ XXXX 16 days after the scheduled due date. 

Based upon my payment history, not a single payment has been 30 days or more late, which is what has been reflected on my credit report and is clearly incorrect. The latest payment was 16 days late, but there were also several federal holidays wherein financial institutions were closed. 
I have attempted to reach out to CitiBank directly to try and work out this issue and have been given the run around every single time. Every agent has told me that the department I needed to speak with was unavailable at that time and that they could schedule a call back, which the call back would never actually happen. When I was finally able to speaks to someone in the correct department I went over this issue, laid out my payments which made it apparent that not a single payment has been 30 days or more late and that the reporting was incorrect. 
The initial person I spoke with could not explain to me why these payments were reported on my credit as 30 days or more late, because clearly based on my payments, they were not. I was told once again that the department I needed to speak with was unavailable and that all they could do is schedule a call back, which never happened, resulting in me having to call several more times, being transferred several times and being placed on hold for several minutes just to speak to someone on how to fix this issue. 
The next department I spoke with told me that these payments were reported as late because I entered into the payment agreement already behind on payments and that because of that if the {$350.00} is not paid on or before the XXXX of every month that they will report it every single time and to review my statements, that they will show me owing more than the {$340.00} each month because I was behind on payments. After being told this I told the agent I was certain I did not enter into this contractual agreement behind on payments and asked if I could please be sent the terms of this agreement so I could review them as I have never received a copy. I was told that a copy of the initial agreement could not be resent, despite the agreement never being sent in the first place. I was then told someone can read me the terms of the standard agreement over the phone, which I obviously explained how this is not helpful because I need to know exactly what was explained to me and what I actually agreed to. I then asked for information to be able to request a copy of this call so that I could review the call/ agreement and was told that this is not something that I can request ; so now I have a contractual agreement that NO ONE will provide me the actual terms agreed to in writing and NO ONE will provide me with the call so that I can review the terms that were verbally agreed to. -This specific issue I find extremely disingenuous. If someone enters into a contractual agreement, they have every right to be able to review the terms of the agreement at any time, something that I have asked to be able to do SEVERAL times and have been repeatedly denied the opportunity to do so, which should be noted more than once on my account ). 
Thereafter, I went back and reviewed my emails/ statements as the previous agent has advised me to do. While doing this, it came to my attention that the email I received on XX/XX/XXXX, the month immediately following me entering this agreement, it indicated that the total payment due was {$340.00}. NO WHERE does it state that I owed more than this amount or that I was somehow behind on payments when entering into this agreed payment arrangement. ( XX/XX/XXXX Email attached ). 
Based upon the review of my emails, I once again called back to speak to someone regarding this and was told the department I need is unavailable, but they can schedule a call back etc. which I again did not get a call back and had to call again, be transferred several times and placed on hold several times. Once I was finally able to speak to someone, I explained everything that has happened up to that point, the information I was provided and then explained that I did not enter this payment arrangement behind on payments as I was previously told by another agent and that my XX/XX/XXXX email states that my payment due was in fact {$340.00} and asked how to get this corrected and again asked to be sent the terms of the agreement so I could review them as I have NEVER received a copy. I was again told that a copy of the initial agreement could not be resent, despite the agreement never being sent in the first place. I was again told someone can read me the terms of the standard agreement over the phone, which I explained again that this is not helpful because I need to know exactly what was explained to me and what I actually agreed to. I again asked for information to be able to request a copy of this call so that I could review the call/ agreement and was told that this is not something that I can request. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent in a Citi Group Ethics Concern Web Form regarding the above and did not receive a response. I sent in another Citi Group Ethics Concern Web Form on XX/XX/XXXX with the same information as before as well as the fact that I had already submitted a form a week prior and had NEVER received a response in return. In both concerns, I also requested for someone to look into being able to come to a settlement regarding the amount owed on this debt. I indicated at this time that I could secure I believe {$8000.00} and asked if that would be something that was possible to be able to settle the debt completely and just be done with this entire mess and again NO RESPONSE. 
I received a secure message on XX/XX/XXXX from Citi, however upon opening the message, the contents were blank and did not have any attachments or information. 
After several more phone calls and persistence I was finally able to reach an agent with a tiny bit more information regarding the above and was told that there is nothing that they can do for me and that I will have to send in a dispute to the disputes departments and was provided as fax number, address and the information that needs to be included in the dispute. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a letter to the executive department with the above information as well as another request to be able to work out a payoff on this debt and to be done with their company. 

I sent and email to their department on XX/XX/XXXX to try and get a response to my letter sent on XX/XX/XXXX as well as sent another formal letter on XX/XX/XXXX following up. I sent two additional emails to try and get a response to my letter on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

I finally received a response letter from the Executive Unit on XX/XX/XXXX stating that the information reported is correct. They also stated in the letter that because I was on a paydown plan, they could not discuss any potential settlements with me unless I cancel the plan, with a warning that if I cancel the plan it can not be reinstated and that a settlement is not guaranteed. 

I responded to the letter sent on XX/XX/XXXX basically asking them to verify what they are basing the reports on my credit off of as I had submitted evidence that not a single payment was more than 30 days late and that the first invoice I received after entering the plan had an amount of {$340.00} owed, verifying that I was not already behind on payments when entering this plan. I also explained that I had previously tried to call their customer service line to 1. cancel the payment plan and 2. to try and work out a settlement and was told that I could not and that I had attempted again that evening and was provided with the same information. 

I called the customer service line several times in XXXX ( I can pull my phone records and give a total if needed ) and was told that I could not cancel my payment plan because my account was delinquent and that until I could make a large payment to make it current, they could not cancel the plan, despite me being current on all of my payments on the payment plan, they were referring to the total balance on the card, not the plan they had implemented. Based upon this, I made a {$1000.00} payment on XX/XX/XXXX to comply with this request and called back. I was told at that time they still could not cancel the plan and that I needed to contact the executive department. 

I attempted to cancel the plan a handful of times after XX/XX/XXXX and was told by 2 separate agents on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX that I could not cancel the payment plan or engage in any settlement negotiations because the account was now " current '' and it has to be delinquent to be able to cancel the plan. I explained to both representatives that I was told previously it had to be current, so I complied with that and now they are telling me the opposite. Both representatives apologized, said I was given incorrect information and that they could not help me regarding this issue. So I called my bank to reverse the {$1000.00} payment I had made on XX/XX/XXXX to throw my acct. back into a delinquent status and to comply with this new requirement that my account had to be delinquent. 

Thereafter I called and was AGAIN told they can't cancel the plan.

I sent an email to the executive department on XX/XX/XXXX and two on the XXXX requesting a response to my response I had sent on XX/XX/XXXX and explained the issue I was having with cancelling the payment plan as instructed in their letter from XX/XX/XXXX. 

In all of my attempts to cancel the payment plan and to engage in a settlement on my account since receiving the executive letter on XX/XX/XXXX, I have referred to the exact wording from the letter and have repeatedly been told that they do not have record of a letter being sent on my account and that I am once again " lying. '' I have offered to send in the letter for them to physically see/ read it and am told they do not have the capabilities. 

I also left a voicemail on XXXX XXXX 's direct line requesting a call back on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX and XXXX ( I apologize I am unable to make out her first name on her voicemail recording ). 

I received a response letter from their executive department in the evening on XX/XX/XXXX with basically a copy and paste of their last letter regarding the reporting 's on my credit. Thereafter, at the end of the letter, they stated that they had no record of my contacting Citibank at any point to try and cancel my payment plan or requesting a settlement on my balance, that I was basically lying and that this was the last letter they would respond to regarding this issue. 

I still responded that same evening, despite their statement refusing to assist me with this issue any further and provided the recent call logs as well as messenger logs from their application messenger, verifying that I had in fact contacted them SEVERAL times to cancel the payment plan and to request a settlement on my account. 

I called the client focus team again and explained the letters I had received from the executive response unit and explained that I needed to cancel the payment plan and request a settlement on my acct. I also explained how I was told my acct. had to be delinquent and that I had reversed my payment on XX/XX/XXXX with my bank to be able to comply with this requirement and that I could provide verification of this. I was again told they can't do anything. I explained the recent letter I received and the refusal to respond to me thereafter and explained that I am at a loss as I do not know who else to contact to try and resolve this issue. The representative explained that she could not help me, but that she would schedule for a manager to call me back within 1-2 business days.

I sent another follow up letter to the Executive Department again on XX/XX/XXXX explaining that I tried to call ( again XXXX to cancel the plan and negotiate a settlement and of course, no response. I also left a voicemail on a general executive voicemail for someone to please call me regarding this as well as 2 voicemail on XXXX XXXX 's direct line requesting a call back with no response. 

I have attempted to resolve this issue since XXXX, XXXX and have gotten no where. I need to negotiate a payoff on this debt in order to be able to buy a home as I am unable to pay the full amount, but am unable to secure a home loan unless the entire debt is at {$0.00} and am basically out of time to try and work this out as an offer has been accepted on a house. I am beyond frustrated and disappointed with the lack of willingness to assist me with this issue and am appalled by the rude and blatant disrespect in the letters I have received in response to me trying to get assistance to work out these issues.. -At this point I really just need the payoff issue resolved and will just leave the other issue, despite Citibanks clearly incorrect reporting 's. 

I can also provide all emails and correspondence to support this complaint.

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