Consumer complaint received 2024-09-19
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Getting the loan — 
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (OH)

I have been a customer of Citizens Bank and the XXXX XXXX XXXX loan for over XXXX years. Each year as XXXX releases a new XXXX, I can pre-register for an upgrade and apply for a new loan to finance the phone purchase. When this process works correctly my existing loan payments are paused, and once I return my existing phone to XXXX, my Citizens lone is closed. Payment for my new phone are then billed on the new XXXX loan, and the process repeats the follow year. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I started my pre-registration and entered my key information on Apples website to apply for my annual Citizens loan. Within seconds of my application I was informed that Citizen did not approve and I would receive an e-mail with details as to why. I was quite surprised by this issue as I have been a customer of Citizens and this loan product for XXXX years, I have a near perfect credit score, and have had no payment issues with Citizen. 

About an hour later I received an e-mail from Citizens ( attachment A ) stating that I was declined due to APPLICANT 'S IDENTITY CAN NOT BE VERIFIED and further noting Our decision to decline your application was based on information we obtained from the consumer reporting agency named belowyou can write or call the consumer reporting agency at : null. Clearly this had to be a system error or defect since no credit reporting agency was noted, I thought, so I called Citizens at XXXX to inquire. 

The Citizens representative verified my social security number, birthdate, and name, made a notation on my application, and I indicated I was an existing customer of the program doing my annual update. He assured me a representative would contact me later that day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) or the following to resolve. 

I received no follow up from Citizens within XXXX hours so on XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted the customer service number again. This time the story / status began to continually shift. I was told it can take up to XXXX hours for a call back, they have a high volume due to the new XXXX release, only a supervisor can tell me the status of my application, they are not in the office until later in the day, XXXX have to wait for a call back. 

Frustrated I again waited and receive no call back. I contacted customer service again on XX/XX/XXXX, and now was told its XXXX hours for a response. I again empathized that I was an existing customer of Citizens and didnt understand why I was declined, or why I had not been contacted. I demanded to speak with a supervisor and after a short wait I was connected with someone. When I asked about my application status, I was told by this supervisor that they were not the supervisors who review these applications, those supervisors are not client facing and I would have to continue to wait. 

Orders for the new XXXX started at XXXX am PDT on XX/XX/XXXX. 

After another XXXX hours of no response, I applied again on Apples upgrade website on XX/XX/XXXX, as the deadline for pre-registration was approaching and I hoped I had just experienced a system defect and poor customer service up to this point. I was declined for the same reason with the same e-mail response lacking explanation of the credit agency reviewed for my decline ( attachment B ). I called Citizens customer service for the fourth time looking to resolve this matter. The representative informed me that my application from XX/XX/XXXX had been further reviewed and declined again, and was surprised I had not been called back. He again escalated my new application from XX/XX/XXXX. 

On the evening of XX/XX/XXXX I did receive a call back from a supervisor stating that Citizens was unable to verify my identity from my application, she could not share why, what information was wrong, or what reporting agency provided the information. She would escalate my issue to her XXXX and as this non-client facing team to look again. She also noted on my application for the first time I believe that I was an existing customer of the program for XXXX years. 

By XX/XX/XXXX I still had received no update from Citizens as to the status of my second application or any direction as to why they could not verify my identity. Late that evening I again received a call back that I was declined upon further review with no explanation due to security reasons. I asked again that I be given the details why and the opportunity to dispute these findings. I offered to physically present myself and my ID at a local Citizens branch if that would help. I was told again that my application would again be escalated for an additional review. I was given a case reference number of XXXX. 

I will be billed for my existing phone/loan on XX/XX/XXXX with no clear indication that I will be able to upgrade or any indication as to what the problem is.