Consumer complaint received 2024-04-24
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Problem with personal statement of dispute
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (WA)

On XX/XX/XXXX, I took my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX ( XXXX, XXXX  ) to buy a XXXX  battery. This model XXXX has XXXX batteries, XXXX under the hood, and XXXX mounted on the frame on the right side and accessed from underneath the vehicle. I had determined that this frame-mounted battery had gone bad and needed to be replaced. I dealt primarily with a service advisor named XXXX XXXX. I authorized a total charge of {$100.00} for the purchase of the XXXX  battery. However, at no time, including my initial visit, was I ever given a signed sales receipt showing that I had authorized any charges what-so-ever. When I picked up the XXXX on XXXX ( XXXX XXXX had kept it for an excessively long period of time ), I was presented with a bill for {$730.00}, which I had not authorized ( see attached XXXX XXXX XXXX ). I did not sign the bill, nor did I authorize any additional charges for the work that I did not authorize. Still, XXXX XXXX proceeded to charge my credit card {$730.00}, when I had only authorized a charge of {$100.00}. I protested the excessive charge that I had not authorized, but to no avail. I left several messages in XXXX, XXXX, for managers at XXXX XXXX to call me to discuss the over-charges, but no one ever called me back. These XXXX  were XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, ext. XXXX ). I also sent an e-mail to XXXX on XXXX, but no one ever responded to that e-mail. 

Not getting an appropriate response from XXXX XXXX, I disputed the overcharge fraud with Citi Bank ( the charge had been placed on my Citi Thank You Preferred Card, a Master Card, with an account number ending in XXXX ), at their customer service phone number of XXXX. My first call to them was on XXXX ; I spoke with XXXX, who told me she would dispute the over-charge and put a provisional credit of {$630.00} on my account. However, for some reason, this credit was reversed, so I call back on XXXX, spoke with XXXX ( a woman ) in the XXXX  XXXX. XXXX told me that she would fix the reversal ( i.e., reinstate the credit ). Since I hadnt heard anything from them in the intervening XXXX weeks, on XXXX, I checked my account online and found that the charge was still on my account, so I called Citi Bank, spoke with XXXX ( employee # XXXX ), who told me that they had sent a letter to me on XX/XX/XXXX ( not true ; I never received such a letter ). I asked for a supervisor, was connected with XXXX ( employee # XXXX ), who told me to access a copy of the letter online, answer the questions, date and sign the letter, and send it back to them via e-mail. I did that the same day, XXXX, sending the requested information to Citi bank via e-mail at the address they provided : XXXX ( please see attached Citi Bank claim ). 

I received a response dated XXXX ( please see Citi Bank response, attached ). I have several concerns about this response : XXXX, it claims that this transaction took place in a foreign country ; it did not, XXXX XXXX is in XXXX, XXXX, a state of the United States. Citi Bank can not use their ignorance as an excuse to refuse to reverse the fraudulent charge. XXXX, the letter claims that I was unable to provide proof of the difference between the amount you were billed and the amount you had expected to be billed. This is an asinine and logically impossible expectation : I can not furnish a document that the merchant had never given to me ; I provided what I had to Citi Bank. Furthermore ( and XXXX  ), it is NOT up to me to prove that I do not owe the claimed charge ; it is up to the merchant, XXXX XXXX, to prove that I do owe the disputed amount ; they can not do so, because I never signed any documents authorizing the charges that they claim I owe to them. XXXX, Citi Bank is now charging me interest on a balance I DO NOT OWE to them ; they should have reversed this charge permanently months ago, instead of dragging this problem on for almost half-a-year. And fifth, Citi Bank is threatening to report my account as being delinquent to the various credit reporting agencies, which is a clear violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, because I DO NOT OWE THEM ANY MONEY! 

After receiving this letter, on XXXX, I placed a series of calls to Citi Bank to again try to resolve their errors. Unfortunately, I was connected with a series of their XXXX agents in XXXX and the XXXX, XXXX of whom couldnt even speak XXXX, some of whom refused to give me their employee numbers, and many of whom just hung up on me when I insisted on speaking with someone in the United Stated XXXX XXXX person, XXXX ( employee # XXXX ) in XXXX, told me to call XXXX and ask for a XXXX agent or representative. After of a couple of calls to that phone number ( and being connected with XXXX  agents, not representatives based in the XXXX ) XXXX I finally reached XXXX ( XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX ), who refused to do anything to fix their mistakes, but she did transfer me to XXXX in XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX refused to give me her employee number, refused to correct any of their mistakes, and hung up on me when I insisted that she either fix the problems or connect me with her supervisor. I called back again, finally reaching a supervisor in the XXXX Department in XXXX  named XXXX ( team # XXXX ). Unfortunately, XXXX also refused to do anything to fix the problems that they created. I told him to credit the fraudulent charge of {$630.00} to my account, to NOT report my account to any of the credit reporting agencies, and then I hung up in disgust because I had come to believe that no one at Citi Bank was going to take responsibilities in this matter, even though they are guilty of colluding with XXXX XXXX to perpetuate this fraud against me. 

I want to emphasize : I have told both XXXX XXXX and Citi Bank to furnish any information to me that they have demonstrating that I owe the full amount of {$730.00}, but neither has ever done so.