Consumer complaint received 2015-04-22
Product: Credit card — 
Issue: Payoff process — 
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (CA)

This is in reference to a CITBANK AAdvantage Platinum Select Card. I was charged for a payment protection plan I never agreed to, after several attempt and after being told it would be removed from account, it was not and continued to be charged and accrued on my account. This plan was provided represented by the credit card company, as it was being charged it was essentially cancelling the effectiveness of any min. payment ever satisfying the account. After years of paying the min. payment the primary balance had never moved and in some cases caused account to go over-limit and causing XXXX to be reported and charged additional fees even though min payments were being made. So basically the min payment was not structured to at any point provide relief from this debt. It is my understanding that a min payment is by law required to be structured to eventually pay down the balance in a reasonable amount of time. In this case if I had left the account run as it sat it would have literally never paid itself off with min payments. After speaking with card company after the XXXX time the added protection plan was removed from the account and was told the total amount of charges and any and all accrued finance charges would be credited to account within 10 days. This was on XXXX/XXXX/2015. I received a letter date XXXX XXXX saying they were trying to reach me when no such attempts to call were initiated and then a letter date d XXXX/XXXX/2015 saying the protection plan was removed from account. I called on XXXX/XXXX/2015 to hear the account was closed without explanation and when asked why and when as the account was always current, I was told it was closed so long ago she can not view the reason or the date of that event. I asked how would it make any sense to be charged a protection plan on an account that I have no access, use or benefit of, have not charged on for years, have no statements for and was given no answer to that. I was now being told that the refund of the plan that should not ever been on my account would not take 10 days but 30 days and when it was approved it would hit the billing cycle with XXXX-XXXX billing cycles. I explained so I will be charged interest and so on while this is being resolved. Again I reiterated how is it that account be structured in a manner that it will be NEVER paid off and had no answer and essentially was being treated with no concern for my concerns. It is my position that if the improper charges were never placed on account and a minimum payment schedule was applied to the account the account would have been satisfied already. I was basically told they did not understand and had no willing ness to review the account to reconcile. I explained my position was I wanted the account reconciled and I would pay off the amount legitimately owed on the account but would not pay for charges I never agreed to and for a accounting error on their end calculating the min payment t in manner that would never satisfy the account. My position is their action on the phone and documented violate the laws that govern how responsible credit card agencies handle their customer and they should be investigate .for such violation in my case and globally if seen fit. It is my position that these deceptive practices are not a simple mistake but a strategic business practice that violates the law and allows this company to unfairly burden credit card holders in a manner that would NEVER provide relief form debt. I hope this is an isolated incident but if it is not I encourage others to review their accounts for inaccuracies and take the necessary steps to protect their financial interests and put this company Citi Bank CitiBank, Citi Cards on notice. Their address is CitiCard Customer Service Center, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, SD XXXX