Consumer complaint received 2021-05-06
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.

Complaint:
Hello, My name is XXXX XXXX. I opened a Citibank checking account online with my residential address in the US ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, WA XXXX ), my US XXXX phone number ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ), and my XXXX phone number ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). 

I am extremely disappointed and upset with the service and unethical practices of Citi and will be pursuing any and all action I can to correct the failures of Citi in handling my account. 

I received my first official email saying 'XXXX XXXX welcome to your Citibank account ' Thu XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX I subsequently wired money into the account over the following week and initiated a wire transfer on XX/XX/XXXX to my account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX . 

During this time I used the online service and verified my identity with my XXXX  number multiple times. 

After XX/XX/XXXX I tried to log into my account and activate my account and view the status of my wire, but my account was locked and my password was not working. I used the messaging service and got a number to call and tried to resolve the issue on XXXX XXXX XXXX KST, to which I paid international calling fees for 54 minutes and spoke with XXXX ( last name not given after request ) from Fraud Investigations. At XXXX 's request, I went to the closets Citibank in XXXX ( XXXX ), which was an hour drive away ( I had to take time off work and drive all the way there with my family. I then spent the first 20 minutes in the XXXX bank asking for help, to which they said they are separate from the American branch and can not help. After I called the hotline again on speakerphone, got ahold of XXXX again, and for 1.5 hours XXXX continued to not listen to me, the teller at Citibank XXXX ( Ms. XXXX ), or the branch manager ( her name was not recorded or provided ). XXXX continued to request that the XXXX  branch provide her with email verification codes and processes and despite calling two translators for assistance to ensure communication and despite and both translators clearly in English telling XXXX that what XXXX was requesting violated XXXX Citibank policy and was not allowed, XXXX continued to talk up all of our time ( by our I mean me, the Citibank in XXXX Teller, and the Citibank in XXXX Branch Manager ). Multiple times they told XXXX that I had my passport in front of me, but that Citibank in XXXX is not connected with Citibank in the US and that their legal representatives in XXXX specifically told the XXXX branch that what XXXX was requesting violated XXXX  policy. Regardless, XXXX continued to push her way and refused to escalate the situation. 

After 1.5 hours on the phone and with the bank about the call, I continued to push XXXX to bring in a supervisor. She continued to show resistance or care until finally, she called in XXXX, who claimed to be her supervisor. XXXX was extremely abrasive and hung up on me after refusing to listen or assist the situation. 

I again tried to call and spoke with XXXX from their fraud department and she was very rude, disrespectful, and refused to help. 

I understand the need for fraud protection and it is completely reasonable that my account would create a red flag that warrants attention. My account was newly formed online and I wired in and out a decent sum of money over a short period of time. 

However, as of now, I am completely locked out of these funds without a possible path to access them and have had extremely horrible service and attention given to this extreme flaw in the Citibank fraud protection system. The plain facts are : - I opened the Checking account with a US number that can not receive SMS messages, but the only way to verify the account is with an SMS message to that said number. 

- At the request of YOUR agent, I went to a CITIBANK branch in XXXX and THAT XXXX BRANCH said that the request of the US Branch violated the policies of the XXXX branch, which shows EXTREME disorganization and unprofessionalism within your organization ( how can a company not know the policies of its international branches and why is it the responsibility of the customer to discover those policies ). 

- I spent a day of time, a sick day from work, 3 hours of driving and gas, and a few hours of international call fees to correct an issue which your bank created with archaic policies handled by representatives with horrible service and a complete lack of regard for the experience of the customer ( seriously, telling me to drive an hour to fix the problem only to find that branch can't fix it ).

- I still have no access to my funds and no clear path to access them short of flying to the US from XXXX ( something that requires two weeks of quarantine when I arrive in the US and then two weeks of quarantine when I return to XXXX ). 

Multiple times during the call XXXX from the fraud department said she was also filing a complaint, and multiple times I was told the call was being recorded. I implore you to find and listen to the transcript and listen to how unprofessional your representatives XXXX and XXXX were and how ridiculous your policies are. 

As announced during the call, I have also started the process of finding legal representation to handle this situation as it seems extremely unethical that Citibank can open an account and accept over XXXX $ in deposits with the information I provided ( a US phone number that doesn't accept SMS ), but then not offer a solution to unlock my account in the event of an overzealous fraud department with horrible professionalism and a horrible understanding of how their international partners operate chooses to block me from accessing my funds. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

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