Consumer complaint received 2020-06-19
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (TX)

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I paid XXXX XXXX XXXX   a deposit of {$3000.00} for cabinet refinishing and bunks at my Florida property. The job was supposed to be completed before XXXX. Mr XXXX removed the cabinets doors and took them off site and applied a thick coat of a paint product with a roller. The cabinet base resembled and orange peel which made me doubt his ability to do the work. He later informed me that he was taking a cruise on XX/XX/XXXX for a week. I cancelled my return flight from Florida to XXXX XX/XX/XXXX to supervise the remainder of the job he promised to finish. I lost my airfare and missed XXXX  with my family. On or about XX/XX/XXXX Mr XXXX returned the cabinet doors and proceeded to spray them outside. This is a beach environment where humidity is high and wind is constant. There were particles and sand stuck in the paint all over the cabinet doors. He destroyed the cabinet faces for my kitchen and two bathrooms in one fell swoop. The doors were left outside for two weeks. I asked Mr XXXX to work on the other job until his return because I could see he was rushing the job and making a horrible mess. I waited until XX/XX/XXXX before I departed for XXXX. He did not contact me upon his return. He had taken all his equipment and my paint and material off the job site on that last day while I was out doing errands. He ghosted my job. I had discussed the issues at hand with a local contractor that eventually completed the job in mid XXXX. I spoke to Citi bank on or about XX/XX/XXXX on an unrelated matter and asked them why they had reversed the chargeback for XXXX XXXX XXXX  without first giving me the opportunity to provide documentation. They told me it was procedure and to wait to receive copies of Mr XXXX documents and not to worry all I needed to do was respond. I departed to Florida again for the third time to supervise the work XX/XX/XXXX. The cabinets were an awful mess and the job took longer to complete than expected and in the meantime the WHO declared an emergency due to covid 19 pandemic. I submitted my documents together with my invoice and a statement from the contractor who completed the work. I attempted to contact Citi bank multiple times in XXXX and when I was finally able to reach somebody they told me the disputes department was not operational. In the interim they sent a letter to my home telling me my response was too late and the case was closed. 

I can tell you the merchant had at least 60 days to respond to my dispute. I was not given the same courtesy and worse, in a covid pandemic citi bank really prejudiced my position. Nobody was working how could I have not provided my documents in time? I had just received them before my flight on XX/XX/XXXX. The job completed a little less than two weeks later. When I had the invoice I submitted everything like Citi told me to do. I have since requested that citi bank reconsider their position and review my submission. On XX/XX/XXXX I contacted them again on an unrelated issue and discussed this matter again. I closed my account after ten years because of their lack of ethics. 

I paid an additional {$8000.00} to complete the job the first guy messed up. Its not right that I be forced to pay for work that was sub par and incomplete. Two people got paid for the same job. I needed new cabinets because of this but did not have the time to remedy them because this is a rental property. I lost revenue all winter because of Mr XXXX. Mr XXXX threatened me and called me names via txt when he found out about the dispute. When citi reversed the charges without consideration for my ordeal Mr XXXX txted me that he had won. This guy ripped me off and Citi stood by and let him. They did nothing to protect me. They have dropped the ball in a big way with me since XXXX when they also allowed outrageous fraudulent activity occur on my account. This is the first of two very serious offenses on the part of the bank. This is my second complaint because Citi Bank has done nothing to help me. They can not discriminate against me, disallow my documents when covid 19 shut the world down. Nobody has contacted me despite many emails and phone calls to the disputes department relating to this matter. Mr XXXX has the money that should not ya e been given back to him.

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