Consumer complaint received 2024-11-04 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Overcharged for something you did purchase with the card
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
This complaint is a continuation of a closed investigation previously filed with the CFPB - XXXX XXXX. In that complaint I stated that I was scammed by an online lawyer service on a site named XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I tried to get legal advice for a concern I had, for a {$5.00} fee I was told it would be, for a XXXX week trial period. The answer was bogus, unhelpful, and I complained to a representative on their site both over the phone and in writing the very same day. I was offered the opportunity to have my question addressed to another online attorney, which I declined and I immediately declined the remainder of the week long trial. I was charged {$69.00}, for a full month membership, which I did not know anything about. Despite several resolution attempts on my part with them, they refused. I contacted the credit card company, Macy 's Amex, and, to this day, they have not offered a resolution, despite several hours of attempts on the phone, in online chats and requests for them to put something in writing about the {$69.00} charge I was disputing. 

Moving forward, this is still the case. As a matter of fact, I feel my rights have been violated. To my surprise, this year a number of charges totaling close to {$200.00} were made to my Amex card. When I go online, all I see are my Macy 's charges, not the ones made outside of this. Somehow, one day I managed to get access to this, surprised to find out that someone else was using my card on a fairly regular basis this year to pay off things that appear to be video games related. The woman I spoke to was very helpful and stayed on the phone with me for nearly 2 hours, going back as far as XX/XX/XXXX to see how long these charges were going on for, helping me get back over {$180.00} for 5 individual ongoing XXXX XXXX charges. She addressed the unresolved {$69.00} fraud dispute that was listed as such, for a year and a half. She attempted to put this complaint through again, since it was still left open. I attempted a total of 3 times again this year to get a response, only to be told that it appears this dispute is still " pending ''. 

Since then, a new card was issued to me and I was instructed to keep making payments to the account ending in XXXX. I told them that I would pay for everything, barring the {$69.00} in question, and I was told that I couldn't do that, that Macy 's require ongoing payments, and even if I pay it all off, I would still be reimbursed the disputed charge. The account for XXXX has officially been paid off. Now i have a new account ending in XXXX. It does not appear to tie into the previous account, because I have had nothing but issues since receiving the new card. I had to call to activate the card because online this card was saying that it was invalid and that I had to call in to activate it. Macy 's Star Rewards and coupons that I had on my Macy 's wallet on the account XXXX did not transfer over to the XXXX account without my calling a representative. I signed up for payment due notifications, which I no longer was receiving with the new card and I am incurring late fees of {$29.00} regularly, with no warning. I have a history of either paying off my balance in full, or making larger payments than the amount due amounts, so I was shocked to find that Macy 's has frozen my card because I was late making a {$29.00} payment that was due last week for a balance due of about {$250.00}. In the past, over the years, I would either have gotten a call or, at the very least, a mailing, letting me know a payment was due. This is no longer the case. And if I hadn't been attempting to make a {$40.00} online purchase, I would not have known that my account was frozen and I was told to call in. It was then that I was told by a representative, at XXXXXXXX XXXX this morning on XX/XX/XXXX, that my account will remain frozen until I make a payment. 

Presently, as of XX/XX/XXXX, I still do not have access to view my XXXX statement to see what charges, outside of Macy 's online purchases, have been made. The woman would not provide me with information on anything else and reluctantly let me know that at least one late fee was applied to my account. She said if I made a payment now, she would see if she could " grant '' me a " courtesy removal '' of " one '' {$29.00} late fee. She could not answer why I am no longer getting payment due notification alerts, that I signed up for several times. 

I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX that informed me the investigation on my Macy 's American Express card was completed and that the disputed charge was removed. Of course, because I am unable to access my account in full online, I can not see if the resolved dispute charge was the {$69.00} because the letter omits that information. 

I need assistance in getting this {$69.00} disputed charge resolved. I want to report my card being frozen for a missed payment. I want to report that I am not getting payment reminder alerts that I have signed up for online and that I am repeatedly being charged {$29.00} late fees that I have been unknowingly paying. I want an investigation done on the credit card policy that Macy 's has that I am required to make monthly payments on my account- even for the disputed charge amounts. Since trying to resolve this dispute from XX/XX/XXXX with Macy 's Amex, I've done everything the way CFPB advised. I've called to speak with supervisors, put my complaint in writing, followed up repeatedly, and continued paying balances in full without resolution. I do not know what to do next. Please advise.

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 monetary relief