Consumer complaint received 2025-08-23 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Communication tactics — Frequent or repeated calls
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I was walking down the halls of the XXXX XXXX in XXXX, Nevada and I was handed a sample of a skin cream. The lady said her name was XXXX and asked if she could put a cream on my eyes to erase the wrinkles under my eyes in 15 minutes. I then said sure she could. We walked into a store named XXXX and went to a make-up counter where I was asked to have a seat in a chair and she applied some product under my eyes. After waiting for a bit while she spoke about the product, she asked if I noticed any difference. I noticed some minor improvement and she then asked me if I had time for a free facial. We then went to a room in the back of the store, where she provided the free facial while describing each product that she was applying. XXXX began complimenting me saying how beautiful I was and how smooth my skin looked. She then asked if I would be a product model and send her facial pictures of myself for 3 months and that I would receive free monthly facials in their store. Additionally, she asked if anyone noticed any changes to my appearance that I tell them about the products and refer them to her. I agreed. XXXX then asked for my cellular number so that she could call me so that I would have her number and I did. XXXX then called my telephone from her phone ( # XXXX @ XXXX PST ). The facial was finished before XXXX and we walked back to the storefront. XXXX enticed me into purchasing the eye serum, facial soap, topical vitamin c, and some topical moisturizer for {$600.00}. She ask me for my credit card and I handed her my XXXX XXXX card. She placed it on a tap reader and then she handed it back to me saying it was approved and your receipt will be emailed to you. She then switched the conversation to other products and gave me a free handheld ultraviolet light to use on my neck. She then pivoted again to soliciting me to purchase a XXXX kit because it was the product used in the free facial she gave me earlier. Although I had already made a purchase, I was pressured into buying the XXXX kit for {$4000.00} on the same day. Again, XXXX asked for my credit card and I handed her my XXXX XXXX card once more. She tapped the reader and then said, XXXX have to try it again. After she pressed a few buttons, she put the card on the tap reader a second time. She then handed me my credit card and thanked me for the purchase. She reminded me to send her the photos and that shell see me in a month. Thats when I left the store. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX called my cellular telephone at XXXX. She asked me if I had been using the product and I said yes. She then told me how beautiful I was and reminded me to send her pictures of myself after a couple of days using the items. I told her I would. 
I did send a single image of myself on XX/XX/XXXX to Autumns to the cellular number she provided ( # XXXX ). 
Earlier the next month, XXXX called to ask me to bring a bathing suit and towel because her store manager was going to do the facial this time and had a special treat for me. She had not told me his name or what the special treat would be because since it was going to be a surprise. But, I did bring my bathing suit and a towel with me. 
I went back to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX for my scheduled monthly facial. Upon arrival, there was a man ( which I found out later was actually XXXX brother ) outside the store handing out the same samples I was offered and another man met me at the main entrance and said Are you XXXX?. I then asked XXXX XXXX here?. He replied that she was away and that he was the manager and his name was XXXX. He proceeded to walk to the same area where I had my previous facial. The room had been rearranged and a steam spa had been put into the room. Next, XXXX said that I would need to change into my bathing suit and wrap myself into my towel if I wanted the treatment. Then, I ask where I could change and he said I could change in the bathroom next to the front desk. I proceeded to the restroom to change and noticed it hadnt been cleaned. So, I carefully changed as directed and returned to the facial/spa area where XXXX was waiting at the entrance. He then opened the spa equipment and helped me get in the machine. XXXX asked me to let him know if the temperature was getting too high and began giving me the facial. During my treatment he was getting to know me, asking about my family and what my hobbies were. I told XXXX my husband had XXXX and I enjoyed quilting to relieve XXXX told me me he was going on vacation to XXXX to attend his cousins wedding. I asked him if his family was ok due to the war. XXXX said his sister and brother-in-law were fighting in the war in XXXX. And I asked them if they were ok. He responded yes. He began pressuring me by telling me all the health benefits the spa had. I was in the spa equipment while getting the facial and being forced to hear the sales pitch for approximately XXXX minutes. XXXX opened the machine, and I got out and went directly to the restroom and changed into my clothing. As I exited the restroom, XXXX was standing next to the cash register and I ask him for the price of the neck cream he had applied during the facial. He stated the price and I told him that it was too high. XXXX stated he would give me all of the product he had just applied for free if I would just buy the steam spa XXXX stated That you only live once and You deserve it and you really enjoyed like and you really liked it and your husband can use it. XXXX filed out a preprinted business card with his name and contact cellular number ( # XXXX ) and handed it to me. He said it was {$30000.00} but he would give me credit for the amount that I had already spent in the store. So, the spa would cost me only about {$25000.00} plus tax. I kept telling him it was a lot of money, that I lived on social security, and I just paid off my credit cards and didnt want the debt. He kept piling on the free products and free facials for a year. He continued pressuring me to make the purchase for another 20 minutes or more. I eventually gave in to the purchase. XXXX asked what credit cards I would be using and I told him Visa and XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX cards. He then told me he was going to bill each card to spread out the cost among all three. He said I had to call my credit cards because the amount was going to be so high for each of them and I would have to authorize the amount for each card. So, I dialed the telephone number on the back of my XXXX Citi Bank credit card ( # XXXX @ XXXX ), gave the card to XXXX to process on the tap reader, and walked to the other side of the room while speaking to the card representative. Once authorization was given from the agency, XXXX tapped the card on the reader. We did the same sequence for XXXX XXXX ( XXXX @ XXXX ) followed by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX @ XXXX ). After XXXX completed the transactions and he returned my credit cards, he said he had also set up a warranty on the machine. We agreed the delivery date was to be scheduled for a later date as I was going out of town the following day. XXXX then asked me for a hug and if he could take a picture of me with the display model at the front of the store. I agreed but was so confused. XXXX asked me to send him a text message of my email address and a picture of my drivers license. I said I would ( @ XXXX ) and left the store with the products he used during the free facial, which had performed that day. I think I was in some sort of shock as I let. It was all so confusing and shocking. I was not given any paperwork for the equipment, warranty information, or receipts for the transactions. 
While we were away, I sent XXXX a text message from my cellular phone ( XX/XX/XXXX @ XXXX ) to tell him I needed to cancel the purchase. XXXX called me back ( # XXXX @ XXXX ) and he asked me why I needed to cancel the transaction. I told him I could not afford the spa and never wanted it in the first place. He said he would call his corporate office see to see if it could be cancelled. XXXX said would let me know what they said but that he couldnt do that until the following week due to the XXXX XXXX weekend. 
I called XXXX again on XX/XX/XXXX to see if spoke to his corporate office. He said I had to come into the store to discuss the matter because he couldnt tell me over the phone. I asked him why and he said just couldnt and that I had to come in to see him in person. I told him I could be the next day. He called me back and said he needed me to come into the store to discuss what the corporate office said. 
When I went in to the store on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX tried to talk me out of cancelling and never mentioned speaking with anyone at the corporate office. I told him it was just too high for my budget, I didnt have the space for it, and my garage couldnt accommodate the size of the machine. He suggest I put it in my living room and I said no. Then he offered to clean and seal the floors in my garage with epoxy coating for free because he did that as a side-business. And, he even offered to have his friend contact me to have my garage door insulated and sealed to make the garage cooler so we could use the machine all at my cost. And I said No. I need this cancelled. He kept sweet talking me and did not cancel the sale. Finally, his brother then told XXXX to just give her a piece of each product behind the counter including an ultraviolet facial mask. XXXX bagged a variety of product, gave it to me, and said now you have everything we sell and he said that the spa would be delivered the next day. XXXX help me carry the bags of product to my car. I asked her if XXXX always gave so much product away and she said no, you are special. Once in the car I felt confused and swindled. I went straight home in tears and called each of my credit cards to cancel the cards, request replacements, and dispute the sales for all of the transactions with XXXX. Later that evening, XXXX called me ( @ XXXX ) to ask if I had changed my mind and I said no. I informed him that I should have never done anything like this and that I had contacted my credit card companies to cancel the charges. XXXX became furious and started yelling at me. That is when I hung up the phone. 
At this point, I realize I had absolutely no information from the staff at XXXX. Nothing from XXXX or XXXX. No receipts for what I was pressured to purchase. No documentation for the steam spa which I was conned into purchasing. Nothing. So I double checked my emails and found nothing in my inbox. Then I checked my spam folder and found the following receipts from XXXX XX/XX/XXXX @?? :?? :?? XXXX XXXX XXXX transaction for {$780.00} ( {$600.00} custom amount ; {$50.00} sales tax ; {$130.00} tip ) w/ transaction receipt sent electronically to email XX/XX/XXXX XXXX PST XX/XX/XXXX @?? :?? :?? XXXX XXXX XXXX transaction attempted for {$4300.00} ( {$4000.00} custom amount ; {$330.00} sales tax ) w/ transaction rejected by XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX @?? :?? :?? XXXX XXXX XXXX transaction for {$4900.00} ( {$4000.00} custom amount ; {$330.00} sales tax ; {$650.00} tip ) w/ transaction receipt sent electronically to email XX/XX/XXXX XXXX PST At this point, I panicked. I never tipped XXXX for the product or authorized a tip of {$780.00} for the transactions on XX/XX/XXXX. Additionally, there were no other receipts. So, I check my account statements and found the following XX/XX/XXXX @?? :?? :??XX/XX/XXXXXXXX Citi Bank transaction for {$13000.00} ( $ XXXX {$1000.00} tax ) w/ transaction receipt sent electronically to email XX/XX/XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXXXX/XX/XXXX @ XXXXXX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for {$11000.00} ( $ XXXX {$870.00} tax ) w/ transaction receipt sent electronically to email XX/XX/XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX @ XXXXXX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX transaction for {$2400.00}XX/XX/XXXXXXXX {$190.00} tax ) w/ transaction receipt sent electronically to email XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX Ultimately, the staff at XXXX ( including Autumn, XXXX, and his brother ) XXXX me out of {$33000.00} which includes {$29000.00} in product and the steam spa, {$2400.00} sales tax, and {$1100.00} in unauthorized tips. Additionally, the {$25000.00} steam spa was never delivered and the unit price charged did not include any discounts for the product I was pressured to purchase. 
During each transaction, I was never told all sales were final and there was no visible signage stating that either. I think that would apply to the skin products that they enticed me to purchase and not something like a {$25000.00} steam spa. On the dispute with the credit card agencies, the staff at XXXX said I purchased product me product in their response to the agencies and no mention of a steam spa. That I purchase product for {$33000.00} not a steam spa I called XXXX the next morning ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and told him what I had done because I was conned into doing something I knew I couldnt afford. I told him not to attempt to deliver the steam spa and asked if he wanted all of the product I received return to the store. He said no and hung up on the conversation. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from someone ( # XXXX @ XXXX ) trying to verify my address for the delivery of the steam spa. I refused to verify my address and told the woman the order had been cancelled so delivery wasnt needed. The woman then said it was already loaded and they were on the way to the provided address. I again told them the order was cancelled and I didnt want it. She then said he would contact the retailer and hung up. Later that afternoon, I received a call from XXXX ( @ XXXX ). He was very angry, yelling, Why are you doing this, and youre never going to get your money back! I finally had to tell XXXX to never call me again and I had to hang up on him because he was so aggressive. 
I feel I was pressured into the sale and swindled out of my money. I kept trying to cancel. Their paperwork to the credit card agencies regarding the transaction disputes never stated what the purchase was. I never saw a receipt at the time of purchase, as it was emailed to me and ended up in my spam folder. 
THE OTHER BANKS REVERSED THE CHARGES BUT CITI BANK AND XXXX XXXX DID NOT AND THEY CONTINUE TO CHARGE ME ADDITIONAL INTEREST ON THE OUTSTANDING AMOUNT. ALSO, XXXX XXXX LOWER OUR CEDIT LIMIT. I WILL BE PAYING THEM {$1000.00} IN A FEW DAYS. I DO NOT OWE CITI BANK ANY AMOUNT, THEY OUE ME. CITI ALSO CANCELLED THE CARD.

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