Consumer complaint received 2026-06-12 00:00:00
Product: Credit 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.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I have decided to pursue this case because I believe this situation was not handled properly, and I want it reviewed fairly. For some time, around XXXX or XXXX, I started noticing a decline in the quality of customer support I received from Citi. There were repeated miscommunications, unclear instructions, and a lack of proper support. One example was when Citi discontinued a card I liked and moved me to a similar card, only for that card to later lose the benefit that made it valuable to me. That experience felt misleading and unfair. Since then, my experience with Citi has continued to get worse. I have spent hours on phone calls, emails, faxes, and mailed letters, often explaining the same issue multiple times. I have also been asked repeatedly to provide the same statements, proof, and details in different formats, even after I had already submitted them. The main issue involves a laptop I purchased from XXXX using my Citi credit card. The laptop was purchased during a XXXX Friday promotion. When we received the laptop, the specifications did not match what had been advertised. We contacted XXXX and asked if they could offer a resolution. Since we did not want to lose the promotional offer, we preferred either receiving the correct specifications or receiving a partial refund. XXXX stated that they could not resolve the issue directly and advised us to open a case with Citi because the purchase was made with a Citi credit card. After back and forth between Citi, XXXX, and myself, it was decided that the laptop would be returned for a full refund. XXXX provided a return label, and we used that label to return the laptop. Later, the tracking number showed that the item had been delivered back to XXXX. After that, we contacted XXXX many times regarding the refund. Around this time, my online access became limited for reasons unknown to me. Out of all our attempts, five were successful : two phone calls and three online chats. Each time, XXXX either told us to wait because of processing delays and their XXXX migration, or they stated that the refund should have already been issued and that it was strange it had not been processed yet. Meanwhile, my interactions with Citi became increasingly difficult. The dispute was opened in XXXX. Later, when the dispute was changed from a partial dispute to a dispute for the full amount, Citi failed to properly update that detail. I called Citi twice and informed them of this issue, but it still was not corrected. Because Citi did not properly update the dispute amount, I was charged interest and a late fee. During one phone call, Citi admitted that this was incorrect and told me they would fix it. However, it was not fixed. When I called again in XXXX, I was told there was nothing more they could do, and Citi only refunded the late fee as a courtesy. This was very upsetting because the charges were connected to an issue that was already under dispute and that Citi had failed to update correctly. It felt extremely unfair to be charged interest and fees when I had already made repeated efforts to explain the situation and provide the required information. I have banked in the United States for years, and I have never experienced being asked to provide the same information so many times through so many different channels, including email, fax, mail, and online submissions. In addition to the faxes, mailed letters, and repeated submissions, I also emailed Citi six times regarding this matter. At some point during this process, I no longer had online access, which made it even harder to follow up and manage the case properly. I can provide more details about each interaction if needed, including the phone calls, chats, emails, faxes, mailed letters, and documents submitted. For now, I am trying to keep this explanation simple and focused. At this point, this is not only about the refund. It is also about the time, stress, and dignity I lost during this process. I made repeated efforts to handle the matter responsibly, clearly, and on time, but I was still left without a proper resolution. I am pursuing this because I want clarity, accountability, and a fair review of whether my rights as a customer were respected.

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