Consumer complaint received 2026-01-13 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MI

Complaint narrative:
Company : Citibank , N.A . 

I am filing a complaint regarding what I believe to be unfair and potentially deceptive practices by Citibank , N.A . related to a promotional credit card offer. 

On XX/XX/year>, I applied for a Citi credit card that advertised a 0 % APR balance transfer for XXXX months. I applied while this promotion was actively advertised and available. 

By XX/XX/year>, my application had remained in a pending status for approximately XXXX weeks, and the application appeared to be reversing. I contacted Citi on that date to inquire about the status. I was told that no one could discuss the application with me and that I would need to wait for a letter. 

I contacted Citi again after receiving a letter that did not resolve the issue and was later informed that the correspondence was incorrect and that I would need to wait again. Several days later, I received a letter containing a reference code from Citis fraud department. I immediately called using the provided code. 

By the time I was finally able to speak with someone and resolve the alleged fraud issue, nearly XXXX weeks had passed since my original application. Once communication was allowed, the issue was resolved quickly. 

After the issue was cleared, I attempted to proceed with the account. I was informed that the original XXXX 0 % balance transfer promotion was no longer available. Instead, I was offered a significantly shorter promotional period ( initially less than XXXX months ). After further discussion with a representative, I was offered approximately XXXX  months, which was still less than the original advertised terms under which I applied. 

Because Citi refused to honor the promotional terms tied to my XX/XX/year> application date, I chose to close the account. 

When attempting to close the account through Citis online chat system, the representative refused to process the closure, stating that I would need to speak with someone by phone so that additional offers could be reviewed with me. I had already declined further offers and had clearly requested account closure. Requiring additional sales interaction as a condition of closing the account was inappropriate and further delayed resolution.

The delay and resulting harm were caused entirely by Citis internal handling, incorrect correspondence, refusal to communicate during the pending period, and obstruction of account closure. I did not miss any deadlines, fail to respond, or contribute to the delay in any way. 

I believe Citi engaged in a bait-and-delay practice by accepting applications under a longer promotional offer, delaying processing until the promotion expired, and then offering materially worse terms. I also believe Citi imposed unreasonable barriers to account closure after refusing to honor the original promotional terms. 

I am requesting that this matter be reviewed for compliance with consumer protection laws and that Citi be required to address these practices.

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