Consumer complaint received 2025-06-20 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Overcharged for something you did purchase with the card
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
This dispute arose out of a purchase of a pizza and XXXX beers at XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX on XX/XX/year>, using my Citi XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

The base charge was {$40.00}, and I manually added a tip of {$8.00} ( roughly 20 % ) through the card reader in a transaction that involved no waitperson. I ordered at the bar register, then picked up the pizza myself when called over the PA. 

I asked the bartender/cashier for a copy of my receipt, and he gave me XXXX recording only the base transaction, not including the tip ( copy attached ). I therefore wrote " 8.00 '' on the receipt, in order to remind myself of the tip amount, and recorded it in my XXXX software when I returned home. 

When it came time to pay the bill on XX/XX/XXXX, I checked the XXXX statement entries against the XXXX entries, and noticed that the XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX charge was listed as {$52.00}, or {$4.00} too much ( see attached XXXX statement ). For this to be correct, I would have had to add a {$12.00} tip, or nearly 30 % of {$40.00}, inconceivable for register-only service. 

I called XXXX XXXX that afternoon of XX/XX/XXXX, explained the situation, and asked the employee to give me a {$4.00} credit, to which he agreed, and took down my name, transaction date, and credit card number. I then paid my XXXX Citi XXXX statement in full, including the {$4.00} overcharge. ( The payment was received by Citi the next day, XX/XX/XXXX. ) When I checked on the Citibank app several days later, I saw that XXXX XXXX had given me the {$4.00} credit, but also XXXX other credits and debits, all on the same day I called, as follows : Date Amount XXXX - {$4.00} XXXX - {$48.00} XXXX {$48.00} XXXX {$52.00} ( See also attached XXXX statement ) This nets out not to be a credit of {$4.00}, but an additional charge of {$48.00}. In effect, I was not being reimbursed for the excessive tip on XX/XX/XXXX, but double-charged for the same transaction. 

I have not been back to or otherwise ordered food from XXXX XXXX since the original XX/XX/XXXX transaction. 

When I saw the XXXX new XXXX XXXX credits and debits, I was in XXXX on vacation, with a XXXX hour time difference, and found it logistically impossible to call XXXX XXXX so I filed the instant dispute on XX/XX/XXXX, believing XXXX XXXX 's mistake would be immediately obvious from the documents and detailed explanatory text I emailed on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ). Citibank granted me a provisional {$52.00} credit. 

While filing the dispute online, I attempted to dispute the XXXX charges and debits other than the {$4.00} credit, but the Citibank software told me I couldn't challenge the {$48.00} credit and debit, because they would wash out on their own. As a result, I disputed only the {$52.00} charge, because that would still result in a net {$4.00} credit against the XXXX XXXX entries from the XXXX statement, and that {$4.00} credit netted against the {$52.00} XXXX XXXX charge on the XXXX statement would yield the correct amount of {$48.00}, as follows : XXXX Citibank XXXX credit + XXXX XXXX XXXX charge - XXXX XXXX XXXX credit + XXXX XXXX XXXX charge - XXXX XXXX XXXX credit = - {$4.00} Needless to say, I was shocked and disappointed when I received an email notice on XX/XX/XXXX that my dispute was denied. I am now facing payment of {$100.00} for what should have been a {$48.00} charge. 

I called the Citi XXXX customer service number that morning, and the rep told me he understood what happened, but that no appeal was possible -- which was incorrect both as a matter of law and statements on the Citibank website -- and that my only recourse was to call XXXX XXXX and ask them to give me the credit. ( For the record, I did call XXXX XXXX at XXXX PM on XX/XX/XXXX. The person answering the phone said the manager could not come to the phone at that time, but took my name and phone number, and said the manager would call me back. To date, he has not. ) I was further disappointed that to date I have received no explanation for the reasoning behind the mistaken denial. Although Citibank 's webpage stated I would be mailed a letter detailing the reasons for the denial ( XXXX  ), and the Dispute Center in my online account said a copy of the letter had been placed in the Notices and Letters section of my account, now XXXX days after the denial notice, no such explanation has been available in either form. 

It is baffling that although I have never disputed any other charge nor made a late payment during the XXXX years that I have owned the Citi XXXX credit card, I am being treated with such disregard in this matter. 

I have since provided the above information to Citibank 's Executive Response Unit, and been informed by email that the matter is under review.

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