Consumer complaint received 2025-12-16 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 am filing this complaint regarding Citibanks refusal to resolve a credit card dispute for a hotel booking where no stay occurred and no services were provided, and Citibanks failure to properly investigate despite my immediate and continuous action. Although the booking was labeled non-refundable, this dispute is not about a voluntary cancellation. 
It concerns nondelivery of services, deceptive intermediary conduct, and Citibanks improper handling of the dispute in violation of the Fair Credit Billing Act ( FCBA ).

I realizsed the booking error immediately and filed the dispute with Citi as soon as the charge appeared. I remained in constant communication with Citi throughout the entire process, responding promptly to every request and following up repeatedly. Despite this, Citi allowed the payment to proceed and settle while the dispute was still active. 

Over the following months, my emails often went unanswered, and I spent significant time speaking with representatives presented as senior or escalation contacts who later proved to have no authority to resolve the dispute. This created the false impression that my case was being reviewed, when in fact no meaningful investigation occurred. Any delay was caused entirely by Citibanks internal handling, not by any inaction on my part. 

The merchant platform provided contradictory and misleading information, and the hotel itself issued inconsistent statements regarding payment. 
I was placed in an endless loop between the hotel and the booking platform, with neither party taking responsibility despite both acknowledging the situation in writing. The hotel stated they could support a refund only if the platform authorized it, while XXXX XXXX stated they could process a refund only if the hotel approved it. 
As a result, both parties deferred responsibility to one another while each claimed a lack of authority to resolve the matter. This deadlock was fully documented and provided to Citibank. In such circumstances, where the merchant chain is unable or unwilling to resolve a clear case of nondelivery, Citibank should have intervened, evaluated the evidence, and credited my account instead of allowing the charge to stand. 
At no point did Citibank meaningfully evaluate the evidence, verify whether services were delivered, or require the merchant to prove performance. 

Ultimately, after months of delay caused by Citi, my dispute was denied with the statement : Due to the age of the charge, we have no options available to obtain a credit for you. 
This justification is unacceptable. Citi can not rely on the passage of time resulting from its own inaction to deny a valid nondelivery claim, especially where the consumer acted immediately and continuously in good faith. 

A non-refundable label does not override FCBA protections when services are never rendered, and the merchant can not demonstrate delivery. Citibank failed to protect me as their customer despite my immediate dispute and full cooperation.

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