Consumer complaint received 2026-01-11 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Charged too much interest
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: WA

Complaint narrative:
I contacted customer service multiple times, and spoke with several different people there. They are very uninformed and helpless. My main complaint is that Citi makes it so hard to contact them, and then if you actually do get through to a person, they are of no help anyway. Citi needs to provide payoff amounts on their site or else just settle for what they actually do show as being due. Tired of their games. It's a money grab ; they make it nearly impossible to find a payoff amount, so that they can charge you more interest with the next statement. 

Hi, XXXX. I'm Citi Bot, and I'm here to help with your account questions.Here are a few of the many topics I can help you with or feel free to ask a question.Customer MessageagentReadBefore I connect you with a representative, theyll need to know what you need help with.In a few words, what do you want to chat with a representative about? Customer Messagebalance chargeReadSure, I'll connect you with a representative. I'm always learning new things, so maybe I'll be able to help next time.You 're now connected to : XXXX you for waiting. You are now connected with XXXX you for reaching Citi live chat representative. My name is XXXX. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you While I take couple of minutes to review the interaction with BOT and our previous representative. 

I would like to understand if this is your first interaction with the chat agent for this query.Customer XXXX, it's not my first. i waited and waited last nightCustomer XXXX 've contacted via chat prior to that as wellCustomer XXXX chat bot is worthlessDeliveredCustomer Messageand no reps ever respond to the chatCustomer Messageand no reps pick up the phoneReadHi XXXX. I apologize for the inconvenience you have been experiencing so far. Thank you for staying connected. Hope you are doing fine. 


How may I assist you today? Customer Messagei 'm inquiring about my balance.DeliveredCustomer Messagei paid in full last monthReadCustomer MessagehelloDeliveredYes, I'm still connected.Upon checking, I could see that there is a current balance of {$25.00} in your account.Customer Messageyes, i see thatDeliveredCustomer MessageWHYCustomer MessageTHAT WAS THE QUESTIONReadIt is the interest charge for the balance in the balance transfer offer after the expiration of the balance transfer offer.Customer Messagei paid in full last monthDeliveredThe interest of {$25.00} was charged in the XX/XX/XXXX was from the XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  statement and until the statement balance was paid in full.Customer Messagewhen was my last payment? DeliveredCustomer MessagehelloDeliveredCustomer Messageare you interested in chatting, or do i need to talk to someone else?? ReadThe last payment was made on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXXCustomer Messagewhich brought the balance to XXXX Messagethe last time i asked for a payoff amount, after several phones calls, ( the final call lasting 2 hours ), the rep said that the payoff amount is the balance shownCustomer MessageALSO, DeliveredCustomer MessageXXXX does not make a payoff generator available, ( their competition does ), so i shall only assume that the balance shown is all that is dueCustomer MessagePERIODReadCustomer Messagei don't need petty interest come-backs the next statementDeliveredKindly note, When the statement balance is not paid in full, interest bills that month based on the daily interest accrued for that billing cycle. Then, on the following billing cycle, the remaining interest charge is billed. The remaining interest is the amount that accrued from when the last statement cycled until we received complete payment in full again.We require two consecutive payments be made in full on time for interest to stop accruing. This was the reason for remaining interest charge. Please be rest assured that if you continue to make payments for the full last statement balance by the due date, no further interest will be billed to the account.Customer Messagekindly note, you need to provide a payoff amountDeliveredCustomer Messagesince you did not, you get what you gotCustomer Messagesimple enough concept? DeliveredCustomer MessageHELLOReadCustomer Messagewhere 's your managerDeliveredPlease be informed that Im going to transfer the chat to our higher tier team. They will be able to view our conversation, so you won't have to re-explain anything kindly stay connected. Have a great day! 

Please stay connected.You 're now connected to : XXXXThank you for waiting. You are now connected with XXXXThank you for contacting Citi, my name is XXXX. I am one of the supervisors on chat. 
Kindly allow me 1-2 minutes as I check through the previous conversation.Customer MessagegreatReadThank you for contacting Citi, XXXX name is XXXX. I am XXXX of the supervisors on chat. 
Kindly allow me 1-2 minutes as I check through the previous conversation.Customer Messagekindly tell randy he is worthless and unresponsiveReadHello! To make sure I understand correctly, you're inquiring about XX/XX/XXXX INTEREST CHARGED TO BALTRNOFFER {$25.00}? Customer Messagei inquiring about the XXXX balanceReadOkaySincerely apologize for the inconvenience.Customer MessageI 'm also now concerned about the unresponsive nature of the prior rep 's serviceReadI have checked and I do see that the payment on the card was processed in full, but the interest billed on the card was calculated from the statement generation date XX/XX/XXXXXXXX till the date the payment was received When a payment is made, and the statement balance is not paid in full, interest bills that month based on the daily interest accrued for that billing cycle. Then, on the following billing cycle, the remaining interest charge is billed. The remaining interest is the amount that accrued from when the last statement cycled until we received complete payment in full again. We require two consecutive payments be made in full on time for interest to stop accruing.This interest was calculated when the statement was generated until the payment was made.As the interest on the card will only post on the next statement the interest was posted on the current statement.Customer Messagemaybe you didn't read thru the chat aboveReadCustomer Messagelet me find some info for you .. Customer Message'the last time i asked for a payoff amount, after several phones calls, ( the final call lasting 2 hours ), the rep said that the payoff amount is the balance shown'Customer Message'citi does not make a payoff generator available, ( their competition does ), so i shall only assume that the balance shown is all that is due'ReadCustomer Messagei realize now that citi is just banking on wasting people 's time, and not being transparent, in the name of collecting a bit more interest ; ReadI understand you are not happy about this and I can understand how you are feeling, I will surely share this as a feedback from my endCustomer Messageis that worth losing business over? a few days of interest? ReadUnfortunately, we do not have option to waive off the interest charges, but I request you to please allow me a minute to try to waive off the interest charge.Customer Messagedo you see the frustrating process here? as i already stated twice now, the last time i called for a payoff amount, it took 2 hours to reach someone, only to hear that the final balance is what is shownCustomer Messagehow has that changed in the last month or two? ReadCustomer Messageand, why is there not a payoff amount available online? ReadCustomer Messageobviously everyone wants everything to be completed online these days .. Customer Messagemy other banks have that pertinent info availableDeliveredXXXX, I understand you have called previously for the pay amount Unfortunately, we are not able to tell the exact pay off amountCustomer Messagewhy? Customer Messageno one there is capable of projecting that value/ calculation? ReadFrom our end we are able to tell the approx pay off amount And online the last statement balance amount is available for the paymentI tried to waive off the interest charge from the account, but unfortunately, the request to waive off the interest charge got denied, I really apologize for this.Customer Messageif so, how do you calculate interest? ReadCustomer Messagedo you just make up numbers? DeliveredCustomer Messagesounds suspiciousReadHere 's how it works : First, interest is calculated daily for that month 's billing cycle and added to your bill. 
Then, in your next billing cycle, any remaining interest is added. This " remaining interest '' covers the period from your last statement date until you've paid your balance in full again. 
To stop new interest charges completely, you need to make two full payments on time, one after the other Paying half of the balance before the due date does not stop interest from accruing on the full initial balance. If the full statement balance is not paid by the payment due date, the interest that accrued on the entire statement balance during the billing cycle will be added to next statement. 

Any unpaid portion then becomes the revolving balance, which continues to accrue interest daily.Customer Messageyou should be more than capable of calculating the current daily balance at a moments noticeReadCustomer Messagei understand how interest works, but i'm wondering if citi really doesDeliveredI extremely regret the inconvenience that was caused. Definitely it is not the level of service we strive to achieve. I can completely understand you, as I can relate to this if I were in your shoes. I will make sure to emphasize this and communicate a feedback to the appropriate channels so that it is heard at the right levelCustomer MessageI guess I need to file a complaint with the consumer financial protection bureau about your shady business practicesDeliveredCustomer Messagequite frankly, I'm going to need you to elevate this concern to a higher levelReadCustomer Messagei don't have time to spend all day chatting with someone who is no helpCustomer Messagewhen can i expect them to reach ou to me? ReadJust a minute pleaseCustomer Messagei don't have any more time to conversateDeliveredThank you for waiting.Customer Messageas of now, i've already been chatting for nearly an hourDeliveredI really understand your concern, and I'm sorry for your experience, I'm one of the supervisor available on chat, unfortunately, there is no further escalation available on chat, in this case, if you want to escalate further, I request you to please give a call to our call support team and ask for the further escalation over call. 

The number for our Customer Service team XXXX ( for TTY : XXXX other Relay Service ). This department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Customer Messagehow is this chat not customer service? Customer Messagefrom which department are you? ReadCustomer Message? ReadWe are from the customer service departmentCustomer Messageso why are you telling me to call customer service?

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