Consumer complaint received 2025-08-21 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Problem getting a working replacement card
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to you today with a profound sense of disappointment. As a loyal XXXX member for my entire adult life, my experiences with your company have always been wonderful, which is why this recent, disastrous situation has been so shocking and upsetting. I feel completely let down by a company I have always trusted, and I must file a formal complaint regarding our application for the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX by Citi. 

This situation, caused by a series of egregious errors, ruined what was meant to be a cherished bucket-list trip and placed us in a dangerous and financially precarious position. 

Here is a summary of the events : Application and Incorrect Information ( XX/XX/year> ) : My husband and I applied for the card at the XXXX warehouse in XXXX  XXXX, CA. As we live off-grid, we do not receive mail at our physical residence. We explicitly stated this and provided our P.O. Box for the card 's delivery. We confirmed four separate times with the XXXX employee that the card would be sent to our P.O. Box. We were unequivocally assured this would not be an issue. 
A Trip of a Lifetime Becomes a Nightmare : On XX/XX/XXXX, we departed for an 18-day trip. This was an incredibly important trip for us to visit several national parks, as I was recently diagnosed with XXXX and have other health challenges. I unfortunately lost my job due to these complications, so money was tight. We planned our budget with the expectation that our new credit card would arrive at our P.O. Box within the stated 7-10 business days. Our house sitter was checking our P.O. Box daily, ready to provide us with the card details or overnight it to us.

Card Never Arrives, Funds Depleted : The card never arrived at our P.O. Box. As our trip progressed, we depleted our available funds, relying on the imminent arrival of the card as promised.

Discovery of Gross Negligence : With only three days left in our trip, we were forced to investigate. We had called a few times throughout the trip, and we're assured that things would be okay. We discovered that, contrary to the multiple assurances we received, Citi had mailed the card to our physical address. The card was, of course, undeliverable and had been returned to Citi. At no point did Citi or XXXX ever notify us of this issue until the following week via text with a delayed message stating that it was undeliverable. 
Stranded and Abandoned by Customer Service : By this time, the temporary card printout we were given upon application had expired. We were left without funds, over 700 miles from home. We contacted Citi customer service and visited a XXXX customer service desk, desperately seeking a solution. We were told flatly that " nothing could be done. '' We even offered to travel to a physical bank location to verify our identities and get a temporary card, but this was refused. Even knowing the extent of our situation, being escalated and even hearing me beg for anything - nothing could be done. 
The direct consequences of this negligence were catastrophic : Financial Crisis : We were left completely stranded without money for gas, food, or lodging.

Emotional Distress : We were forced to make the humiliating call to our loved ones to borrow money simply to make it home. What should have been a relaxing and meaningful vacation turned into a fight for survival.

Health Decline : The immense and entirely preventable stress caused by this situation led to a significant decline in my health during the trip, directly contradicting the purpose of this much-needed vacation.

To add insult to injury, the Citi employee we spoke with promised to have a new card expedited to our P.O. Box. It is now XXXX XXXX  nearly a month since our initial application, and we still have not received it. 
What makes this entire ordeal so disheartening is our long-standing trust in XXXX. We have never experienced anything like this before. To be lied to by an employee, failed by Citi 's processes, and then abandoned by both of your customer service departments during a crisis is a complete betrayal of the standard of service we have come to expect from the XXXX name. I understand mistakes can happen, and I don't want to bring fault to the employee that helped us, however, we did confirm multiple times and we're assured multiple times. 

This entire ordeal was caused by your companies ' failures. Given the extreme negligence, the financial hardship, the profound emotional distress, and the negative impact on my health, we would like to see what options we have to make this situation right. We expect a prompt and serious response to this complaint and a clear explanation of the steps you will take to restore our faith and rectify this situation.

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 non-monetary relief