Consumer complaint received 2024-10-15 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Add-on products and services
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: RI

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year> at approximately XXXX I attempted to purchase a refurbished XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX website. I recently opened XXXX cards with Citi. The first one was a Citi XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that I had been using without issue for the past week. I attempted to pay for the computer using the card via XXXX and the purchase did not go through, and I received a fraud alert. I called the provided phone number and answered all the correct security questions, but the representative said that they could not verify my identity, could not use my phone to verify my identity, and would need to send me a letter in the mail. 

I am a XXXX XXXX and rely on having a computer in order to remain employed. My previous computer died the day before and I needed to purchase one as soon as possible so I could set it up for my workday. In the time it took to answer the many, many questions the representative asked, the computer I was attempting to purchase sold out and is no longer available. 

At that point, I attempted to purchase a different computer - one less suited for my job - using my other Citi card, a Citi Double Cash card. Before the purchase I made sure to go into the Citi app and submit a notification for an upcoming large purchase. I received an email confirmation that Citi received the notification, and then attempted to use my Double Cash card to complete the purchase. It seemed successful. 

Shortly after that, I received an email from XXXX saying that there was an issue with the payment for my order. I would like to emphasize that I did NOT receive any text or notification from Citi about this. I immediately opened the app and saw that there were now two fraud notification - one for each card.

I called again. I went through every step of verifying my identity again. I gave the correct answer to my security question. I was told that again, they could not verify my identity, and that they would need to send me a letter. They were unable to confirm that they were sending the letter to the correct address, or that they were even sending it this week. I then asked if I could simply close my accounts, and was told I would not be able to do that until I confirmed my identity after receiving " information in the letter. '' I am now unable to use either credit card and unable to close the accounts. Payment is due on one of the cards in a few days and I am concerned that it will not go through. This process has wasted my time and my employer 's time, as I still have not been able to complete the purchase of a new laptop and am thus unable to work. 

I am able to afford to pay for a new laptop out of pocket, but if I were in a position where that wasn't the case, this process would not only have left me frustrated and with no lines of credit, it would have jeopardized my job. As it stands, it may damage my credit if I am unable to pay my bill on time.

This is apparently a frequent issue. The AAdvantage Platinum card had a bonus offer of XXXX miles as long as I spent {$3500.00} in the first 3 months of the account. Purchasing this laptop would have been enough to reach that, so I believe that these fraud alerts and card freezes are intentional and meant to block users from actually receiving the promised benefits. If you are considering opening a card with Citi, I urge you to reconsider.

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