Date Received: 2022-11-11
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Funds not received from closed account
Consumer Complaint: Dear CITIBANK, On XX/XX/XXXX I noticed my business account is not working, and I cant make any transfers. I immediately contacted the banks customer support department. I was redirected to the fraud department, where they explained that the account has been sent for closure and CITI intends to terminate all relationships with XXXX XXXX. Ive been told that the account will be closed within XXXX days, and within XXXX days I will get a check and an explanation letter to the address linked to the account. No reason was given. At the moment I was informed that the account is restricted, meaning money cant go in or out. The closure was decided on XXXX of XXXX. It is important to mention that our company started its business activity in XXXX. We started to sell tickets to customers for airplanes. We had good plans but the pandemic happened which was a challenge for us. We were on the line to close our business but our team overcame all difficulties and after the travel industry returned to the new normal our sales started to grow and now, we do have approximately XXXX mln. sales starting from XX/XX/2022, and we plan to finish the year with gross turnover up to XXXX mln. All our transactions are done online, no cash deposits. Everything is transparent, and has been since the beginning- we always had the same pattern for our transactions. Finally, we started to see some profit from our business activity and unexpectedly and even treacherously CITIBANK dealt us a crushing blow by closing our account. So now we are again on the brink of closing because of the inactions of CITIBANK. Our company is totally transparent and we are ready to provide all the required information. We contacted the fraud department numerous times and in return we only hear the same statements that are read from a script - with no reference to my business acounts state t I asked and begged them to give me the funds since this is our only business account in the USA, we need the funds to pay our contractors and employees otherwise the business will simply die and bankrupt because of CITIBANK. One of the agents from the fraud department called XXXX told me that she made notes of this request and told me she will send it to the specialty department that is dealing with my account. But no updates from there, since the request was made. Moreover, when I call customer services or the fraud department they just don't answer me. So, this is the story of how CITIBANK supports small business and fulfills President Joe Bidens Proposals to Support for Deserving Small Businesses. We are sure that XXXX XXXX deserves a least explanations from CITIBANK, and understanding that freezing all our funds for such a long period is extremely detrimental, if not fatal to our business. We are of course open to discussions and cooperation, moreover we would like to continue our collaboration with CITIBANK as were sure this is a misunderstanding. C So, we would like to contest the decision of closing our bank account and reactivate it. Also, we are insisting that our funds should be presented immediately in order to minimalize our loses and to fulfill our obligations to our suppliers and customers. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 33009
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-11
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Subissue: Other problem
Consumer Complaint: When applying for this card, I was told it came with a promotional 24mo interest free. When I received the first bill, it indicated only a 6mo promotion of interest free. On XX/XX/16, I called customer service to complain and have the promotional period corrected. I was told " no problem '' and they could transfer the balance to the 24mo promotion, with the start date applying retroactively to the day we opened the account. On XXXX, I attempted to use the card and the transaction was declined so I logged on to the account to see why. I discovered that instead of transferring my existing balance of $ XXXX to the corrected promotion, they added a SECOND balance ( $ XXXX ) at the 24mo promotion. So my outstanding balance shows as DOUBLE the amount ( $ XXXX ), resulting in my account grossly exceeding my credit limit of $ XXXX. I immediately called to complain and request this be corrected. I first spoke with " XXXX '' and after being put on hold for over 20 minutes while she consulted with her team, I was told she was submitting a claim for adjustment but it would take 7-14 days to correct. When I requested to speak to a manager while requesting an exception to allow the {$1000.00} for cabinet purchase in store that I had attempted earlier in the day, she attempted a transfer but I was disconnected mysteriously. I called back and spoke to : XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX All who acknowledged the error , stated they can see the correction on the balance is in process. Can not allow a charge until the balance is corrected My argument was : their error, they can see it, they acknowledged it, I should be able to use the credit available to me. The only solution provided to me that would allow me to make the purchase I needed to make was to request a limit increase ( which would have to exceed my total outstanding balance which was already DOUBLE what it should be ). I responded that this was unacceptable as a solution and I should be able to access the legitimate available balance I should have ; someone in the department shoudl be able to approve it because this was all a result of their error to begin with. The last representative I spoke with was " XXXX XXXX '' in Idaho who told me flatly, " not going to happen today ''. I then requested an email/in writing an acknowledgement of their error, that a fix was in process and an estimate of the time it would take for the resolution. I was again told flatly by XXXX, " no ''. That is not going to happen, they are not allowed to provide any response in writing. So I have no tangible proof of the almost 2 hours I spent trying to get an immediate resolution ; I am supposed to just hope things get fixed and take the initiative to log in to my account to routinely check if it has been corrected. All told, I spent almost 2 hours on this and 2 days later, I am still unable to use this account.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CT
Zip: 068XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-11
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: Citibank froze my account that contained {$20000.00} at the time when I had to make a college tuition payment for my daughter for no reason. As a result, I was forced to make this payment and incur a {$490.00} processing fee from the college because it was paid with a credit card instead of a transfer from a checking account.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: NY
Zip: 12065
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-10
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: My account has been locked by Citibank for over a month. I was advised to go to a branch to get it settled but they have no branch locations. I call customer service and was told my account was under review and they have decided to close my account with in 60 days. I have written letters requesting that they not close my account as I have had an account with them since XXXX or so with no over drafts nor excessive usage. I have a checking account and Instant loan account which I also never use and a brokerage account. I also have my XXXX account attached to the account. I can not use my debit card which I don't use but I do use the XXXX. XXXX says I have to contact the bank to get them to release my phone and email before I can attach it to another bank. All of my XXXX payments have been verified by the senders and no one has filed any complaints about sending me the funds. XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: GA
Zip: 306XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-13
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: My wife and I needed new checking accounts. I was sent a promotion incentive email for Citi Bank to open new checking accounts, maintain a {$300000.00} bonus for 60 days and they give you {$2000.00} incentive for doing so. I opened my account on XX/XX/XXXX and funded it with my savings money from XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$260000.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX my wife opened her checking account from Citi and I funded it with my savings from XXXX XXXX XXXX with {$59000.00}. I then transferred {$150000.00} from my Citi account over to her Citi account to maintain a higher balance and receive a higher incentive from the Citi checking account promotion and Citi Bank has blocked my account. Since, they have not provided me the reason for blocking nor have refunded my money. They blocked the transaction from completing so, Citi currently has {$340000.00} of my life savings currently blocked. We are a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. This savings money is everything we have as a family. XXXX college tuition, down-payment for our next home ( in which we XXXX soon and need access to our funds to find our next home ). I called and made a complaint to Citi XXXX XXXX XXXX, they provided me with a reference number XXXX. They claimed I would get a letter within XXXX business days but those days have passed and I still have no letter or no confirmation as to when my account is going to be unlocked or more importantly my money refunded back to me. I called the XXXX XXXX back, since it has been about 19 days and since they have closed my case again with no information as to when and where my money is. Also no indication as to why my account was blocked or if its going to be un-blocked?
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: GA
Zip: 31313
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-10
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: I had an existing Accelerate Savings account with $ XXXX. Yesterday I transferred an additional {$49000.00} to the account bringing the balance to $ XXXX. I woke up to find that I was locked out of my account for " fraudulent activity '' and when I called customer support was told that they were locking me out of the account and would send me additional information in 30-60 days.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: IL
Zip: 62025
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-10
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Problem accessing account
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/22, I attempted to access my account via the mobile app to which I continuously received an error message. I then attempted to access my account via the mobile web and received the same error message. I then proceeded to call CITI directly to figure out if the site was having issues only to discover that my account was restricted and pending closure 30-90 days due to suspected fraud. No heads up, email, text, call or anything. CITI also blocked my debit card revoking access to MY money. The rep on the phone asked has this happened before, I said no this is the first time. I spoke to another rep who related that it was due to a check being deposited that same day was that was apparently returned that same day due to XXXX I have no control over that. That doesnt even sound right.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: IL
Zip: 60409
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-11
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Company closed your account
Consumer Complaint: i previously had a Citibank checking account I became sick with covid and while I was sick someone stole my wallet and phone making several fraudulent charges on multiple accounts. When I began feeling better and started looking over my accounts, I immediately called the banks and disputed the items. Citi definitely did not properly investigate because if they would have, they would have seen the charges were fraud, this caused my account to be negative. They then sent me an email advising that they would be closing my account no further deposits, withdrawals, etc. would be able to be done on the account effective immediately. Well due to me being sick with covid I qualified for the rental state assistance which was to get deposited into my citi account and after receiving the email from them they accepted the deposit from the state and kept my rental assistance. i phoned the executive team and advised this money was only to be used for rent and I needed it I spoke with XXXX, and he advised that the payment would be returned by the XXXX of XXXX as of today 's date They still have not even processed the return of the payment.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: AZ
Zip: 855XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-10
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Can't close your account
Consumer Complaint: My complaint is for Citibank, and this is my first complaint in 17 years after happily using multiple bank services. XXXX ) I opened my business account with Citibank sometime in XXXX or XXXX because of their promotion for new business accounts. XXXX ) I never used this account regularly. In XX/XX/XXXX, I needed all the money I could get and thought about closing this account with Citibank and withdrawing my funds. XXXX ) I tried using XXXX to transfer my funds out of this account, and at that point, Citibank removed my access online because of the fraud alert. They never contacted me to check this alert and help me with it. XXXX ) So I called them in XX/XX/XXXX to close my account ; while I did not get statements, do not have my account number since my online access was taken away. They looked it up with my SSN and said they had sent the request, and I will get the check to my mailing address, and the account will be closed in 7-10 business days. XXXX ) I kept waiting and calling them every month and hearing that the request was cancelled for some reason, but they would never communicate this. XXXX ) On top of all these, they started charging me from XX/XX/XXXX a {$40.00} maintenance fee, and I was told that I changed my account type to a higher performance account, which is why I see these charges - absurd, ridiculous at this point. XXXX ) Agent said approx, on XX/XX/XXXX, call that she could only reverse 2 charges but made sure she would call me personally if I didn't get the check-in in 14 days and the account was not closed. She also confirmed that I would not get the {$40.00} charge anymore, which was wrong in the first place. Not sure who authorized them to change my account type or start charging me. XXXX ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I again saw that {$40.00} was debited for the maintenance fees and today, XX/XX/XXXX, I am still waiting to hear back from Citi, get my money after 10 months of back and forth with them, and my account is still open. XXXX ) I have spent 15+ hours talking to Citi about this, and I am tired now. I do not have any branches in my city and can not stop by and discuss it with a branch manager. XXXX ) I felt to create my account on cfpb today and report this so that I and many like me can get help and banks do not take our money and accounts lightly. I hope to get some help and get this resolved soon.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: AZ
Zip: 85249
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-10
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/2022, I noticed that XXXX had billed me for their annual service of {$150.00}. I had just paid this amount on another card. I immediately placed an online dispute on my account. I was given an instant conditional credit for the charge. However, I made a mistake and accidently hit the resolve the dispute button in the system. So, I attempted to contact XXXX to resolve this matter. I contacted XXXX to ask them about the charges. The XXXX Representative could only locate the XX/XX/2022 charge and not the XX/XX/2022 charge. The XXXX representative said that I would need to conference in the Citibank account holder to validate the duplicate charges. So, I conferenced in Citibank who verified my identity before chatting with the XXXX Representative. The Citibank representative found the duplicate charges on the two Citibank accounts ( the {$150.00} on XX/XX/2022 listed on the account ending XXXX / XXXX ) and the {$150.00} charged dated XX/XX/2022 for the account ending in XXXX. The Citibank representative agreed, validated and confirmed that I had been billed twice by XXXX. The XXXX representative could not locate both charges in their system and asked the Citibank representative to file a dispute with XXXX so that this matter could get resolved. The Citibank representative indicated that they would and asked me to submit an email to Citibank Billing disputes and provided me with XXXX ID - XXXX. I submitted the credit card statement through email and added the case ID provided. On XX/XX/2022, I contacted Citibank again to find out the status of my dispute. The agent indicated that the prior agent had not submitted a dispute on my behalf and that the dispute had been closed. ( SURPRISE ). I asked the Citibank agent if they could resubmit the dispute and I was told that once a decision was made that a dispute could not be re-opened. The agent indicated that he would try to resubmit the dispute but could not guarantee that it would be resolved. He instructed me to send the credit card statement to the billing dispute department and include Citibank XXXX XXXX. I sent this email and resent the dispute. After an additional 7 days, CITIBANK HAS DONE NOTHING AND THE DISPUTE STATUS IS THE SAME. I think this is terrible and I can't get this resolved since XXXX can't find both charges and Citibank refuses to re-open and resubmit this dispute. I am writing to the CFPB to get this dispute resolved as I find no other way to get it resolved. Citibank Case ID - XXXX OR Citibank Case XXXX
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 75078
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A