Citizens Bank is charging me double for transactions I already paid for in the month of July.
I'm once again being punished for being responsible. Given the uncertainty of the markets, I like to pay off my credit cards completely as soon as possible every month, so I owe zero debt.
It's sad living in a world where bank tellers can't even do basic math, and then try to argue with me about it. It's numbers, not philosophy.
There's nothing to debate.
I'm not going to debate math when they are clearly wrong, can't read or understand transactions or statements, and are too ignorant to look at previous statements.
They'd rather fight with the customer who has perfect credit instead.
I think their call reps are outsourced, which is a consistent red flag theme for me when dealing with fraudulent companies. As soon as I notice a person I'm speaking with is not American, I know it's going to be a headache and end badly. I think people should follow suit with me and immediately boycott companies that outsource call reps to India or wherever.
I was right about Gemini and other financial institutions involved in fraud.
Citizens Bank has all the clear signs of a bank that won't be around much longer.
I have a feeling something else is up.
As I'm writing this, I'm currently on hold with the fraud department for 1:17:09 and counting. The original person I spoke with earlier in the month confirmed that the charges on my statement were not correct and advised me to check later for the payment to clear. She said it could take some time since I made two payments in the same month, with one payment in the middle of the month. So, I did as directed, checked again, but nothing had changed, and the next two reps I spoke with today just wanted to argue about it. I really want them fired.
"Citizens Bank stole this person's money."
As the title reads. I looked at my recent transactions and noticed a charge that read โMiscellaneous Expenseโ. I called Citizens to report a fraudulent charge. The rep explained to me that my account showed a duplicate credit from Citizens which is why they took the money. I had to walk the rep through my transactions and she saw the mistake and apologized. The rep helped me file a claim. 2 weeks later they send a letter saying the claim was denied! Citizens essentially stole $350 and are refusing to return it. They donโt have a claims investigation unit so I doubt anyone is actually looking at my file. I learned that there are no customer service/ claims supervisors - only customer reconciliation specialists. Who do I need to contact to get this resolved? Iโm almost to the point of considering legal action.
UPDATE: This is why I love Cleveland Reddit! You guys are a well of knowledge unlike any other. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Thursday, I followed your guys suggestions of filing complaints against Citizens. They credited my account today after weeks of me trying on my own. (Crazy, huh?)
A kind lady from Rhode Island called me this morning regarding the complaint I filed late last week. She didnโt say much- just apologized for the debacle and gave me her contact information. I did let her know that this whole experience left a really bad taste in my mouth and I can no longer recommend Citizens as Iโve done in the past. Itโs really sad that I had to tattle on them in order to get my money back. Iโve learned a lot during this experience. Always listen to your parents: USE CREDIT UNIONS ONLY!!!
CFPB Action to Require Citizens Bank to Pay $9 Million Penalty for Unlawful Credit Card Servicing -- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-action-require-citizens-bank-pay-9-million-unlawful-credit-card-servicing/
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reached a settlement to resolve allegations that Citizens Bank violated consumer financial protection laws and rules that protect individuals when they dispute credit card transactions. The CFPB alleges that Citizens Bank failed to properly manage and respond to customersโ credit card disputes and fraud claims. If entered by the court, the order, among other things, would require Citizens Bank to pay a $9 million civil money penalty.
Federal law protects individuals from credit card billing errors and fraud. The Truth in Lending Act and the rules that implement it lay out specific steps that individuals must take to report credit card disputes and fraud claims. If a person reports a billing error or fraud, the credit card issuer is required to investigate the allegations, send certain notifications to the individual, and, when claims are valid, refund the error or fraud amount.
Improperly denying customer reports of fraud and errors and failing to provide refunds: The bank failed to reasonably investigate and resolve billing error notices and claims of unauthorized use by making customers jump through unnecessary and burdensome hoops, which are not required under the Truth in Lending Act, to report fraud. The bank also failed to fully credit customersโ accounts when unauthorized use and billing errors occurred by sometimes not refunding all finance charges or fees owed to customers.
Failing to provide required documents and referrals: The bank did not provide certain individuals who submitted billing error notices with required acknowledgment and denial notices, which inform them that their disputes have been received and, if applicable to a personโs case, that the dispute was denied. The bank also did not disclose required credit counseling information to individuals who called the bankโs toll-free number designated for that purpose, and instead routed some individuals to the bankโs collections department.