Citi Credit Cards Reviews

Smelling a rat, I tried it again and guess what, it still did not work! One more call and this time, I ended up with an employee with attitude to spare. If I could have, I would have reached through the phone to choke him! I was told, "Once the account is closed, we cannot re-activate it..." So why was I told that the old card was still good? Pretty clear that someone on their end made a major screw up and no one would admit it. Being talked to like I'm an idiot appeals to me not, so I voiced my disgust in a few chosen words and hung up.

As of today, I just called on the third card and guess what, the payment has not been received yet! The payment was due on 2/22 and the new laws went into effect 2/22. One mistake is possible, but not 3 times! Just a side note, I took these payment personally into the post office for delivery. I called Citi Bank on one of the payments that was sent out three weeks early. They said they had not received it. Guess what, the payment was posted within hours of my call. I’m just sick about the whole thing! I canceled the cards.

I was able to speak with someone there and they told me I could go on a "repayment plan" at a lower temporary interest rate, but that I would not be able to use the card. That was fine because I hadn't used the card in almost two years. But they act like they are doing you a favor. I have never missed a payment or been late! And when my temporary interest rate is up it is going to be increased to almost 20% again. I was told (not by them) that they increased interest rates across the board before the new legislation could be passed that bars them from doing this to people. But for people like me, it is too late.

Also, I never received an offer to opt out. I have two other credit cards that raised my interest rate but allowed me to opt out at the rate I currently held. Citicards never gave me that option. I am so angry that I am thinking of organizing to have this practice looked into. I would advise everyone never to use Citicards or subsidiaries. They intend to keep their customers in debt anyway possible. I have gotten a second job, but all my extra money will be going to them and for the extra interest. I work from 9 am to 11 at night, which is fine, but I will never be able to save any money if they keep that interest rate high. What they are doing should be illegal.

Thought it was me screwing up, so I called and asked them to extend the due date out further in the month. They assured me that statement is always sent out so you have 25 days or so to make payment. Well, here it is Feb 17th just got my bill and due on Mar 3. That's 13 days only 9 of which are "business"days. To add insult to injury, now they are going to charge $60 a year to use this card and jack the rate up to %20. All this after using my tax money to bail their ass out. ** those greedy sons of **. I am canceling this card. They're playing around with due dates and such so you miss payments so they can hit you with late payments and higher interest rates. It's called racketeering. I guess it's legal when you're as big as they are.

The following month (Feb), I received another statement. I was expecting to see zero balance, instead I had another charge of 48.89. I was upset again. I called and said what was this for. I had already paid the balance and interest and they had received it on time. The rep said it was the interest that carried over until they had received payment. I said your rep didn't say that, and she said "no, they can't disclose that information cause they don't know how much interest it will be". I said she could have warned me and told me this was going to happen. I Would have sent a check overnight to avoid more charges. I was so upset and they said they couldn't do anything about it. I said when is it going to stop, are you going to charge me interest on this 48.89 until you receive this payment. I told them it was wrong what they were doing. They failed to disclose this information. I refused to do business with CitiCard and want others to be aware!

Her balance is minimal at this time as her mother is in a skilled care facility and went in with a very minimal balance to begin with. We would like to pay off the balances and they won't let us. Our caller I.D. says Citigroup with a phone number that is not apparently real as it is a "dead link." Time. My wife and I have spent hours on the phone with these people trying to pay the bills. They refuse to accept payments or discuss the accounts.

Less than a week after he talked to them, they called my neighbor who's name I don't even know much less his phone number and told him that we had given permission for them to call him. We called Citi Auto and asked where they got the information to call him and they would not tell us. My husband asked to speak to a manager and was told that they don't speak to the customers. He told them if they didn't want to speak to us then maybe they would speak to our lawyer and they said that they guessed we should have our lawyer call then.

Why would they seek out any random neighbor of mine to have me call them when I had just talked to them less than a week prior and told them my situation? This has to be harassment and an invasion of my privacy. One has to wonder how many of my other neighbors they called that I don't know about.

Mind you, only after I told him that the call was being recorded and I intend to file a formal complaint with my state's Attorney General office that he backpedaled. He quickly stated that a new card will be mailed to me that same day; and expect to receive it in the next four to ten days. Had I not called, Citi would have cancelled the card through no fault of mine after over a twenty year pristine record, ust because I don't fit into Citi ideal customer: I have over $12 k credit line and pay my revolving balance before the billing cycle begins, resulting in paying them zero (0) interest rate or finance charge.

That was my stance after they sent me a letter increasing my APR, beating them at their own game and I told them exactly that during a highly heated phone conversation months prior. I was marked as a customer. Irrespective of my perfect record and lengthy business relationship, Citi would have put a huge dent in my credit rating using unethical ploys and tactics to bully its customers, the same ones they milk for decades before the credit bubble burst.To be continued. I haven't received the card yet, therefore I do not know what they have up their sleeves.But, the caveat to all is, buyers beware!

Now I have been working for the Post Office for over 22 years, and I have a good idea how long it takes for a first class letter to reach its destination. It's usually 2-3 days across states, but never over a week. I continually receive my statement around 18-20 days after the end of the billing. I know that they are doing this to generate late fee income, and I'm sure that what they are doing is illegal, as they generate millions of dollars in late fees and increased APR's up to 29.99%. Could you please look into this matter, as I'm sure that many other consumers are being taken advantage of. Thank you.

This is the reason why I called customer service. I went to pay my Sears credit card bill online when I innocently entered an incorrect account number. I went back and edited the account number and it seemed to have gone through for processing. I was never contacted by Citibank and/or Sears via telephone and/or letter stating that an input error occurred and a payment to Sears was not completed. I was first made aware of the error when I received an email from Citibank stating I would be charged $39 fee for a return check.

I didn't know my Sears bill wasn't paid until I received the next month's bill. I received a letter from Citibank stating I should call the 866 number to discuss my issue. Instead of a customer service representative assisting with my main issue (waiving the $39 fee), I encountered two (2) uncooperative customer service representatives. Sears also informs me that I cannot use their online services for 60 days due this error which is a great inconvenience for me

Two weeks after they cashed my check, which brought my account to a zero balance, I received a phone call informing me that they have reduced my credit limit and increased my interest rate. When calling Citicard's customer "no" service, I spoke with 3 different people --none of whom had any respect for the fact that I have been a very good client of Citicard for probably longer than they've been working! The fact that I never received an invoice from them had no impact. I too am canceling and returning my torn up credit card.

I hope that if this is the way they treat their longtime, pay in full cardholders, that all they end up with are the deadbeats. Perhaps the next time they need a bailout, the government will by then be out of that business! When applying for any other credit card, I too will inquire as to whether Citicard is involved in any way and if they are, I will look somewhere else. No thank you Citi!

To be quite clear, I was alarmed at getting a second replacement card from Citi in just one year combined with an obvious address change without my authorization or consent. While speaking with agent (ID number JG2251), I was informed that at some point, I must have called to change my address, because no one else is authorized to do so. I never called to change my address and insisted that I be connected to the Security and Fraud Department at once!

The agent put me on hold, and a few minutes later, she came back on the line and informed me that it was not a security issue at all, and they would not talk to me because, as it happened, my address was automatically changed in November 2009 by the CitiI mail verification department without my authorization. I was outraged that she would not connect me, as I had clearly asked and insisted that I be connected with an American supervisor.

I was connected to agent (ID number DB1372), who said that he was sorry for the misinformation from the first agent about the change of address issue and missing statement (January 13), and furthermore, he was also sorry for the second merchant database compromise in one year but that "these things happen" and that he had no control over it. His being "sorry" doesn't mean anything, if the security of my account is repeatedly compromised and the Citi computer goes off changing my address at will to an address that is not accurate.

Supposedly, there was a statement mailed January 13 that I didn't receive, and I am positive it was because of the mistaken address. Thankfully, there was no payment due. However, if I was late with a payment and had begun to incur fees or worse been reported to the credit agencies for non-payment as a result of the Citi mail verification department and its mistakes, there would be no amount of "sorries" in the world to fix the decade-lasting damage inflicted on my credit.

To be honest, I don't understand why my American Express account, which I've also had for a decade, has never changed my address without my consent or reissued me any new cards as a result of "merchant database compromises." Whatever the case may be regarding Citi card services as representing the most diverse array of products and having the greatest distribution capacity of any financial firm in the world, Citi is making mistakes and other card companies aren't. Why is that?

As a justifiably concerned customer with an active Citi card for the past 16 years, I feel that Citi has lost sight of the underlying value of customer service, security, and accuracy. Customer service agents that blame customers for account changes that are clearly not their fault, supervisors who only know the word sorry, mail verification departments that make clear mistakes, and multiple merchant database compromises resonate with customers like my self in total brand devaluation, lasting security concerns, and resentment.

If customer loyalty is reciprocated by Citi with the aforementioned issues, I am no longer interested in being part of the Citi card services. I rather give my business to another company that can keep its accounts safe, mailing addresses accurate, and has agents who work toward mutual resolution versus accusation and apologies.

Self-examination and correction are hard for individuals and near impossible for pre-eminent financial services companies with 350,000 employees like Citi. The growing incompetence of Citi Card Services is unacceptable, and they need to know, so actions can be taken to fix this negative trend. Citi needs people who can think outside the confines of "automated systems" and concentrate on real answers and fewer apologies. I expect results, not regrets, from a credit card company.

I have contacted the Customer Complaint department and Mr. Vikram **, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Member of Executive Committee for Citigroup, Inc., asking for an explanation and resolution to this issue. Until then, I will not use the credit card or any Citi products or services.

This will render my credit a 100% ratio/debt, instead of the 30% I had. My credit score will suffer severely and so will my borrowing.

We continue to pay monthly what our monthly payment was prior to them raising rate without notice and us disputing, even though they have made the option impossible online. Payments over the phone are demanded to be made as the "minimum amount due" (with a charge of $14, too). We are now forced to mail in our good faith payments as the only way they seem to accept our payments (unless it's what they demand with us paying a payment plan we still cannot afford nor do we agree with).

Can't figure out how to fix this. Waiting on the Better Business Bureau to respond regarding our complaint. Our balance due has risen drastically, late payments charges continue, finance charges are astronomical, and now with all these we are surprised over limit which now has caused yet another fee. We dispute all of these! This was not caused by fault on our part! This is a scam and is causing sleepless nights, frustration over what to do, and serious research into what can be done. We are sickened by all the complaints about these same issues in newspapers, on the web, in everyday conversation with others. Do we have no recourse? Must we be forced to pay outlandish charges, be forced to joint a payment plan when we dispute what they are doing just because they can do this?

I am looking for answers as to how the Card Act would impact interest rates currently at 29.99%. Is it going to mandate them to lower it to a decent rate? Would they ever cap interest rates just like they did in 1978? Please let me know if I have any options in dealing with Citicard Company. I am so betrayed with how they treated me with this whole thing. As a result of this, my budget which has been tight to begin with is largely affected and I have to work more than I can usually take up, nonstop, so I can meet other credit card bills which are locked at single digit rates. I am divorced and has a son who I have sole custody and it is hard to make ends meet when the credit card companies are killing us with these hikes in interest rates. If I took care of my payments for 13 years, don't I deserve some credit for that? Because of this, I can't sleep well and my stress level is through the roof just thinking of ways to get out of this situation. If I had the capacity to transfer out of this card, I would but then, I don't have any that would be sufficient to cover the full balance. I tried lending tree to at least loan for the amount above at a lower rate but they too haven't been helpful at all.

I am very much disturbed mentally. I am having a hard time to make my minimum payments. How can I afford to pay $29.99 from 13% APR when I did not do any mistake?

My husband went to use his card in December 2009 for gas and the card was denied. He immediately called me and I immediately called the 800 on the back of the card to inquire as to what was going on. I was told we missed the November 2009 payment, so, I immediately made a payment over the telephone. Then in January, I received a letter from CitiCard, I thought the Mastercard was with Conoco/Phillips. I did not realize CitiCard had anything to do with my account, if I had I never would have got the card in the first place.

The letter stated that they had dropped my credit line from $8,000 to $300. I already had a balance of $275 on the card which the payment was set up to pay on Feb 4, 2010. My credit line was dropped by $7,700 for one missed payment that was immediately paid by phone as soon as we found out about the error. I called to inquire about this and was introduced to the most rude and uncaring people I have ever done business with.

I have never been treated so rudely before. We have above average credit history and worked very hard for over 30 years to have that. We always pay our bills, overpay statement amounts on all our credit cards, have zero balances on all but one or two cards. I could not believe how a good paying customer could be treated so harshly for one missed payment. They flatly did not care one way or the other.

Last Friday, I received a call on my answering machine telling me that we had gone over our credit limit on this card. I immediately called CitiCard to inquire "Why the telephone call?" I once again was talked down to by a representative and their supervisor. I went over the same explanation with both of them and was treated worse than a criminal. They asked if I wanted to make a payment over the phone to bring the account to a zero balance.

I immediately explained to them that my payment was scheduled for February 4, 2010 and that they would not receive one penny until that date and I hung up on them. I also told them that if this is the way they treat their customers in good standing that I choose to execute my right to not do business with them ever again and hung up on them.

I will never use a CitiCard ever again, and will also immediately ask any company issuing credit cards if they deal with CitiCard and then I will tear up the application and throw it in their faces. As I was telling my daughter about this, she also had the same thing that happened to her in the past month, but this time her account was closed, without any explanation. She will also be paying off the card and cutting it up and sending it back to them with her letter of closure of account.

I think CitiBank and any of their subsidiaries need to be Federally investigated for unfair business practices. I am sure there are several laws being broken and loop holes they are squeaking through and our government bailed them out. Why did they do such a thing? Political gain, no doubt that should be investigated and borderlines on very shady business practices.

When I was able to get through to Citi, I got a rude representative on the phone and he refused to clear the charges. I have not received any response from Citi in regards to all the documents and payments made after trying to correct Citi's errors. On December 1, 2009, I sent the normal payment due by check. Since that time, I have not received any billing statements or correspondence from them. I have been checking my mail daily and no billing statements as of this date. I contacted Citi and spoke with Rey. He informed me that I have a late charge on the January 2010 billing because I paid online when I didn't receive the January bill. I tried to inform him that since they had not sent me a bill, I was forced to make the payment at the last minute.

The confirmation I got from Citi clearly states that my payment would be credited on that date, unless it was a Federal Holiday. For Citi to say otherwise now is a contradiction to their own printed statements. It is also my understanding that you can't get a full accounting of any Citi account online. You can only make payments and see what payments have been made online. I see now online they are raising the payments. I am not quite sure why.

By this time, I had accumulated just under 50,000 Thank You points (I've been saving them up to redeem $100 gift cards) and I asked the rep what would happen to them. She said that as long as I had another Citi credit card under the Thank You network, which I did, my points would remain active, otherwise they would expire in 30 days. So this was good because I figured I'd use my other Citi card in order to reach 50,000 points and then redeem them for five $100 gift cards (10,000 points = $100).

One day, I logged into my Thank You network and saw all of my points missing. Shocked, I called Thank You and they said my points had been forfeited due to the closure of my Citi Platinum account. I immediately called Citi, told them that I was advised that my points would remain active since I had another card under the Thank You network and asked if my points could be reinstated. The rep told me that the points were in fact forfeited because I was past the 30 days period to redeem them. I then learned that due to my Citi Platinum card being a promotional" account, that having another card under the Thank You network would not keep my points active. I argued that I was not advised of this at all and the rep put in a request to a specialist to review my request for my points to be reinstated.

I later followed up and learned that my request was denied. I spoke to a senior account manager, explained the situation and all he could say was "Sorry, there's nothing I can do." As some form of "consolation," he said he's had customers who lost over 100,000 points and still there was nothing he could do. I ended the call feeling angry and betrayed.

I feel that my entire experience with Citi has been misleading. The reps were not forthcoming with all the information to allow me to make an informed decision and that me being a good, loyal customer (I've been a cardholder for over 10 years without a single late payment and I've always paid my balance off in full), was not good enough for Citi. I guess Citi doesn't want to keep a customer like me and so I plan to cancel all of my accounts once my statement closes.

Once we noticed the payment had not gone through, I contacted CitiCards via telephone and spoke with several representatives, who all confirmed that a payment was not received. I had them reissue a payment from the same account that had "failed" to issue it before, and that time it cleared without a problem, only after paying $15 in "telephone payment fees."

The next week, I received a notice in my mail that CitiCards had re-evaluated my account status and cut my credit line back from $4700 to $2040, citing a "report" stating I have an rotating account with a high balance near credit limit. Ironically enough, the card that they slaughtered the credit limit would be the only card I have that is now near credit limit, having put my fiance's tuition bill of $2000 on it. After having been a member with them for over six years and two separate accounts with them who remained in excellent standing until that one mishap, a credit limit deduction of nearly 57% is both an insult and ethically questionable.

Shortly after, I was approved by my local bank for a consolidation loan, at a lower interest rate than Citi now offers me and will be closing those accounts as immediately as possible.

To make matters worse, after notifying Citi shortly after our move of our new address, a letter from "Citibank Early Warning" concerning our change of address was generated. It wasn't mailed until an entire month later to our old address with our entire credit card account number printed on the front. I understand sending a notice to the old address in case of account fraud, but writing the entire account number in plain text? The potential violation of privacy and fraud risk is simply staggering.

I would have thought that a company who has received as much in bailout money as they have would appreciate clients who have a long track record of on time payments would work with them if there was an issue. And as far as I can tell, there was no actual issue. Their online center never requested a payment from the bank but they certainly saved the new account's information and it cleared quickly and without a problem when I called them and paid the premium on their "telephone payment system." Absolutely mind-blowing. And off-topic, my captcha is "bribes." I could not think of a more appropriate description.

The experience at Back Country Lodge fell far short of expectations based on representations of the Web site and in discussions with Denali Tours representatives. This complaint is not delivered lightly. I have over 30 years of experience in hotels and the hospitality industry. There were nine other couples and families who told me of their disappointment as well. None of them will recommend Back Country Lodge to friends and family. Denali Tours needs to re-evaluate its operations. Details of my complaint follow.

Schedule - This is the first resort I've heard of that requires you to book three nights to have two days. Although I was encouraged to book a fourth night at the companies Denali Cabins at the entrance to the park, I was never told that other buses would be allowed in earlier. If you book at BCL, you are not given the option of taking the early bus in or the mid-day bus out--these are reserved for the day visitor (who paid a fraction of one night's charge). So you arrive at 8 pm and depart at 6 am. The only reason I could determine for this lack of flexibility is to save the cost of a lunch! As you will see under the comments on food, this would be a small cost to the owner. Denali Tours will say that the bus times are due to the train schedules but why not let those who choose, come in on the day visitor bus?

Accommodations - To say that the cabin is Spartan is not an exaggeration. I have seen more amenities at a Motel 6! There was no shampoo, conditioner or body lotion. The shower dispenser didn't even have soap--for two nights. And then, of course, we had to leave at 6 am.

Program - Probably the area of biggest disappointment because the Web site and reservations agent pitched it the most. Upon arrival on our first night, we were advised that extra activities were scheduled for the next afternoon since all of the morning hikes had already been booked by in-house guests. There was no mention of what we might do in the morning. Hikes were advertised as casual, moderate and challenging. All hikes were to be escorted by a naturalist. No challenging hikes were offered. I was told that I would have to recruit three other hikers before they would consider it.

When I asked the head guide for a recommendation for a more strenuous hike, he gave me a map that had few details. When I asked how to find the trailhead, he pointed to the building next door and said, "It's just beyond that building." That would have been true if I were a crow. To actually walk to the trailhead, I had to go the other direction to reach the road which .7 mile later would reach the trailhead. When I asked about what wildlife we might see in the area, I was told, "There's not much wildlife at this elevation. What you saw on the ride in is pretty much what you can count on." That is not what I had been led to believe. I did not pay $800 per night to do self-guided hikes with little hope of seeing wildlife.

Customer Service - I have received your explanation of the denial of my dispute. As stated in your letter of October 22, "Since I chose to use the service provided by the merchant despite the lodge condition, they deserve to be paid." Let me explain this situation further so you will understand why I had no choice but to stay at the lodge despite the conditions. Denali Back Country Lodge is located at the edge of Denali National Park. The only way to the lodge is a five-hour bus ride through the park. There is no other transportation available from the lodge other than that provided by the lodge according to the driver and the staff at the lodge.

With no practical alternative available, I had to stay at the lodge. Please note that I did not dispute the entire charge. I am being very reasonable in disputing $1,000, aware that I did receive services from the lodge although they were not as advertised and promised. Since I had no alternative but to stay at the lodge as I was held "captive" due to their control of the transportation, I ask that you re-evaluate my dispute on this basis. Should you wish confirmation of the conditions as stated in my dispute, I suggest you read the comments from around the same time period on TripAdvisor.

Citi has again rejected my complaint because it involves a dispute over "quality of services." This is five months into the dispute. By the way, their Web site asks whether the dispute is over goods or services. Why ask if you don't care? I'm sending them my two cards--in pieces. It is the only way for us consumers to be heard!

I was finally told to go to a "credit counselor" or take out a loan over my house or make payment arrangements to pay off the loan. But surprise, surprise. I don't qualify for payment arrangement because of my good standards with CitiCard. So they told me not to pay CitiCard for 2 months. And they called again. CitiCard want to get more money that is possible before February (with the new rules applied).

And no longer they can do what they will with us. it will be great if we, customers, can't show CitiCard to be more professional. In this economy, if a customer make the payment each month, they need to appreciate. But again, they prefer to get 1 cent of a dollar from a collection agency that works with customers. If someone wants to sue CitiCards, they have my signature.

Fast forward to January 2010, I made a payment before 5 pm PT. When I authorized my payment, I noticed that my payment would be posted on the 18th, which is how I believe I got screwed for a late payment the last time. After talking to a rep, I was told that the payments must be in before 5 pm ET. It's so unfair because I am on PT time but I am never late with my payments. I was told that they would waive the $39 late fee so I am hoping that they won't raise my APR. I'm already at 24% and I am threatened with a 5% hike making it 29%.

I feel like the people that make their payments on time are getting screwed big time. I would love to cancel out my cards once paid off but then you get threatened with a weak credit score. So it's a double whammy. I did however tell the rep that if I see a fee or a percentage hike on my next billing I was going to raise hell, although we know Citibank doesn't give a damn.

So far I have been able to pay their minimum balance plus a bit more, but with my husband is out of work and it is getting harder to do that.

You have the right to opt out by closing your account prior to the effective date, unless you become 60 days late. To opt out, you must contact us at the Customer Service or How to Reach Us toll-free number listed on this billing statement. If you opt out, you can pay down your outstanding balance under your current terms. However, you will no longer be able to charge new purchases because your account will be closed when you opt out. " They further stated "Because we did not hear from you before the effective date, your APR increased as stated". I almost always go online to pay my bill, so I really didn't notice what it said on my September statement.

I don't read my statements. Citi Cards encourages people to pay their account online, so that is what I do. Not once was that statement posted to my account information online. I have since closed the account, and now have to pay it down at the new ungodly interest rate. The sad part is, I was only one day late with my payment. What a bunch of two bit thieves.

I left the store and called Customer Service. The rep informed me that my credit line had been dropped over $15,000. Basically, they dropped by credit line so low that I didn't even have a dollar to spend! Apparently, a letter had been sent to me on 12/22/2009. Gee, thanks for letting me know! I asked why this had happened and they gave me the canned, usual response: "Due to a review of your credit history.You have a right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to know the information contained in your credit file at the consumer reporting agency. We encourage you to review your credit report for accuracy."

Nothing has changed on my report since April. Oh, did I mention my interest rate has increased on top of the $15k credit line decrease? This is unfair and unjust. I cannot believe this is legal. I am hoping the new regulations in February help stop these maniacs. Because this industry has been unregulated for so long, they can take as much advantage of people as possible and no one can stop them. This is not justice. This is ruining my credit score because randomly dropping my credit line means now my balances owed are like 100% until I pay it down. Having a high balance lowers your score. Having no available credit means consumers cannot spend and the economic strain continues. Having consumers have interest rates increase for no reason whatsoever means we do not have money to spend, which also hurts the economy. This is a lose, lose situation for everyone if you ask me.

I was still mailing in payments back then instead of paying online, so it seemed like one less problem to worry about. Well, the problems begin after you are late three or more times. Yes, they waive the late fee as long as you have used the credit card, but they raise your nominal APR to ridiculous rates. When I received the card, I was paying 12.99%. Now it is up to 25.99%. I'm not sure how this usury can even be legal.

Last month, my minimum payment due was $219.08 with a finance fee of $136.08. This month, my minimum payment is $262.77 with a finance fee of $179.77. I didn't make any purchases last month, paid my bill on time and over the minimum payment amount and my balance increased by $70.23. Now, I am scrambling to find a reputable credit card (if there is such a thing) so that I can get a balance transfer to pay off this insatiable monster.

I just can't wait to get rid of this credit card. I'm going to invite all of my friends over for a party. The money that I save by getting rid of this one credit card will get my finances straight again in less than a year. I'm locked into a credit card that I will never be able to pay off unless I receive credit from another source. I would like somebody to explain to me how this can be considered fair and legal.

I received my September bill to be paid in October, which I filed away and did not look at since this card is paid every month online, and the balance did not change other than being lowered. Apparently on this one statement, they had written a message saying my APR was being raised to 25.99% on Nov. 19th for the late payment. I had 60 days to opt out of this increase, close the card for future purchases and stay at the 1.99% until paid off. Again, I did not read this message, but on October 19th I called CitiCards to once again inquire about any issues with my late payment and any possible rate increases; at which time I was again assured by the customer service rep that there was no rate increase implemented.

Today, after receiving my bill for December and seeing that my finance charge jumped from $20 to $200+, I called to see what was going on. I was told that I received notice back in September on that one statement advising me of the increase and the 60-day period to opt out. The notice was sent only once on one statement. After asking the manager that I just got off the phone with why I was not told of this coming increase when I called in October, she told me that it is not their policy to list that information on my account for a customer service agent to see and that it is only sent once in writing. I would have to call and ask specifically with regard to the message on that one statement.

I asked her what if I was illiterate and was unable to read, and that is why I called and asked about any kind of rate increase. She had nothing to say other than that their policy is to only send it in writing once and it is not notated in the customer's account for customer service employees to see. She basically told me that she was unable to assist me further and that my new APR would be the 25.99%. "Have a nice day sir." We, the people, are being financially raped!

Then on December 29, 2009, I received a similar call from Roger at Citi Client First department at CitiGroup about my Exxon Mobil gas card - same scenario! He acknowledged that I have never been late with a payment and had a sterling record. I told him I felt like this was being done deliberately by CitiGroup to defraud cardholders. He replied, "no comment." I spoke with his manager Robley (ID #**) and I told him I never got an e-bill or email warning me my payment was overdue. As we spoke, I looked at my statement online and told him I saw no clear warning indicating my account was past due, except for a late fee shown in that column of the bill.

More alarming, however, was when I asked Robley to wait as I looked online at my Exxon Mobil account. There was no indication online stating that anything was past due! In fact, it said my next payment was not due until January! I told him this and he mumbled about technical glitches with online accounts. He could give me no explanation for this discrepancy. Then he told me I need to call customer service for more clarification and to lodge any complaints! I believe CitiGroup deliberately neglected to email these Shell and Exxon Mobil e-bills for December so they could up our interest rates and slap late fees on us before the new consumer credit card laws take effect in 2010. This needs to be investigated and is completely unfair. It is out and out fraud.

I then called Veronica ** at the New York City branch where I opened my account and she told me my account had been closed by Citibank and that a letter was sent to me. I told Ms. ** that I never received such letter. She told me it should be arriving me to any day. So, I waited until the next day's mail to arrive. I then called her back the next day when I still did not receive the letter, and again she told me it was in the mail and to wait another day. I then asked for the branch manager, Kathy **. After waiting for several minutes on hold, I was then told by Ms. ** that Ms. Kathy would call me back in 15 or 20 minutes; but she never returned my call.

When I called back the next day for Ms. Kathy, I was again put on hold for several minutes. When the fellow who answered the phone returned, he told me the manager had called the bank regarding my circumstance and that I should be expecting a call from the customer service department of the bank within 24 to 48 hours; and they would explain everything to me. That was on a Friday. I finally received a call on that Sunday but it was only a separate company taking a survey on behalf of Citibank to review my satisfaction on the original call I made to their 800 number. This did not answer the question as to why my account was closed.

So far I have only been given a run around by Citibank. Also that Friday, they apparently mailed out my remaining balance, but it's still been a week and I have not received my check yet nor a letter of explanation. As one could imagine, I was so upset that following Monday, I decided not to call back until Tuesday because I was so blind with anger. When I did call back on Tuesday, I was told that Ms. Kathy was now on Christmas vacation. I then spoke to a much more professional assistant manager by the name of Camelia who told me I should have received two letters prior from them. But again I had to explain to her I did not receive any letter, and I want an answer immediately. She me told the letter should be coming with the check of my remaining balance. Is this really legal for a bank to just arbitrarily close a person’s account without proper or fair warning and to keep their money in limbo?

It's been over a week, and I still have no money. Today is Christmas, and I had no money to buy presents for my family since they zeroed out my account, supposedly mailed out my balance. I'm unemployed due to the recession and rely only on my bank account as I am just now getting back on my feet and cannot afford to live on credit cards any more.

Anyway, the rep told me that she will give me a better rate of 1.99% for two years and to contact them if still the balance was not paid off and they will extend it for me. This time, I requested a letter from the rep and I received it within five business days. Today, which is December 23 of 2009, I contacted Citibank customer service which forwarded the calls in Asia and requested an extension. Mr. Joe in Asia told me that I cannot get an extension, however suggested another offer which lasts 6 months in the rate of 13.9%. Unbelievable, my credit worthiness is an excellent 760. I immediately requested to speak supervisor. Jason, the supervisor, told me the same thing and when I asked why the promotion rate is higher than my APR, he said, "Your APR rate will change to 17%. You should receive a notice letter."

Why? The consumer default rate is high, therefore, we change our rates for all our customers. Can you believe this? This is outrageous. My APR is changing because of consumer default rate. This is wrong and the US government should have done something about it. They are stealing millions from us, Americans. After 14 years of a loyal customer, I'm planning to close my accounts with Citibank and transfer the remaining balance of $3,600 to my Capital One card. I will never do a business with Citibank again.

So I go on to tell the rep today I would like to close my account. She put me on hold. when she got back on the line, I told her I wanted to pay off the $14.42 balance on my card with the bonus cash I have earned. She proceeded to tell me I no longer had that earned cash because I closed my account! I was so furious! Before I lost my cool, I told her that Citi should be ashamed of their selves and hung up.

After reading others' complaints, I have come to the conclusion that the APR was raised, not due to magically appearing late charges, but due to the fact that my card just expired and I activated the new one. Citi never told me anything about the 50% increase in the APR. This company is a complete fraud! Stay away.

When I called them, they would not release the account from hold. I have had the card for over 25 years. They used to call if there was a problem, but now they just sneak in the late payment charge and high interest on the balance due. Customer service said they really did not care if I actually got the invoice or not. It is still my responsibility to pay. Since I never carry a balance, I really don't need this kind of treatment after 25 years as a loyal customer. I don't need their card and will take my business elsewhere.

So I was left with no money on Thanksgiving. I called Citi and they stated that they could not do anything. The day after, I called to see if my card was replaced - nope nothing was done - so I placed an order and asked for more checks. At this point, this is the least they can do for me considering what they have done to me. I was waiting for 10-15 minutes to get an answer of "no, the policy stands and that'll be $25." Are you kidding me? You freeze my card without my consent for no reason and you can't even waive something so small? I hope they work on their customer service because that's pretty ** to do and they didn't even bother to try to rectify the situation. So if you're thinking about Citibank, I would look elsewhere.

"Variable APR for purchases is being increased. As of September 15, 2009, this purchase APR is 29.99%. The variable APR for default is being increased. As of September 15, 2009, this default APR is 29.99%. The variable APR for cash advances is being increased. As of September 15, 2009, this cash advance APR is 29.99%."

The option is to "opt-out" which will close the account but leave the rate at 18.99%. I called Citibank. They confirmed that I am not late and there is no problem with my account and told me they are, "increasing the rates to 29.99% across the board to everyone. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do." How can the answer from Citibank be true? On their website homepage, they are offering 0% promotional terms! So, is this an error on their part? Is this gouging? Is it misleading and fraudulent that they advertise 0% and then increase current customers to 29.99%?

2. "New" interest: 29.99%; Monthly payment: $2700.00, Will also be paid in 10 months; Interest paid: $3190.15

The extra I will pay in interest due to the rate increase is $1287.02. Obviously someone who cannot pay off as aggressively will really get hit, I cannot imagine making the "minimum" payment under this new interest rate. What is this doing to service people, students, the E=elderly? This is gouging. Citibank is acting more like organized crime than an organization.

I don't want an attorney to contact me. I am requesting that your organization leverage all available resources against practices like this. I have contacted my senator, the FTC and the White House. Everyone who is faced with this letter should do the same. "The squeaky wheel can at least be heard". Thank you.