Taking Citibank to small claims?

[WL100116]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MIchigan

I canceled my bank account with Citibank three years ago and Citi said they do not a have a record of any phone conversation documenting that I have attempted to close the account. They have been charging me $25 per month for the the past three years for insufficient funds totaling to approx $600. I moved to Michigan 3 years ago and my legal address has changed. There are no Citi branches within the state or even in the next state closest to me. I called many times to see if I can close the account over the phone and have the charges removed. Citi insisted that they would not be able to close the account and that I would have to appear at a branch. I then asked for Citi to freeze my account so that the charges do not keep adding up until I can find a way to resolve this. The rep said they typically freeze accounts when the balance is zero. My account is far beyond zero at this point. They say they cannot freeze the account and that charges will continue to be added to the account even if there has been no activity for the past several years. Do I have to take a plane back to New York just to go to a branch that will likely tell me there is nothing they can do? I am not even asking for the charges to be negated. I was simply asking for for the account to be frozen until I can have this rectified. Is this consumer fraud? I would like to take this to small claims if possible. Do I have a case?

 

[adjusterjack]

Sorry, it's not fraud and you have nothing to sue for.

All you needed to do after you called to cancel, was check your account online in a week or so to make sure it was closed and if it wasn't, you should have sent a letter requesting it be closed, and following up on the letter in a couple of weeks.

You apparently didn't do any of that.

If you can't get Citibank to budge due to your failure to use common sense, I suggest you put the request in writing now and attach a check for the money you owe. Send it certified return receipt and THEN follow up in a week or two to make sure it's been taken care of.

It'll cost you more to travel and sue than it will cost you to pay and get it over with, learning a healthy lesson in the process.

 

[LdiJ]

Sorry, it's not fraud and you have nothing to sue for.

All you needed to do after you called to cancel, was check your account online in a week or so to make sure it was closed and if it wasn't, you should have sent a letter requesting it be closed, and following up on the letter in a couple of weeks.

You apparently didn't do any of that.

If you can't get Citibank to budge due to your failure to use common sense, I suggest you put the request in writing now and attach a check for the money you owe. Send it certified return receipt and THEN follow up in a week or two to make sure it's been taken care of.

It'll cost you more to travel and sue than it will cost you to pay and get it over with, learning a healthy lesson in the process.

That makes sense, logically, but it appears that citi is not giving the OP any options to close the account but to appear in person at a branch. So, where is the OP supposed to send such letter? Citi is an enormous organization with an enormous number of addresses and if citi is not giving her the option to close the account by mail, how is the OP even going to find an address that might, possibly, work?

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MIchigan

I canceled my bank account with Citibank three years ago and Citi said they do not a have a record of any phone conversation documenting that I have attempted to close the account. They have been charging me $25 per month for the the past three years for insufficient funds totaling to approx $600. I moved to Michigan 3 years ago and my legal address has changed. There are no Citi branches within the state or even in the next state closest to me. I called many times to see if I can close the account over the phone and have the charges removed. Citi insisted that they would not be able to close the account and that I would have to appear at a branch. I then asked for Citi to freeze my account so that the charges do not keep adding up until I can find a way to resolve this. The rep said they typically freeze accounts when the balance is zero. My account is far beyond zero at this point. They say they cannot freeze the account and that charges will continue to be added to the account even if there has been no activity for the past several years. Do I have to take a plane back to New York just to go to a branch that will likely tell me there is nothing they can do? I am not even asking for the charges to be negated. I was simply asking for for the account to be frozen until I can have this rectified. Is this consumer fraud? I would like to take this to small claims if possible. Do I have a case?

What I have bolded above is not true.

 

[LdiJ]

What I have bolded above is not true.

Well then provide the OP with a link or something that shows where there are branches in her state or a neighboring state.

 

[quincy]

Well then provide the OP with a link or something that shows where there are branches in her state or a neighboring state.

She can simply search "Michigan Citibank branches" to find one near her.

 

[LdiJ]

There are close to 700 Citibank branches throughout Michigan. It is not hard to find one. She can simply search "Michigan Citibank branches" to find one near her.

Ok, thanks for adding that statement. That works a whole lot better than just "not true"...lol.

 

[adjusterjack]

That makes sense, logically, but it appears that citi is not giving the OP any options to close the account but to appear in person at a branch. So, where is the OP supposed to send such letter? Citi is an enormous organization with an enormous number of addresses and if citi is not giving her the option to close the account by mail, how is the OP even going to find an address that might, possibly, work?

Corporate HQ:

Citi
388 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
800-285-3000
CEO: Michael Corbat

I have often found that letters to corporate officers get attention and results after getting nowhere with customer service lackeys.

Even if the officers never see it, the letter is often handled by somebody authorized to make decisions on behalf of a consumer

 

[LdiJ]

Corporate HQ:

Citi
388 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
800-285-3000
CEO: Michael Corbat

I have often found that letters to corporate officers get attention and results after getting nowhere with customer service lackeys.

Even if the officers never see it, the letter is often handled by somebody authorized to make decisions on behalf of a consumer

That is a valid point. I agree that sometimes going straight to the top does make a difference.

 

[mstbro]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MIchigan

I canceled my bank account with Citibank three years ago and Citi said they do not a have a record of any phone conversation documenting that I have attempted to close the account. They have been charging me $25 per month for the the past three years for insufficient funds totaling to approx $600. I moved to Michigan 3 years ago and my legal address has changed. There are no Citi branches within the state or even in the next state closest to me. I called many times to see if I can close the account over the phone and have the charges removed. Citi insisted that they would not be able to close the account and that I would have to appear at a branch. I then asked for Citi to freeze my account so that the charges do not keep adding up until I can find a way to resolve this. The rep said they typically freeze accounts when the balance is zero. My account is far beyond zero at this point. They say they cannot freeze the account and that charges will continue to be added to the account even if there has been no activity for the past several years. Do I have to take a plane back to New York just to go to a branch that will likely tell me there is nothing they can do? I am not even asking for the charges to be negated. I was simply asking for for the account to be frozen until I can have this rectified. Is this consumer fraud? I would like to take this to çiftçi kredisi small claims if possible. Do I have a case?

it's not fraud and you have nothing to sue for.

 

[quincy]

it's not fraud and you have nothing to sue for.

I see no lawsuit to pursue either.

It would not be hard to find a branch office in Michigan where WL100116 could sit down with a branch manager to get the matter settled.

In fact, since WL100116 last visited the forum over a month ago, it is possible that all has already been resolved.