Citigroup Inc, Citi Card review: Waning Confidence in Citi Cards 2

I received a letter from CITI Cards today that was address wrong but found its way to me by the hands of a conscientious postman. Inside the letter I found a replacement card for my account ending in ****. The letter stated that because my “account number may have been illegally obtained as a result of a merchant database compromise…” that I was receiving a new card with a new account number.

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# 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 & Fraud Department at once! The agent put me on hold and a few minutes later 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 Nov 2009 by the CITI 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# DB1372, who said that he was sorry for the misinformation from the first agent about the change of address issue, missing statement (Jan 13th) 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 Jan 13th that I didn’t receive and I am positive it is 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 it’s mistakes there would be no amount of ‘sorries’ I the world to fix the decade-lasting damage inflicted on my credit.

Sorry… Is that the new corporate slogan for CITI?

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 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 myself 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 it’s accounts safe, mailing addresses accurate and agents who work toward mutual resolution verses 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.

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