Citibank Bank Account Or Service Complaint

Citibank Bank account or service department,

Checking account Problems caused by my funds being low New York

I recently set up a new checking account with Citi as part of a promotion to earn additional frequent flyer miles ( I already had a credit card ). As part of that process, I set up an " external account '' so I could transfer money between my new account and an existing account with my credit union - this was to be the source of my initial deposit. I mistakenly thought I had to verify the accounts both ways ( I 'm still not sure whether this was true or not ) - that is, to have each institution verify the other, which they do by making small debits/credits to the account, and then I 'm expected to verify the amounts. As part of this process, I mistakenly overdrafted my Citi account since it did n't currently have any funds in it - which is why I was trying to set up this external account in the first place! I was charged $68.00, which seems excessive for an overdraft that was less than $1.00. I complained via Citi 's chat help, and after first telling me that it was a valid charge, they offered to refund it as


there were - places that said " overdrawn '' - however - was a credit ( not a debit ), so that did n't make sense! - and still only - line that said Overdraft Fee - $68.00. They eventually refunded the remaining $34.00. However, I believe Citi should be censured for these policies which are clearly predatory and trying to extract money out of customers who do n't have the time or energy to fight them on this. They use misleading language and reporting ( including apparently putting - separate fees as - line item ) and at no point in their help process did anyone offer me an explanation as to why these things are reported this way. I also do n't think that overdraft fees should apply in cases like this, which are clearly part of the initial setup of an account. And customers should n't have to spend several minutes arguing to get back money that was essentially stolen from them. I informed Citi that I would be closing my account as soon as I receive the promotional mileage ; I do n't understand why anyone would trust a bank with such shady and unfair business practices with their hard-earned money.