CitiBusiness Strands Customer In The Middle Of The Pacific With No Credit Card
Skye is on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean without any way to pay for things, because Citibank canceled his card due to a security breach and didn't bother to warn him first. What's worse, they're making him call repeatedly to try to fix it, which is costing him $3.50/minute because he's in the middle of an ocean.
Here's Skye's story:
I have been using my CitiBusiness credit card for years now after having decided to exclusively use a single credit card to avoid the potential headaches that come with multiple revolving accounts. So, although I have nearly 20 credit card accounts open, I use only CitiBusiness and have done so for some time.At the moment, I am abroad - on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in fact, and have been abroad for work for 7 out of the last 8 months. During this time I depend upon my credit card to pay bills at home, as well as hotel bookings and payment for shipboard services while at sea.
Last week, without bothering to notify me either via email or telephone, I discovered CitiBusiness cards had unilaterally closed my account. According to their online interface they had simultaneously opened ANOTHER account on my behalf but did not provide full details of the account.
Upon inquiring via their SECURE MESSAGING CENTER as to why my account had been closed, after three attempts, I received a rather generic response back stating that there had been a "security breach" and subsequently they had closed my account - again, without bothering to notify me.
After several back and forth exchanges via their message system, I was informed that if I wanted more information I would have to call them. From the middle of the Pacific Ocean of course. At about $3.50/minute to boot. So, because many of my bills and my current charges on the ship are tied to a now closed account, I sucked it up, picked up the phone and dialed.
Of course, the first couple layers of the telephone maze involved punching "0" repeatedly until a human being arrived. Then of course, the number that the CitiBank SECURE MESSAGING SERVICE had conveniently provided for me to call in regards to the issue turned out to be the wrong branch of Citibank and they would have to transfer me.
"Okay," I said, "Just please do it as quickly as you can..."
After which the line went dead and I had to start the process all over again.
On the second round, the customer care representative said that I would have to be transferred to Emergency Services. While being transferred, the line went dead.
On the third round, I asked to be connected immediately with Emergency Services after which the customer care representative came back on the line and said:
"They don't take calls."
I repeated the scenario to the CCR and asked to be referred to her supervisor. "Okay" she said, after which CitiBusiness Cards telephone system killed the call for the third time.
On the fourth round, I was finally transferred to a supervisor who, after hearing the details, said that they couldn't share with me the new account information that they had opened in my name.
"What?" I said..."you mean to say you have opened an account on my behalf (not at my request), are authorizing me to use it, but won't give me the account information so I CAN use it?"
"Um, well, we are sending the account information to your home address" she said.
"I am not home, haven't been home for months and won't be home for another month. I am on a ship in the middle of the Pacific, remember? Since you unilaterally closed out the ONE credit card I happen to have with me, that my BUSINESS is dependent upon, I need this resolved as soon as possible. Oh yeah, this is costing me $3.50/minute too..."
And then, for the first time, there was a glimmer of hope.
Over the phone I heard the following words:
"Okay, so I can't send you your own new account information, but I may be able to re-open your original account temporarily. How long would you need it open for?"
"Four weeks, until I get home" I said, finally feeling like I was getting somewhere...
"Okay, well hold on just a second..."
Click, and the phone went dead, for the fourth time, at $3.50 a minute. After about an hour of this I estimate I had already spent about $190.00 simply trying to communicate the problem to a series of apparently inept customer care representatives.
Ironically, the only reason I started using my CitiBusiness Card exclusively several years ago was because it had been - up to this point - the most user-friendly of all my cards. Unfortunately, they have just proved to me that they are not capable of meeting my needs as a regular, committed customer. At this moment, I am still adrift with the company neither re-instating my old account, nor providing me with full information on the new account so I can actually use it. Which means I have no way of paying my current charges at sea, nor my
bills at home.Thanks a bunch CitiBusiness Card.
Lately we've been getting lots of emails from consumers who are angry, confused, or left with payment problems because of canceled cards they weren't immediately told about. Considering that security breaches are becoming as common as days of the week lately, we think credit card providers might want to try to improve their customer relationship management over this sort of thing.
(Photo: marcusrg)
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Comments:
I stopped reading after, "So, although I have nearly 20 credit card accounts open..."
I have a lot of sympathy for him -- that sounds horrible. But at the same time, who goes overseas or to sea for months at a time with only a single credit card to access money with? He'd be in exactly the same situation if he'd lost it only then it wouldn't be Citi's fault.
Don't CC companies do this all the time? I have, and I know many people on this site have also had new cards issued because of security breaches at the bank. In most cases, it seems that a new card is just mailed to the affected person. I don't think ANY CC company will ever mail a new card/account info to any address other than the one listed on the account (I guess he should have been able to at least change the address temporarily), nor will they give out account numbers over the phone. Seems like a horribly sticky situation, but I can understand Citi's caution.
Doesn't explain the mysterious call disconnections though...
I thought it was always recommended to let your banks/credit cards now when you were traveling out of the country so that this can be prevented most of the time.
And 20 accounts?! Seriously?
@Watergun: blame the OP?...
j/k...
i thought people knew not to rely just on ONE thing... when I go out with my friends, I have a credit card AND enough cash to get back home in case of any problems...
anyways... he's out of the country on a ship.... not sure how expensive the wifi/internet is, and whether the latency is good enough for a phone call
Can't he call anyone back home? Maybe have them open his mail and read the card number?
If not, Citi has an online service for virtual card numbers.
@Dave:
20 isn't that many. There are some people with 50+.
Those people usually don't revolve balances.
@wcnghj: How is 20 "not that many" credit card accounts? I should try that argument next time I get pulled over, though: "Officer, I know I was going 120, but there are some people who go 200...so in reality, my speed wasn't that high!"
@wcnghj: Virtual card numbers are tied to your primary account. His (old) primary account has been cancelled, so he can no longer get virtual card numbers for that account. He doesn't know the details of his new primary account, so he can't retrieve virtual account numbers off that account. Also, they're used primarily for online purchases - for instance, the boat he's on probably won't accept him just giving them an account number without presenting the card.
But good point about someone back home... have a neighbor check his mail, get the card, ship it to him overnight at the next port of call... it's expensive but solves the problem.
Another suggestion I thought of - they can confirm that he's the owner of the *new* account based on his personal info, but (probably by policy) cannot give him the account info. So assumedly they *could* use his new account, verifying his identity of course, to buy and send him some Citibank Traveler's Checks. Citibank already offers to ship these anywhere in the world. Or, if he has a primary checking account with Citi, he can always charge them to that.
Remember, kids! Worst Company in America bracket is still alive and open! Vote early! Vote often!
@Watergun: Ship's satellite systems are usually very slow and often VOIP services are blocked or require too much bandwidth to operate. Also ship to shore calls are through satellite as well, there is usually a flat fee just to make a call no matter where it is going so calling collect would still cost the same. There are usually no toll free ship to shore calls.
@Dave: It is. Some cards will let you inform them as far as 3 months out. Other cards won't take notice until 3 weeks prior to the trip.
This seems more to be a problem of him having a card number stolen or account compromised. It would be nice if Citi covered his call costs, but it really isn't on Citi that he's on a boat crossing the Pacific Ocean. The way that Citi is dealing with him is inexcusable and again, no person of any accountability would ever deal with a customer like that. Entry-level customer service and their supervisors are always trash. Worthless.
Anyway, travelers should learn that you should find out how your cards work abroad, what you'll be charged, and don't rely on a single credit card or debit card while away from home. I usually carry 3 cards and a mix of cash.
Also, for our readers familiar with Skype, could Skype help him control overseas phone call costs?
Semeseter at Sea?!? Fall '05 Alum here, what an awesome program. I lost my dad's Centurion Amex in India...but they delivered a replacement to the boat (not via helicopter surprisingly).
@supercereal: People on creditboards.com have 50+. They use them when they see fit.
Oh, I will use this card to get the 6% cashback on dining, this card for grocery shoppping, etc.
They Pay In Full every month.
The same thing happened to me with TCF Bank. I am down in Ft. Gordon, GA on active duty. TCF is from MN/midwest. They shut my card off for a breach, that happened months before they shut it off. I told them my problem, that I had no other way for funds than their card, and that if its been on for this long, why not let me have it for a little while longer until the new card could be sent down to me. They basically said TS. Well, I've taken my money to USAA where they have been rated #2 behind amazon for customer service.
TCF also shut my card down with no warning about the same time last year. Even when I called in the first time they said that it was the store who declined me and not them. Thankfully they let me look like a jackass again coming up the counter with no money in hand and a declining card. Thanks TCF!
Skye, save yourself some money do it on their dime:
Citibank Outside the U.S. 1-605-335-2222 (call collect)
Visa Emergency card replacement 24x7 (410) 581-9994 (call collect)
Mastercard Emergency services 1-636-722-7111 (call collect)
Also, you may be able to get someplace with Visa or Mastercard. If your card has their logo, then you may be in luck.
@Watergun: Read the article: "So, although I have nearly 20 credit card accounts open, I use only CitiBusiness and have done so for some time."
He has other credit cards. BUT all his bill payments are linked to this card, and as has been pointed out, internet and phone lines are sketchy, so it's really not that easy for him to transfer all his bill-paying over to another credit card, especially since it sounds like he wants to keep using CitiBusiness in the long-term, aside from this debacle.
Wow, the blame the OP rate is pretty high on this one. He doesn't use skype so something's fishy, really? OK. Was it wasn't the best idea for him to only have 1 CC on him, probably not, but in the post it sound like he had been been using the Citi card primarily for a while; he likely got lured into a false sense of security. The moral of this post is, how hard is it for Citi to phone/email/telegraph Skye to let him know they're about to screw him. Following that, why can't they seem to understand their own phone tree? These are series of serious service failures that have little to do with Skye.
This could have been much worse. Imagine if he had found this out while trying to have emergency surgery overseas. Nevermind, someone here would probably blame him for not having the correct medical insurance.
Bank of America did this to me recently... They said accounts across the board had been compromised and that they sent out new debit cards. Well.... they sent out my card on a Wednesday, and I guess it was in my mailbox on Thursday or Friday... HOWEVER, on a Saturday on VACATION I found out my card did not work and could not get any funds till Monday since they turned off my card! I did not receive my new card since I was already out of state. Needless to say, BOA ruined my vacation... I understand the need to make sure accounts are secure, but not having a dollar to spend on vacation for three days is a bit ridiculous!
So, I'm not clear. Was the 'breach' that the OP was racking up incidentals from the Love Boat in the middle of the Pacific, or was there actually fraud? Can't really blame Citi if it was actual fraud. Service after the fact is another story. And regardless, why couldn't Citi ship a card to the next port of call? Not SOP but definitely doable.
Citi has done this to me twice. Both times, I advised them before the trip that I would be traveling great distances from home and told them the specific areas I would be in.
The first time, I had to call them from the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Alaska. The second time, from a highway rest stop in central Poland. Unfun. The second time, they would not turn it back on even though I pleaded with them via their secure communication built into their account section (because, they said, they couldn't authenticate it was me! -- even though I had passed their own criteria for authenticating myself.)
Annoying to the point that I no longer use the card.
@ADM: Good to know for future reference this is a regular thing for Citi. FWIW, I've been to some pretty off the beaten path places in Africa and Asia, and Capital One, US Bank, (to a lesser extent Chase) have never done this to me. When I call ahead, I ask the default CSR to connect me with the fraud department straight away.
I am concerned the OP may be traveling too much to not think ahead IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. He has no other card with him? When would be a time to have those other cards? Does he not have a debit or ATM card? I am no fan of Citibank on any level, but this screw up is 100 per cent on him for not realizing there could be problems.
Citicard sent me an updated card due to the security breach, but they did not cancel/block my original card. It continued to work until I received the new card and called them to activate.
Wonder why this did not happen in OPs scenario. It is possible that Citi has a certain number of days after which they block the old card.
@Watergun: Sat phone calls are like cell phone calls - doesn't matter who initiates the call, you pay for airtime.
@loueloui: It's a SATELLITE PHONE. There are NO cell towers or landlines in the middle of the Pacific. With a sat phone, you pay for airtime, no matter what number you call, collect or not.
This is why it pays to carry an extra ten balls of heroin in your undies: lighter than gold and nearly as fungible.
Although boy are the stains a b*tch to remove in humid climates.
I have to blame the OP here. He says he has 20 credit cards, but embarks on an 8-month boat trip with only one of them? Eight months is a long time. He could have lost his card or damaged it. With 20 credit cards, he should have brought 2 or 3 for backup.
Sorry Skye, shit happens to rich people that plan poorly, too. A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on anyone else's.
OMG, I have been having the same problems with Citibank. I have traveled a few times this year and each time they close my account because of a "security breach" When I call them they tell me its a safety issue because they didn't know if someone was using my card out of the area. I have had my card replaced twice in one year. Ugh. So now I have to call them each time I travel. Yeah, big brother anyone?
As a merchant mariner I can sympathize with Skye. I've had cards canceled on me because they were used in another country, used near the border of Canada, and just plain because BofA felt liked it. First though, stop using the sat phone trying to get this sorted out and wait until your on land to call Citibank. Call there international number collect so you don't have to pay steep fees, and arrange for them to send you travelers checks or cash. That's about all you can do in this situation. Then next time bring a few cards with you and bring some extra cash. I carried a few thousand dollars (hidden somewhere in my bunk) where i could tell a fellow crew member where it was in case I got into some trouble. It's just what I felt I had to do...
@golddog: Capital One also charges no extra fee for currency exchanges, and you always get the same rate across all cards because it's Visa who determines the rate!
@barb95: To be fair, this is pretty common with credit cards, and it is their money at that point. I'm curious if you were traveling internationally or domestically, though, because I don't think I've ever called for domestic travel, and I haven't had a problem yet (crossing fingers).
Citibank, the WORST Company in America!
@supercereal: If your card is lost or stolen, most cards will overnight you a new one no matter where you are. I suppose maybe not to the middle of the Pacific, but there has to be some way that they get mail/package deliveries - or he would have just had it sent to the next hotel he was going to.
@Trai_Dep:
Just a smidge.
Also, not to be snide, but one would have hoped that, as part of the Semester at Sea program, they would have taught him how to spell semester.
@Sean Wells: B of A did the same thing to me. They said that the old card was still active until I called to activate the new card they sent, but I found out a week later that a recurring charge that went to the card every month was declined before I called to activate the new card. That could only have meant that the old card was deactivated long before I thought it was. Thanks B of A.
Fortunately the people whose charge was declined were understanding, said that a lot of B of A customers had the same thing happen to them and they didn't penalize me.
Heh, CitiCards cancelled my card due to a security breach once before. I wasn't aware of it until my new card came in the mail. I closed my account that day.
@wcnghj: which is why those people usually have credit card and credit problems. 20 is way too many and 50 is extremely too many in my book.
This happened to me while deployed for the USAF. Except it was my Government Credit Card BoA shut off, that I used in performance of my duties. (I paid for everything from the base's supply of toilet paper to the desks we were sitting at.)
The security breach in question?: I had used it in downtown Kuwait (where I was at). Evidently, although they knew it was a Deployed Personnel card, they never thought I might actually USE it at a local vendor.
At that point in time, BoA was completely off my radar as a viable financial institution.
GO CREDIT UNIONS!!
I have a Citi Amex and the stopped the card due to security breaches but have never cancelled the card. I was sent one in the mail in no time.
I would speak to them about how you can reactivate your card since the boat does not get physical mail. Maybe they could keep it open till he hits ground and has a hotel address or something.
Send them a bill for the phone calls, then close the account.
I understand them not being able to tell you anything about the credit card, most of the time (this is a good thing) the people that answer the phones and their supervisors don't have access to that information.
That said, it was shitty of them to cancel the account for no reason.
@Don't take anything aaron8301 says seriously: I don't think rich people have or need 20 credit cards...
He's learning a very valuable lesson here: when traveling out of the country, make sure you have multiple sources of money in case something goes sour. Can't he call collect? My card says I can call collect when I'm out of the country. Also, he has internet access but not a skype account? Something smells fishy here.