Having issues with Citibank? You may have legal options.
Are you looking into Citibank and you want to know whether they are a good bank or not? The decision to open a bank account, whether it’s for everyday use or for savings, is a big one and there are many factors to consider when evaluating different banks. To help you put this all together we’ve compiled some reviews and ratings for Citibank from a multitude of resources so that you can evaluate for yourself whether it’s worth the investment.
Citibank has a lot of the perks you would associate with a large bank, with fewer physical branches than its competitors. The bank is well regarded for the banking experience they provide given that users are able to make contact 24 hours a day using things like live chat, social media, and phone services. They offer budgeting tools and goal-setting tools as well as very strong mobile features that other banks don’t. But what are the reviews and ratings have to say about Citibank?
Citibank offers savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs. And not all accounts are considered equal with some being more highly rated and worth evaluating than others.
The Citibank savings account requires a $1 minimum balance but has low rates around 0.04% while competing banks sometimes offer twice that if not three times that.
The simple checking account is considered 4 out of 5 stars from NerdWallet, earning a much more favorable rating compared to the savings account because of the various combination packages they offer, sign-up bonuses, and the ease with which they waive your fees. You also get access to services like checkbooks full of checks, something that other Banks would charge you for.
The CD rates are higher than other National Banks, at 0.25 % for one year, three year, even a five-year with a minimum deposit of $1,000. The CDs earn a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars from NerdWallet for this reason.
Citibank has earned an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars from NerdWallet because it has over 60,000 ATMs for which you are charged no fees, strong website and mobile features for customers, as well as overseas branches, the downside being that there are fewer physical branches in the US compared to competing banks and a $500 requirement in a basic savings account in order to avoid a monthly fee.
Customer service is said to be pretty reliable when customers visit their local branches. Going in, in person, to a local branch usually results in problems being solved and a convivial atmosphere where the representative knows your name.
But this doesn’t hold true for more complicated issues or things that are handled through the Help Center, online portal, phone calls with representatives, or emails. A lot of the customer service reviews in particular highlight problems with representatives who have the power to fix things. There is a trend among the reviews on consumer affairs highlights finally getting in touch with a customer service rep, only to find out that the representative can’t do anything to fix the problem and doesn’t offer any solutions.
As one customer stated, “I have been trying to resolve my account with a Citibank since February 2020, it is April 17, 2020 to give you an idea of a time frame: Every time I attempted to resolve the account through customer service, I was told they could not help me. I have written letters to the Executive Department for assistance as well as submitted complaints to their customer assistance department and haven’t gotten anywhere. The second response letter I received from the executive department (after I sent several just to get a response) told me I was lying, that I never reached out to their customer service department to resolve the issue and that they are not willing to respond to any other inquiries on the matter (mind you I have call logs and message logs using their messenger application that clearly show otherwise, no one is in a call with their company for 45 minutes for fun, I promise).”
Consumer Affairs has collected customer complaints that have to do with overdraft fees. The bank can charge an overdraft fee of $34 up to four times per day so miscalculating by even a penny can result in 4 charges for every day that you don’t look in on your checking account.
One consumer stated that they deposited $1,300 into an ATM for rent due the following da, after which point the ATM went out of service that evening and the money was never processed and credited to the right account. It took weeks of struggle getting a hold of someone who had the authority to provide a solution but all the while there remains the risk of being unable to pay bills simply because of a mechanical failure.
Many of the complaints pertaining to Citibank have to do with these overdraft fees in addition to which there are customer service issues using ATMs and processing refunds not just for ATM malfunctions but for things like fraudulent account activity.
If you have a complaint against Citibank, and you aren’t getting a solution to your problem, we can help.
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