2008-06-04

AT&T-Citibank loses a customer forever

I have had an AT&T-Citibank Universal MasterCard for more than a decade. I applied for the card when I was in college, and have been a loyal customer since then.

Today, AT&T and Citibank lose me as a customer. A few months ago, due in part to the company's greedy and inflexible policies, my account was put on hold. After several lengthy discussions with their customer service personnel, my account was reactivated and several fees were waived. I was so frustrated by the experience that I wrote about it at length.

In a rare event that I at the time chalked up to good karma, I was given the opportunity to provide feedback on my experience with AT&T-Citibank's customer service. I filled out a survey form and explained what happened. I detailed what the company had done wrong and what they could do to improve their service. I emphasized that the people with whom I had spoken had done they best they could to help me, and had always been polite. I also referred to the aforementioned blog post so that they could learn more about my experience.

Well, apparently someone read it because shortly after that time, AT&T-Citibank permanently closed my credit card account. They did so without so much as notifying me. I learned about it only today when I tried to use the credit card to buy some flowers for my mother's birthday.

I am very disappointed by the actions and policies of AT&T-Citibank. Until such time as I receive a formal written apology, both of these companies have permanently lost me as a customer.

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