The Children's Place The Children's Place, Citibank (South Dakota) N.A. Nefarious Billing Practices Dallas, Texas

In February of 2010, I purchased a dress and my stockings for my daughter using my Children's Place credit card for the amount of $75.49. Today, August 20th I recieved my frirst and only bill from the company in the amount of $212.86. Including 5 months of late fees and interest.

I called the company immediately (Citibank (South Dakota), N.A. is the company in charge of the credit cards), Jasmine, in the Billing Department, told me that they had no record of any bills being returned to them, when in fact every bill had been returned with an improper address. Jasmine was the first in a long line of company representatives that lied to us.

Jasmine offered to settle the account for $95.58, telling me that it would negatively affect my credit score. I declined that offer and accepted a reduction of 3 late payments and finance charges in the amount $128.91, not knowing that too would have a negative impact on my credit rating. So she lied about returned bills, and lied about how making that payment would affect my credit.

When my husband called up later in the day, customer service told him that yes, the bills had been getting returned, and to call back in the evening to pay the initial charge over the phone with a check by phone, of course they have no record or notes from that call.

When we called back that evening Michael, Rachel, Lisa and Vanessa all had a record of the returned bills, and no record of my husband's call that afternoon. They said that since I had settled the account that they couldn't do anything about it.

They are saying that they called and left messages (on a phone number that has not been in service for almost 3 years) and that I finally called back to change the address on July 19th 2010. Impossible, as I was at the hospital with my mother all day as she received her final chemotherapy treatment for throat cancer.

We have been hung up on (by Vanessa) and misdirected and lied to since we started calling. All I wanted was to pay the initial charge. I understand that I am responsible for that charge. When we asked to be transferred to leave a message for an account manager, they disconnected our call (Lisa).