On 7 May I wrote to Thank You Points/Citibank to express my dissatisfaction with a Thank You Points award that I ordered in November. Order number 13110260 (Cart ID: *59; Item number: B0002KVQBA) was placed on 19 November for 19,500 points and was for a Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch Monitor Series Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black). Because I am a U.S. Diplomat serving in Africa, I receive mail at a slower rate, and the subwoofer arrived in early January.
Unfortunately, the subwoofer did not work upon arrival. Initially, I thought the problem was the result of either poor subwoofer wires or the need to better program my receiver. However, two new subwoofer cables did not work. Extensive internet research and repeated attempts to reset my receiver were equally unsuccessful.
Given that I live overseas and tried to find a way to fix the subwoofer problem on my own first, I was unable to return the subwoofer within two days of delivery. As I am a loyal Citibank customer, I do not think I should be penalized for my living location or for my initial efforts to resolve a situation independently instead of automatically placing the blame somewhere else. Consequently, I requested either a return of the 19,500 points to my balance or a replacement subwoofer.
Unfortunately, Citibank/Thank You Points wrote me an email on 20 May to inform me that my request had been denied because "your claim is outside the program rules as stated in the terms and conditions of ThankYou Network."
Given that Citibank/Thank You Points delivered a product that did not work, and that I documented my attempts to resolve this issue within the constraints of my overseas situation, I would have expected a more conciliatory response.
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