Consumer complaint received 2024-01-28
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: OH
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: CD (Certificate of Deposit)
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Account opened without my consent or knowledge

Complaint:
This is about my buying 2 CDs online from Synchrony Bank on XXXX XXXX, 2024. In my previous XXXX years of buying CDs from them, I had never had a negative experience with Synchrony. But this current situation ( XXXX XXXX, 2024 so far ) has been a nightmare. 
Online on the evening of XX/XX/XXXX, I authorized Synchrony to withdraw a total of {$10000.00}, {$5000.00} each for 2 CDs, from my bank account. Not only did they withdraw that money ; they continued to withdraw money thousands of dollars without my consent. I repeatedly called them, but they kept taking more and more funds from my bank account. They even added more money to one of the 2 CDs I had just opened, even though I had not authorized that. Even when they told me they would stop taking my money, they kept trying to take it : Every time I transferred funds from another account to my checking account in order to pay my bills, Synchrony took that money if it was at least {$5000.00}. Even when I no longer had {$5000.00} in my bank account, Synchrony kept trying to withdraw more money : If there was less than {$5000.00}, they tried to withdraw that amount and then attempted another withdrawal to make it equal to {$5000.00}, which kept causing my bank to assess me {$35.00} insufficient-funds fees for each of Synchronys attempts. Every time I called Synchrony, I was shuttled to a different supervisor ( no last names given, of course ), each telling me a different thing I had to do to prove they took my money one supervisor said they didnt have it ; another said I had authorized their taking more money than the {$10000.00} total. They also said that if they discovered that they took more money than they should have, they would send me a check rather than transfer it back to my bank account. 
On XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX I can not remember the date, but my bank has a record of it I finally went to a manager at my bank, who reviewed the situation and then called Synchrony. My bank manager was treated entirely differently from the way I was treated. However, Synchrony still has not returned my money. The person with whom my bank manager spoke told him that they would return my money ( at least $ XXXX {$15000.00} of unauthorized withdrawals ) by XX/XX/XXXX IF they owed it to me ; he assured them that they did. I do not trust them to follow through. My bank manager said that if Synchrony failed to return my money, I should go back to see him, we would run the numbers, and he would get in touch with them again. But he also said that since the CDs had already been funded ( even with thousands of dollars I had not authorized! ), I probably couldnt get that money refunded. 
My bank forgave my insufficient-funds fees. They also suggested that I close my existing bank account and open a new one that Synchrony couldnt access. 
As of now Synchrony Bank has taken thousands of dollars from me without my permission. I plan to file a complaint with the FDIC, my congressman, Synchronys President/CEO, State Auditors office XXXX and any other agency I can think of.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief