Consumer complaint received 2019-03-25
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NC
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX offers a cashback rewards program, with card holders receiving the accumulated cash back in late XXXX each year. The cutoff this year was XX/XX/XXXX, with letters mailed out to customers shortly thereafter. 

I received my letter around the beginning of XXXX with a cashback reward of {$370.00} Unfortunately, my identity had been stolen and my card frozen so I had to wait for a new card. I lost that card and a replacement was not received until XX/XX/2018. I took the new card on that same day to XXXX 's XXXX in XXXX, NC. When my card was processed, it showed that I had indeed a {$370.00} cash back due but when I confirmed the amount the lady on the other side of the register said that the account numbers did not match. Looking at my online account, the cashback was transferred over to the new account number ( online at least ) but for some reason was not accessible at the service desk. I was told at the Service Desk that while this problem was not ubiquitous, a number of customers were experiencing the same problem, including one of the service representatives at that desk. 

I reported the incident using the customer service telephone number and, in the course of the first conversation was told that if I didn't receive ( they did not give me ) the money by XXXX, the entire amount would revert back to Synchrony Bank. When talking with the supervisor, however, what I'd been told at XXXX in XXXX was confirmed, that they were experiencing " a software glitch. '' ( What they call a glitch is beginning to seem to me like grand larceny ). 

I went by XXXX XXXX again on the XXXX of XXXX, put my card in the card reader, with the same result. Called the bank again with the about same result. " It is a software glitch and when it is finished they will send you a notificaiton by mail. '' Still another week has gone by and on XX/XX/XXXX I called XXXX in XXXX and they were unable to tell me if my card would or would not work without my coming in and processing it. I called Synchrony again. The representative took all my information and then suggested that the problem was my fault, that I needed to go to a cash register not to the service desk. I asked to speak with a supervisor, waited patiently, only to be disconnected. Called again, managed to speak with a supervisor, but was told the same story with a minor change -- still working on the problem, but this time if it is resolved, I am supposed to get a phone call. Most credit cards pay off their rewards at the end of each billing cycle, but I had planned to use my end of year cashback for travel. That plan is up in smoke. What I am specifically alleging in this complaint is that Synchrony is in violation of the customer agreement regarding cashback rewards and has been lackadaisical and cavalier in resolving the issue. Other credit cards don't offer the same discounts available on the XXXX card, but what they do offer is available on a monthly basis. There is something to be said for that old saying, that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

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