Consumer complaint received 2023-04-28
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NC
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
This complaint is actually about deceptive practices of Lowes home improvement stores. 

Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act issue. 

I cancelled an order that was originally charge to the Lowes credit card and I just wanted a full refund. Which IS WHAT THERE POLICY SPELLS out for major appliance purchases. the following email is what I send to " XXXX '' today. 
I ordered a washer and dryer on XX/XX/XXXX from the XXXX XXXX  XXXX store for delivery the next day. 

I tried to pay with a check from XXXX XXXX  with my name on the check and address ( the check was a an interest free balance transfer type check ). No one at the customer service desk knew how to process the check. 

A friend who was visiting offered to let me charge it to her Lowes cc which she didn't have with her but they looked in up. it was actually my ex wife and weve done this before with her Lowes card. 

Next day both washer and dryer come for delivery and both appliances were damaged. The washer has a leg broken off and the dryer has some significant dents. The odd thing is how two guys did not see any of the damage while they were still inside the truck. I refused both appliances. 

So I called Lowes and said are you sending new appliances? but by Monday morning I decided the delivery was too fishy and I didn't believe that Lowes could send out TWO damaged appliances. I have ordered approximately 15 major appliances in my life and NEVER did i receive a damaged item. 

So I cancelled the order online at about XXXX XXXX and got an email that said you order was successfully cancelled. The credit card will not be charged for canceled items. this was well within 48 hours ( actually Sunday didn't even count cause it was XXXX ). 

Now I called the XXXX customer service number and they said well merchandise credit cards were mailed to me and there is nothing they can do. Then I called the store and they said merchandise credit were mailed to me and there is nothing they can do. 

Why did the email say the Lowes credit card would not be charged???? 

On Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX i went to the store and the assistant managed XXXX said well we cant do anything. I said thats not Lowes written policy and thats not what the Lowes cancellation email stated. it gets worse. because these replacement store credit cards value also shorted me by {$100.00} compared to the original charge. 

I called the store back and XXXX effectively hung up on me by transferring me to the fulfillment center. i was so frustrated I drove back to the store the same day and walked into the Store managers office. XXXX is his name. he had no solution for me. 

I was told that they needed the original lowes credit card to refund the value on the replacement cards. but that was with my former spouse on the other side of the state. Either way it was NOT Lowes written return policy for major appliances. 

Im skipping some details now but I talked to 3 asst managers after i got the replacement cards. Remember XXXX already hung up on me. and this guy XXXX was absolutely obnoxious and did not concede that Lowes was doing this replacement credit thing which DID NOT FOLLOW lowes own return policies for major appliances. 

so this week I called the XXXX number 3 times and they tried to escalate with the fulfillment center and I got them to transfer me to that center ( the place XXXX tried to transfer me too ). I talked to XXXX and then she transferred me to XXXX and XXXX said well heres why we do this cancel and rebill thing. He said I could take the replacement credit and get it refunded in cash or used as a credit to other credit cards I owned. im thinking XXXX is XXXX XXXX. 

So i drove back to the store after todays call and the store said XXXX is nobody and NO i can not transfer the value to another credit card. 

NONE of this mystery is documented anywhere in Lowes website, or explained by store personnel or by the cancellation email that said cancelled items will not be charged to your credit card. 

Basically EVERYONE lied to me at lowes. The store manager XXXX, XXXX and XXXX asst managers, the fulfillment center, and the people on the XXXX customer care number. 

I shopped at XXXX XXXX a LOT for multiple decades and this nonsense would never have happened at all. All of the lowes employees keep pointing fingers elsewhere and keep trying to GET ME to talk to someone else. This has been going on since XX/XX/XXXX. 

I worked in banking and actually used to work for Synchrony and I could not believe how dysfunctional Lowes is, in this case. HD would have called XXXX while I was standing there and refunded money after i canceled the order after I went to the store to complain about mysterious replacement credit mailed to me. 

Once this is cleared up I WILL NEVER enter a Lowes store again. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX p.s. I worked in XXXX XXXX  for 40 years at large banks/ synchrony and was an XXXX  for 20 years. this kind of nonsense are some of the things i used to blow up because the processes and people and CULTURE were seriously flawed. Well now I know Lowes culture is XXXX

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 explanation