Consumer complaint received 2019-07-19
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NM
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Personal information incorrect

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I shopped in and purchased items in a Stein Mart store in XXXX, New Mexico. On the infrequent times that I had tire service at a XXXX XXXX, I went next door to the Stein Mart shop. I liked their inventory. Anyway, I went to the checkout counter with {$61.00} worth of goods and they offered me a store credit card. I said okay and they filled out a form. In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from a collection agency ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) which said I owed them {$210.00}. I had never received the credit card from Stein Mart, nor any bill. I frankly had forgotten all about this. In any case, Stein Mart had sent the bill ( and card ) to the wrong address. I live in a town in central New Mexico which does not have mail service to the door. You must get mail out of a Post Office Box and they had used my street address. I could straighten this out easily, or so I thought. I have spent probably ten hours on the telephone altogether between Stein Mart representatives, the bank which issues the credit cards ( Synchrony Bank ) and, of course, the collection agency. I have offered to pay the amount that I actually owe ( {$61.00} ) to the collection agency, but they will only bargain to a point. I have talked to representatives from Synchrony Bank ( lastly, XXXX XXXX ) on XXXX XXXX XXXX, XX/XX/XXXXand they insist that the situation is too old for them to help. Bear in mind that the collection agency ( who were the first to get my address right ) sent me correspondence in XX/XX/XXXX. I have been to the actual store in XXXX twice, and they are unable to do nothing. I have spoken to the director of Stein Mart 's  partner program ( XXXX XXXX at XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX. This low life was arrogant and rude and lied and insisted that I had requested a credit increase on XX/XX/XXXX. For one thing my credit was golden ( well above 800 ) and, for another, I had never received the credit card and had forgotten all about it. I spoke to a Manager of the partner program for Stein Mart ( XXXX XXXX at XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX and she is actually of lower rank in the Stein Mart world than this XXXX XXXX. I have spoken several times to various flunkies at XXXX XXXX XXXX and they all give me different money compromises, though none will accept the original amount that I owe from my fateful ( needless to say, last ) visit of XX/XX/XXXX. In the meantime, they have put a XXXX point ding in my credit, heretofore golden. This is total XXXX. I never received any correspondence nor billing from this entity. The bank says that I found out too late. The collection agency refuses to bargain. The director of  the partner program for Stein Mart has out-and-out lied to me and been extremely dismissive. I have operated in good faith with all of these entities. The same thing happened to me years ago when I shopped at XXXX XXXX store in XXXX. A woman with a clipboard approached me and asked me to sign up for a Lowe 's credit card. I said ok and charged {$19.00} some odd dollars to the XXXX XXXX   account. A year and a half later I received a call on my cellular telephone from a Collection Agency. I called XXXX XXXX and their issuing bank ( Synchrony again ), paid them the {$19.00}, they reissued the credit card, and I have been a constant customer ever since. They had sent the credit card and the billing to my physical address and everything ended up in the dead letter realm. This is unfair. I've wasted enough time on this. I just want to square with Stein Mart and move on. I owe them {$61.00}. I would rather XXXX under a bridge than give them money to cover THEIR mistake. I appreciate your attention to this matter and apologize that people could be so unreasonable that it has come to this. Without constructive notice, how could I ever respond to an invisibility?

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