Consumer complaint received 2019-05-13
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: CA
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:
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX ( RE : My daughter XXXX XXXX ) made an online purchase to XXXX. Apparently, you have to use your email address to sign up for an account. But my daughter did not recall having to use a password and nor could we ever sign back in using her email address ( required ), nor could the password be " reset ''. Impossible to sign in at all. It was supposed to be a XXXX time purchase and ended up being a subscription that was unauthorized by a minor. 

Unauthorized monthly subscription by my XXXX year old daughter. Disputed with Synchrony Walmart mastercard. Synchrony Bank sided with merchant just because they provided proof that packages were sent. No one denied them being sent, the dispute was due to it NOT BEING authorized for a MONTHLY subscription by a minor. And is impossible to cancel this monthly subscription with this merchant. Dispute amount is a total of {$130.00}. I originally was disputing the {$100.00} that was the other 3 charges for XX/XX/2019, XX/XX/2019 and XX/XX/XXXX. But turns out the XX/XX/XXXX payment that stated was for XX/XX/XXXX treat box. Contacted merchant and in XX/XX/XXXX, sent out another box, same day for XX/XX/XXXX. I am in fear, even after contacting Synchrony bank, that this merchant will try to say that it is recurring charge and that even though Synchrony bank only cancelled my card and will try to collect for recurring charges that were not cancelled. I sent merchant an email to not send anymore boxes and they refuse to do and send them anyways. 
Federal Trade commission complaint number is XXXX. See attached paperwork. 
Attn CFPB : On XX/XX/XXXX, I had filed a complaint with Synchrony Bank in regard to my minor daughter, nor myself, giving XXXX permission to enter into a contract regarding monthly payments. I sent them a 17 page fax of information, regarding the emails being sent to my daughters email, XXXX and that I had contacted the merchant that I did not authorize monthly payments. On XX/XX/XXXX my daughter contacted this merchant and explaining to them, ( she is a minor ) that she did not sign up for recurring payments and to not send out another box. The merchant responded on XX/XX/XXXX and said they had already shipped the box out as of XX/XX/XXXX ( they changed their shipping date from the XXXX to the XXXX per the original email of the very first box ordered on XX/XX/XXXX ). Their response was that they still showed her account active and that she needed to sign into her account, her email and password, to cancel the subscription and that they shipped her box out already and charged her credit card ( XX/XX/XXXX ), after we notified them. 

XXXX, my daughter immediately went on to XXXX  and clicked on sign in page and in her email address ( supposed to be her account that said she signed up for ). She did know the password, as she signed up in XX/XX/XXXX with an email address in order to receive the box. She was visiting with her grandmother and told me that is what she wanted to use her XXXX money for. She didnt think she had a password, but they were saying she had an account. So my daughter and I tried typing in her email address ( also to whom XXXX and XXXX send her emails to ), XXXX and clicked password reset. It gave an error message saying Please verify your email. The section works only if you already signed up for the service, and would not allow us to sign in. Then merchant sent another separate email in the meantime showing manage portal account, which gave an ID #, My daughters information, her email address and her phone number saying go to my account. This would not allow us to go into her account, took us to the same page as XXXX sign in page. 
Also on XX/XX/XXXX when we notified them that the monthly subscription was not valid, the sent an email out same day, XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX in the morning that they sent out another box for XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ( this box has not been received ). The boxes that were received were as follows : XX/XX/XXXX a box was ordered for {$32.00} by my minor daughter ( under 18 ). I gave her permission to use the cc to purchase it. She wanted the XX/XX/XXXX box. But instead the mailed out a XX/XX/XXXX box. It stated on their website if you sent a friends email address that you would get the next box for free. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, they sent another box out and an email ( after investigating my daughters inbox, on XXXX saying the box was on its way. She thought this box was free, well she wasnt sure if her dad had ordered her one or not, she is 14 and wasnt really sure ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX, they sent another box out and this time is when I questioned by daughter as to why these boxes were coming. I looked and sure enough they had been billing my credit card the entire time. Because of xmas and returning some products, I didnt really notice the charge for {$35.00} and I had paid my account. But on XX/XX/XXXX I had my daughter email them explaining that she didnt sign up for a subscription and that she was a minor and had used her moms credit card. 

Regardless of attempts, I called and reported to Synchrony Bank on XX/XX/XXXX after receiving realizing this was a scam and that we could not actually cancel these monthly subscriptions. I closed my account and was assured that no monthly reoccurring charges would be about to be made. I faxed over to the dispute department on XX/XX/XXXX 18 pages, showing the emails and that we could not sign in and cancel. 
Synchrony bank gave us a credit of {$100.00}, not including the {$32.00} initial charge and proceeded to investigate the fraudulent charges supposedly. On XX/XX/XXXX I also faxed over 18 pages of documentation to the fraud department. Also was told reoccurring charges were cancelled and no other charges could be made. I explained my concerns about the additional box being sent and our request to cancel and that it wasnt a valid contract per her being a minor and they sent out an XX/XX/XXXX box anyways and stated the payment went through and could not be cancelled. 
I got a letter from Synchrony bank dated XX/XX/XXXX that the credit had been lifted and that we had to pay the charges of {$100.00}, that the merchant sent proof that we received the boxes. This was never the issue, I never said we didnt receive the boxes, I said my daughter was a minor and that she did not sign up for a monthly plan, it was not valid and that they sent an additional box even after we told the merchant is was impossible to cancel the monthly subscription. 
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I paid the {$100.00} to Synchrony bank and called the number on the dispute letter and asked to speak to a manager. I spoke to XXXX. I asked why they made their decision, that all the merchant provided them with was tracking shipment information. She said it was because WE RECEIVED the PRODUCT, it did not matter to the bank if we subscribed or not, or that my daughter was a minor. It did not matter that it made the contract invalid regardless if I allowed her to use my credit card. I said I could send a copy of my daughters birth certificate to show proof, also that her XXXX account is a minor childs XXXX account, she said it did not matter. She said she saw my fax of 18 pages were sent and that the investigation was done and unless I wanted to send MORE information, that nothing else could be done. 
I filed a complaint with the federal trade commission against XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, reference number XXXX and also followed up today with XXXX and provided the information of where these packages were being sent from : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX Synchrony Bank case # XXXX Thank you, XXXX XXXX My mailing address is not the same as my XXXX XXXX XXXX that is on Synchrony Bank 's Walmart mastercard either.

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