Consumer complaint received 2019-06-04
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NC
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge 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:
Summary : The credit card department at walmart.com has serious problems with their systems. After working with them over 2 months, Ive decided to pay my balance and close the card 1. I filled out an online application@walmart.com for Walmart credit card. 
2. I was approved and told I could use a temporary card until I received the permanent card. I had over {$75.00} worth of merchandise in cart to qualify for the {$25.00} statement credit. 
3. I tried to check out using the temporary card but the online system rejected my card saying the card was invalid and I should call customer service, which I did. 
4. Cus service rep could not solve problem and suggested I wait for the permanent card coming in the mail. 
5. After receiving the card I tried to activate it. The recorded message said there was a problem and it could not be activated. 
6. Customer service manually activated the card and said I would not have any more problems. 
7. I tried to use the card at a gas station the next day, and it was declined. Cus service said they solved that problem and I would not have any further problems 8. I tried to use the card again at a different store and it was declined. I did not call them back ; I decided I would never try to use the Walmart cc again ... 
9. The card went through fine when paying the total amount for the items in my walmart.com online cart, which was over {$75.00} so I would be get the {$25.00} statement credit 10. I set the card up with my bank for it to be automatically paid each month, but I never received my statement, instead, I received emails telling me my statement was ready with a link to go to Walmart statement managing system, where you can view and download statements. Unfortunately the system would not let me register, saying the info I submitted was wrong. 
11. Then I received an email from Walmart stating my c card pmt was due in 4 days and they had not received pmt yet. 
12. Since I could not register on the walmart.com credit card web site so I could view my statements, I had no choice and had to call cus svc again. 
13. XXXX, the cs rep, told me the last 4 digits of the social security card were not matching what I was giving her, and she told me there was not anything she could do to give me access to my statements. I needed to make a payment, but I would not be able to view the transactions I was paying for. She told me she would send the one I missed, and request that I get paper statements from then on ... I asked to speak to a supervisor. 
14. XXXX, the supervisor, told me what XXXX had said ; the last 4 ss # digits did not match. She said she would send me the statement I missed, and new statements thereafter. When I asked her what I need to do to use the view statements web site, she said I should make copies of my ss card and my drivers license, and send them to corporate in Florida. How is it that Walmart/Synchrony bank can check my credit with the wrong social security number? It had to be in there correctly for them to check my credit. I know the last 4 # s of my card. 
15. Having to do even more work and spending more of my time did not make good business sense. I told her my feeling was that if they checked my credit and approved me for a credit card with the information they had on file, I did not think it was up to me to send them more identification in the mail. I especially did not feel it was safe to send copies of my ss card and drivers license in the mail 16. The supervisor told me it was the only thing I could do. I disagreed. My other option is Once I finally get my statement I can pay off the balance and close the credit card. 
17. I made a payment that night through her so my payment would not be late. She said that it normally cost {$10.00} to pay that way, but she would waive the fee. At his point, being told I was getting something free did not make me feel grateful. 
18. As a final penalty for getting a Walmart credit card, every other day I am receiving text messages on my cell phone from their Get Human system asking me if the problem had been solved. There is no place to answer this question. Then the text goes on to ask what I am expecting them to do, and that they are waiting for my response. There is no link to respond, no input fields to make a comment. 

I can only surmise that this entire department and their Interaction with customers through their online system is proving the Peter Principle is still thriving in some of the largest corporations in the World. There is no excuse for this kind of ineptness which lands squarely in the lap of the customer. If it is happening to me, it is happening to other credit card holders as well.

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