Consumer complaint received 2020-04-05
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX I paid the full amount of my XXXX XXXX CREDIT CARD of {$1100.00}. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I was getting ready to take a trip to XXXX ( Traveling on XX/XX/XXXX - for more than 3 months ), so I went to the XXXX XXXX XXXX store located in then XXXX XXXXl, XXXX, Texas, to do an exchange for a different item and I asked the sales person to make sure it was the same amount as the credit I had for the item I returned. She said it was equal value. So, in my understanding, I had paid my statement fully before I travelled and I had no bills to pay at all for this credit card. 

Once I got back from XXXX in the end of the year, I shopped in the same store using the XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card without any notices on XX/XX/XXXX of XXXX. 

For my surprise, in the same month of XXXX I received a message from XXXX XXXX about a change in my credit, so I noticed that they had reported me to all the credit bureaus for late payment. I went to the store and I asked them to solve this problem, bacause I couldn't understand what I did wrong. The manager in the store said I had to call the credit card company. I couldn't understand it at all, I did sign up in the store to have the credit card that I only can use there. 

Anyway, I called the credit card company that is Comenity Bank in XX/XX/XXXX and they said it was my problem with the store. Also, I asked to access my online account to check what happened and it was blocked. And they said they didnt care that the sales person didn't explain to me that somehow I had few dollars balance to be paid and for that reason they were not going to remove the report they did for late payment. 

What I found it that the sales person made a mistake when communicating with me on XX/XX/XXXX when I went to the store to exchange the item, The item I returned cost {$1800.00} and the item I took to replace the return cost {$21.00}. Instead of charging me the difference, she said everything was fine, yet the charge went to the credit card - and because of the difference of about {$300.00}, they reported me to the credit bureaus. The most frustrating is that nobody called me during this time to explain why I had a charge in my credit card and to check if I was aware of it. 

I felt hurt mentally and financially by them as I wasn't aware of the balance. Nobody from XXXX XXXX  XXXX neither the Comunity Bank had called me to notify me and fix it prior to report me to the credit bureaus. I was out of the country for more than 3 months during this time and, even though I wasn't present, my phone has an international plan, so they had access to communicate with me anytime.by phone I never received a call from them during the year of XXXX to notify me of the balance. 

At the same time, when I called Comunity Bank on XX/XX/XXXX, I got a very nasty response from the Comenity Bank saying that I had to contact XXXX XXXX XXXX I called the XXXX XXXX XXXX  customer number and they said they only can help clients with online purchases and I had to go to their website to be able to contact their customer service by submitting a form. I did it and since today XX/XX/XXXX, I have never received a call neither an email from XXXX XXXX XXXX. The only thing I received by email was a default message saying thanks for your inquire. 

I feel that because of few dollars that should be brought to my attention prior to any reports to my credit, my credit score has been dropped dramatically and now it is also hurting my credit limit. 

I may have to cancel the credit card and never shopping in the store anymore. I am so upset because I have been a customer for many years and have always paid it. I think they should at least remove the report for late payments as it damaged my credit score. I have a payment to be done for the shopping I made in XXXX without knowing of this problem, and I am waiting on them to fix it, so I can make the payment as well based on the right amount - because they have also charged me for late fees that I wasn't aware that may be higher than the few dollars I owned them without knowing. On top of it, they dropped my limit to the lowest. 

Comenity bank started calling me to charge me and one person I spoke to said I had to send a letter to them by mail because they wouldn't do any disputes over the phone or online. Yet, since they said it, and I believe it was XXXX I have been sick and we have been going through the corona virus issue. Most important : IF IT WAS THE WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, WHY THEY DIDN'T TELL ME IN FIRST PLACE I HAD TO SEND THIS LETTER BY MAIL? ALSO, HOW CAN THEY CALL ME TO CHARGE AND CAN NOT ACCEPT MY REQUEST TO REVIEW MY ACCOUNT AND FIX THE PROBLEM BY PHONE? AND WHY THEY BLOCKED MY ACCESS TO MY CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT IN XXXX WHEN I CONTACT THEM TO SOLVE THE ISSUE? 

So, it seems like dont want to solve the problem and they keep reporting me to the credit bureaus. They have reduced my limit to nothing and they are reporting late payments since last year. It dropped my credit more than 100 points. 

I would like to ask XXXX XXXX XXXX to take out all the late payments reports, fees and give my credit back. As I have always said to them, I dont mind paying for any shopping I did and any balance that I own, I just dont agree with them to report me to the credit bureaus in the first place without any further notice and change my limit without my permission or real reason for that! And today, XX/XX/XXXX I tried to access the CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT ONLINE and I had access to it. So, I have a copy of the charges to share here.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief