Consumer complaint received 2023-09-22
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: CA
Product: Credit 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:
I'm writing to specifically dispute a charge off by Synchrony Bank for a charge on a Lowe 's credit purchase, based on a mistake by a Lowes sales associate, WHICH LOWE 'S HAS FULLY ACKNOWLEDGED! 

I bought a XXXX refrigerator in XX/XX/XXXX and returned it within the 30-day return window in XX/XX/XXXX. The refrigerator was picked up by Lowes free of charge, but the Lowes sales associate apparently failed to also return the accompanying 5-year warranty and did not give me a receipt for the return. Apparently the cost of the warranty and subsequent late charges remain on my now closed account. ( I say apparently because exactly what I was charged for and the initial amount I was charged kept changing. ) I made SEVERAL calls, returned to Lowe 's in person on many occasions, and in the spring of XXXX on one occasion, a Lowes rep from their Extended Protection Policy department tried to have the charge removed in a 3-way call between me, the Lowe 's rep and a rep from Synchrony Bank . In that conversation the Synchrony rep told me my dispute was denied for reasons she could not articulate at which point I hung up. 

After discovering the charge off when applying for a car loan, I sent an email earlier this year in XXXX to a number of Lowe 's and Synchrony executives. This supposedly resulted in an investigation by Synchrony Bank Senior SpecialisXXXX, XXXX XXXX, who sent a formal letter informing me that the charge remains on my account because their records show that Lowe 's " processed a refund '' in the form of a check, which is simply not true.

I received letters from Synchrony Bank informing me that I had to contact Lowe 's 'EPP ' department regarding a refund of the warranty, which I did on TOO MANY OCCASIONS TO COUNT! Each time I was told there was no record of any refund and I had to contact Synchrony. In any case, I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A CHECK FROM LOWE 'S OR SYNCHRONY BANK IN ANY AMOUNT - EVER! And if the " processed refund '' was in the form of a credit, A CREDIT IN ANY AMOUNT OTHER THAN THE PRICE OF THE REFRIGERATOR HAS NEVER APPEARED ON MY BILLING STATEMENT - EVER! 

In fact, the on duty manager of the Lowe 's store in question spoke to a supervisor in the Extended Protection Policy ' dept. in the spring of XXXX, ( because I was told by a Lowe 's rep on the phone that I could not contact an 'Extended Protection Policy ' Supervisor ; that I had to go to the original point of contact - again - and ask a manager to follow up on any " processed refund '' ). That supervisor, XXXX XXXX XXXX ' told us that my account showed no record of any check or EPP refund being processed.

Furthermore, according to the copies of the Lowe 's billing statement I've attached, I was actually charged for " deferred interest, '' not a warranty, and of course I shouldn't have been charged interest in the first place because the refrigerator was returned. ( In the letter sent to me by XXXX XXXX, the amount of the phantom " processed refund '' of {$270.00} differs from the actual cost of the 5-yr warranty I purchased, which was {$220.00}. In fact, the amount I was charged on various billing statements- with or without late charges - fluctuated, making it impossible for the four different Lowe 's managers I met with at various times to determine exactly what I was being charged for. ) And please note, in an additional Synchrony Bank letter also attached, Synchrony doesn't state exactly what I was charged for and instead offers varying explanations for the charge - none of which applied in this case. ( However in one copy of a billing statement, also attached, {$270.00} is in fact listed as deferred interest. ) And again, to be clear, according to letters from Synchrony I needed to call Lowe 's at the number provided in its letters to ask about the refund 'their records show was processed. ' But IN EACH AND EVERY CALL TO LOWE 'S I was told there was no record of any such refund and I needed to contact Synchrony Bank. ( Minus my final call during which the Lowe 's rep informed me that only the store manager could speak to a supervisor, hence the in-store call to XXXX XXXX ' ) Bottom line here - an error by one Lowe 's sales associate has been immeasurably compounded by Synchrony Bank and become a protracted, outrageously agonizing and ultimately very costly burden on me.

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 monetary relief