Consumer complaint received 2017-09-12
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
Purchased a chiro from XXXX XXXX XXXX on or about XX/XX/XXXX and was delivered on XX/XX/XXXX ; however, the item was determined to be damaged by the delivery driver. Stated that XXXX  customer service would call to make arrangements for a replacement. The replacement could not be delivered until XX/XX/XXXX, so I chose another one that could be delivered within a week of XX/XX/XXXX. Unfortunately, that replacement chiro  was attempted to be delivered on or about XX/XX/XXXX and, again, the delivery driver inspected it an determined that it too was damaged. So, the first damaged chiro had to be left at my home where I had to call XXXX customer service to pick it up because I did not want to purchase another chiro from this company. Within 5 days of the attempted delivery of the damaged replacement chiro, the first damaged chiro  was picked up by XXXX. XXXX  stated that a credit to my credit account would take 21 days. As of this date, XX/XX/XXXX, that has not happened and XXXX is requesting payment on that chiro which I never received. I discussed this with XXXX before my scheduled payment of XX/XX/XXXX and was told that instead of 21 days, the credit could take up to two months. I informed XXXX that the billing is unacceptable and that I would not pay on something that I never received. XXXX suggested that I call XXXX XXXX because it had no control of the billing. I called XXXX XXXX and discussed with a phone rep what had happened and that my billing needs to be updated because I was expected to pay on the chiro for two months when, in fact, I had not received the item. XXXX XXXX  phone rep assured me that I would not be responsible for the disputed amount and that I should go ahead and only pay on the balance of my account which was {$120.00} at the time with a $ XXXX monthly payment. XXXX XXXX sent out two letters informing me of the dispute and that it was in agreement with my dispute. About a week later, I received an email from XXXX XXXX  stating that my XX/XX/XXXX payment is {$39.00} -- making me pay on an item that I did not receive. I called XXXX XXXX again about the disputed amount and spoke with a credit manager who had no information about the disputed amount and stated that I must pay the {$39.00}. On or about XX/XX/XXXX I signed in online with XXXX XXXX to make my XX/XX/XXXX payment of {$9.00} ( actually makes {$11.00} ) and could not find any notation of the disputed amount which was still on my bill. I received a phone call today, XX/XX/XXXX, from a XXXX XXXX  manager talking to me as though I was a delinquent customer. Stating he would see what he could do, and I immediately stopped him, stating that XXXX XXXX as a XXXX XXXX is in violation of federal regulation by making customers make monthly payments on items they NEVER RECEIVED -- BOTH ITEMS WERE DAMAGED, according to the XXXX XXXX XXXX delivery drivers. Credit should, immediately, go back to a customer 's store card. Comes to find out, XXXX XXXX  had assessed a late fee because I did not pay the {$39.00} and only paid {$11.00} -- my normal monthly payment on the {$120.00} balance. He acted as though he was doing me a favor by waiving the late fee and fixing his company 's billing mistake. Talking about it was a complicated problem when, in fact, it was n't. It was a result of fraud on the part of both XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX -- charging customers for items not received and having them make monthly payments. About an hour ago, I received an e-mail bill from XXXX XXXX that had not been corrected. It is showing a late fee of {$27.00} for not paying the full {$39.00} payment and {$28.00} plus an additional {$39.00} for the month of XXXX. My monthly payment for the month of XXXX is not {$39.00} -- it is {$9.00} in which I normally pay {$11.00}.

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