Consumer complaint received 2017-08-31
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: MS
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:
In XX/XX/XXXX I bought a new mattress from XXXX XXXX on XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXand the store financed it. They advertise heavily in this area that you can exchange any bed or return if you are unhappy. So I bought the bed that was supposedly the best made product and it felt pretty good in the store. 
I was told that it generally took a few weeks even months to get used to a new bed but I would have as much time as I needed to feel happy with it. 
I was not told, I MUST keep the bed any length of time even if I was unhappy with it They recommend you try it for 3-4 mos before return or exchange. 
I hated this bed after the first night, I could not sleep on it, I was sore all over so Just a short time later I exchanged it for a more expensive bed and paid a fee for the exchange. 
This bed was just as bad and I totally regretted my purchase and tried to just RETURN it within / no exchange. The clerk said I should keep it for a few more MONTHS to '' break the bed in '' as the beds in their store are all broken in and feel different than a new mattress like I had. I could exchange it later if I was not happy. 
I tried to do this, but I was miserable and a short time later I went to the store and explained to her that I was losing lots of sleep and very sore, I did not want this bed. 

I also informed her that I had received XXXX XXXX  statements that were confusing and incorrect from XXXX XXXX/ and some from Syncrony andI had been in touch with Syncrony and made a couple of modest pmts as they requested regarding the exchange and. I asked her to call them as I was concerned because everytime I talked to 'XXXX XXXX  ' I was talking to foreign agents who quoted me different info regarding the amount I owed and the terms which were supposed to be interest free for 3 yrs but some of the statements were for 2 yrs. 
She called Syncrony from her store while I was present. She had trouble getting to a person in 'customer service ' .She said they might not talk to her however someone did. They gave her confusing info which she was unable to clear up. It now seems to me they would not change the 'terms ' due to something about the inner store " promotions '' .She also talked to them about the confusing statements and terms and amounts and fees, but nothing was really cleared up. She just said to call them myself or just start paying on it. This did not satisfy me. 
I insisted on a return of the mattress so she called her Manager at XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, in their XXXX Tn., store for help. I went to see him and he made another exchange of bed for me and assured me the problem with the statements would be cleared up and there would be credits on my statements as I was purchasing a less expensive more traditional mattress.This was by now XX/XX/XXXX. 

XXXX XXXX I contacted XXXX . XX/XX/XXXXsd nothing had changed and I showed him all the different statements and charges I was receiving from Syncrony and I requested to return this bed and just get out of any dealings with XXXX XXXX because I was still not happy with the product as they said I would be and every month the statements were wrong and each month different, and I could not get any satisfaction from Syncrony bank although I had file disputes. I also told him that the agents for synchrony did not understand what I was saying to them they just wanted a payment even tho the account was in dispute. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX spoke with a XXXX XXXX at synchrony, who refused to give her ID number She told him he could not talk to customer service because I was in 'collections ' until I PAID WHAT THEY SAID I OWED even if we said it was not correct and no credits for exchange were given and disputes were filed. She insisted payments be made before we could talk to customer service. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX told Syncrony with me present that Syncrony had not credited me with any returns, and that I did not owe the amounts they were trying to collect and there was no interest to be charged, and the term to pay was wrong. He still was not allowed to talk to customer service. 
I asked him to return the bed for me. He refused and said to wait for Syncrony to correct the problem. 
Since then I called Syncrony myself and was told by an agent who freely offered her name, ( XXXX XXXX, ohio office ), that there is a dispute and no payments were due until the dispute is settled. 
Since then I have been called by 'foreign ' agents for Syncrony who called me to get a payment. He said he refiled the dispute because my acct did NOT show it was in dispute. 
It is now XX/XX/XXXX and I have never received any correspondence or info regarding any conversations or ( dis XXXX agreements with XXXX XXXX  or Syncrony re ; my 3 disputes and attempts to return the mattress. 
I sincerely believe that for a Store to use Syncrony Bank to finance merchandise it advertises as guaranteed satisfaction/performance, is misleading the public. 
The merchant only stands behind the product until you get home with it or perhaps 15-30 days even tho it is GURANTEED for longer periods. 
The purchaser does not realize that he no longer owes the merchant because merchant has received his money, instead purchaser must now pay Syncrony bank even if disputed, and can incur late fees, or changed/incorrect terms or interest fees. 
There is NO ONE TO MAKE THE MERCHANT PERFORM because he apparently does not control the price, terms or money anymore, and he is not willing to refund money the store received so he may not, or is not required to stand behind his product for reasonable or promised periods. 
Also it is not explained in full /understood by the purchaser, that even tho the synchrony credit is only available for that store, YOU OWE SYNCRONY JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CREDIT CARD and can not dispute it or change it without the stores co-operation which would perhaps require a refund to synchrony for various charges like supposed late fees, interest etc THAT MAY NOT BE BEEN CORRECT. 
This was NOTexplained or fully understood by me and the return exchange was puffed up to be more of a gurantee of my satisfaction than it actually was. 

It is unacceptable to NOT allow merchants and customers to talk to ' customer service ' in such instances. If the bank just acts as a credit card the purchase is pretty final and Apparently customer service is only able to quote the original charge and try to collect without benefit of 'corrections ' BECAUSE they have already paid the merchant who no longer has any liability toward the purchaser. 
I have learned during this experience that Syncrony Bank has hundreds of merchants using this process of financing. I think This is fraud. I WILL NEVER BUY ANY MERCHANDISE THAT I MAY EXPECT TO BE GURANTEED TO MEET MY SATISFACTION THAT IS FINANCED THRU THEM AGAIN

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 non-monetary relief