Consumer complaint received 2022-12-13
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: TX
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Charged too much interest

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX we purchased patio furniture from Rooms To Go and took advantage of their 36 month NO INTEREST financing. In XX/XX/XXXX we purchased additional patio furniture from them and took advantage of their 24 months NO INTEREST financing. Both purchases were financed through Synchrony Bank. 

There were problems from the start. On XXXX the entire remaining purchase amount of {$5000.00} was unexpectedly debited from my checking account. I immediately called Synchrony customer service. After a lot of time on the phone, they finally agreed to cut me a check and snail mail it to me. They told me to be patient - that this would take some time to get approved and through accounting. I gave them my temporary address for the summer to mail it to. This Synchrony rep ( XXXX ) told me that the refund would definitely be processed and to just " sit tight ''. For many weeks, I called repeatedly to get a status report. On XXXX a rep ( XXXX ) told me that the refund had NOT been processed, but that she would do the paperwork. Finally in a later call, I was told by another rep that a check had been cut but sent to the wrong address. Eventually the check was forwarded to my summer address and received on XXXX. In hindsight, this long time period where they were fixing their first mistake may be where the problem started. 

Auto pay had been set up, and I received notices that my payments were going through. I never received paper statements and never checked my online statements because my payments were going through and it was a NO INTEREST loan! However, upon recently checking my online statement, I saw that my Synchrony account had interest charges! In fact, on the XXXX statement the interest charges are at {$740.00} ( they're charging 29.99 % )! As soon as I discovered this, I called customer service to notify them of their mistake and asked for a reversal of all interest charges. After multiple attempts to speak with a supervisor and even hang-ups from more than one rep, I finally got a rep who took the time to look over the account and agreed this was a no-brainer. He went to a supervisor and the supervisor agreed that the charges should be reversed. He told me to sit tight - that this could take a while. He said the charges would be reversed, and to check my online account in a couple of weeks. I checked almost daily, and no adjustments were made with my account and no communication. 

I did, however, receive a letter in the mail from Synchrony on XXXX ( attached ) which requested more information. I thought this could be promising. I completed the form explaining the situation ( for what felt like the hundredth time ) in writing on their form ( attached ). To my surprise, I received a form letter from them on XXXX ( attached ) which does not address the interest charges at all! 

I have tried to get names and emails for higher ups in the organization but have not been successful. Yesterday I found a " secure portal '' online. I sent them a message letting them know how irate I was at this point with their lack of responsiveness and seemingly fraudulent business practices. I don't really expect them to care or do anything at this point. In fact, I recently looked online, and they apparently have MANY unhappy customers, some claiming fraudulent business practices. Not surprising - right? In addition, in attempting to get help from the Rooms To Go manager, I got the impression that he has had other customers run into similar issues with Synchrony. 

Thank you for communicating with the company on my behalf. It seems that escalating this may be the only possible way to get it resolved.

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