Consumer complaint received 2016-04-14
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: PA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Other

Complaint:
My fiance spoke on my behalf to the customer service line with my permission and was told he would be able to pay the account in full by the end of XXXX on XXXX XXXX. He was assured that he would be able to do so without any penalty, fee, negative credit marking, or closure. 
We called to make a payment on XXXX/XXXX/16 and during the call I asked if the account was in collections as I received a letter that it was. I was assured that it was not with a third party and still active, and that if I made a payment that day the account would be restored fully. Because of the late fees, my husband wanted to talk to a supervisor regarding the arrangement as the customer service department was unwilling to remove the fees. He spoke to many representatives who continued to tell us to simply make the payment and the account would once again be in good standing while refusing to transfer him to a supervisor or anyone willing to hear out our complaint. At one point the people in the department actually lied and said they were transferring him to customer service but transferred him to another representative of the collections department. The only reason we know is because the second person made the mistake of saying they were n't customer service when asked repeatedly. As the phone call was continually transferred from one representative to another we did finally agree to make the payment as the collections representatives refused to transfer us until we did. They again promised that the card account was still open and would be restored upon payment. 
Upon payment, the collections representative said the account would not be restored and that there would be a negative credit mark on my credit report. Again, that is contrary to what the other representative just told us multiple times on the same phone call. They still refused to transfer us to a manager or customer service and tried to pressure us into opening another account, guaranteeing and promising that it would be approved. We found out later they did n't have the authority to say that. 
Eventually, after continued demands to speak with a supervisor, they transferred us to customer service who said they were under no obligation to honor anything that was said previously. They said that we would just have to deal with what we had been told up until that point. We were assured that they would investigate the matter and review the calls to see if anything unscrupulous had transpired, and get back to us. Not only did they lie to us multiple times to get a payment, but now we are receiving calls and letters from debt collection agencies about the amount that we already paid. At this point, all I am asking is to have the account taken out of collections and the negative report to be removed from my credit. I do not feel as though this is a reflection of my ability or willingness to pay as I would have responded differently had I known that payment arrangement would not be honored. I am willing to show whatever proof is necessary to indicate the payment has been made. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

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