Consumer complaint received 2022-07-20
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NC
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:
On XX/XX/2022, I had a Lowes subcontractor install a wood fence. My agreement/contract was for services pertaining to a fence installation between Lowes and myself. All negotiations took place with a Lowes representative and no products were individually purchased. Within a few days after the installation I noticed a multitude of issues and submitted my concerns both over the phone and in writing to Lowes. Lowes provided me with a " Labor Guarantee '' and there is a phone number and email dedicated for this type of service. The first time Lowes sent one of the contractors over to correct the issues. I pointed them out to the subcontractor and he refused to fix them claiming it was normal. He then proceeded to bang all of the loose nails around the perimeter of the fence cracking a few in the process and missing most.

I contacted Lowes again to inquire about a resolution and what could be done with the quality of the fence. Lowes assured me that this is now an escalated issue and someone from within " the department '' will contact me to resolve my concerns. About a week or so later the same contractor comes to my house. I go over the issues and he refuses to acknowledge them and once again goes around the perimeter of the fence banging on loose nails. Communication with Lowes continued regarding the issue I previously pointed out to them. In the process of checking the fence more issues came about. Loose posts, cracked and warped pickets, uneven top and bottom lines, improper gate assembly and weak locking mechanism. These are just a few. The overall craftsmanship is subpar and would warrant a redo. At this point Lowes stops responding. About a week or so goes by I called Lowes directly and asked to speak to whoever is assigned to my case, a manager, anyone. I was told someone would call me back and no one ever did. I send a last email in hopes that I would spark a response, asking Lowes to honor the warranty and I received no response. This last email took place in XXXX, more than a month after I had initiated the complaint and no one responded to date. 

As a direct result of Lowe 's refusal to work with me on resolving the quality issues outlined in detail to them in writing, I decided to dispute the charges with their credit card, Lowes Advantage Credit Card, operated by Synchrony Bank. The dispute process was initiated over the phone and was fairly detailed. This took place in XXXX, 2022. During the questioning process I highlighted the reasons for the dispute and emphasized that no products were purchased nor can they be returned back to Lowes. I also highlighted that I made a reasonable effort to resolve this with Lowes but Lowes was the one avoiding a resolution. As a result, Synchrony bank filed a dispute for quality of services received. As is typical, the representative ended the call by saying if there is anything further that they need I will be contacted. About a week or two later I decided to call back and inquire to see if Synchrony needs anything from me. I was told that I am given 90 days to provide supporting evidence to my dispute and was provided with a mailing address. I collected the evidence in the form of 93 pictures of the issues with the fence and had these pictures developed in print so that they can be mailed. I also wrote a 4 page summary detailing the conversations with lowes, specific dates, and attached the responses. I also included links to videos from the Lowes website about educating consumers on fence installation. I used that to point that the inconsistencies between what Lowes sells to its consumers and what it actually provides. I also included links to other professionals using proper installation techniques which were again, inconsistent from my experience. 

About a week or so after I mailed this supporting evidence to Synchrony I received a letter stating that they have received it. Within several days I received another letter which was sent over their online messaging system and accessed through my account login. The letter was requesting supporting documents to my case, and a receipt proving that I have returned the merchandise. I thought this was strange given the prior letter indicating that they received everything, and the fact that my dispute was for services and not product. I called Synchrony and this time I was told that nothing further is needed and that it was likely a mistake. 

Approximately 2 weeks later I received a letter by mail indicating that Synchrony has made a decision in my favor. This was as I recalled before the allotted 60 or 90 days for the merchant to respond so I called Synchrony again to confirm the results of the dispute. This took place around XX/XX/XXXX, give or take, and I was assured by the customer service representative that in fact this dispute was closed and the decision was made in my favor. On XX/XX/2022, I received an electronic letter stating that a new decision has been made due to lack of supporting documents from me, and due to the merchant ( Lowes ) providing a purchase receipt of the products purchased. I called Synchrony again and it was established that the because I never returned the merchandise or provided any support that Synchrony sided with the merchant. I explained that this was done in error citing the previous letters, my supporting document and pictures that were mailed directly to Synchrony, and that this dispute was originated for service quality. Synchrony 's solution was to reopen a new dispute which they did. On XX/XX/2022, without any correspondence between synchrony and myself between early the first week of XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, Synchrony made the decision to hold the charges again and side with Lowes due to the same reasoning as the overturned XXXX decision. Synchrony stated that I did not provide proof that I returned the merchandise. Synchrony also included a page with a response from the merchant which was blank. I called Synchrony again and repeated the process of inquiry, explaining that they are continuing to make the same mistake regarding the nature of the dispute. Their solution was to reopen the dispute again. 

This dispute should have been resolved when the original decision was made. Something between the notes of the representatives and dispute department got mixed up and is continuing to snowball with erroneous information and what now seems like a claim from Lowes on false pretense.

Furthermore, I have attempted to obtain the letter which Synchrony has previously sent to me by electronic messaging system. These letters are no longer in my file and I have raised this concern to Lowes only for them to tell me that they have already been sent and can not be sent again. I have formally requested that all of the correspondence directly linked to my dispute with Lowes, be resent to me and Synchrony refused to acknowledge this request. I feel that as a credit card company, they have responsibilities which they have failed to abide by. They have mishandled my dispute claim, failed to notify me of the merchants response and failed to allow time or any chance for me to respond to any merchant 's claims. Synchrony has also failed to provide me with any supporting documents which the merchant provided them with. They claim that they provided me with this information by I have the letter that was sent and it is blank. I feel that synchrony will continue to mishandle my dispute and will continue to side with the merchant. If collusion wasn't the most over used word in 2022 I would use it to describe this relationship between Lowes Credit Card and Lowes Home Improvement. I see no other reason for this dispute to be in such a mishap. This should be handled professionally, and accurately. And as a consumer, I should have the chance to effectively dispute a service that was not provided as it was promised.

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