Consumer complaint received 2023-04-11
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
Dear Madam or Sir, I am contacting your agency because I have been trying to close a regular PayPal account ( Not a credit card account ) I had used sometimes when purchasing items online so that I did not have to put my banks debit or credit card numbers on merchants website and risk someone stealing my card numbers. I have called PayPal at least three times in order to do this, but they have told me that their other company or subsidiary PayPal Credit ( Synchrony Bank ) will not allow them to close this account although it is completely different from their credit card services. With this PayPal they just act basically as a processor and my purchases were paid for with my personal banks debit card or credit card that I would pay purchases with and I have actually had this account since XXXX, but as I said they would not allow me to close it although it has nothing at all to do with PayPal credit and of course since my purchases were made with my personal bank cards I do not owe PayPal anything at all.

I feel PayPal Credit is not allowing me to close this regular PayPal account although PayPal Credit has closed my PayPal Credit account as a form of harassment and acting in a way I feel is punitive reasons because of the balance they have stated I owe them on a PayPal credit account that I have a substantive disagreement with so I would like to file this complaint because of both of these reasons and because of some additional information I need to add below and I am asking that you please instruct PayPal to close the other account as I have instructed them to do, but they have refused to do so and I feel at this point that the fact that PayPal Credit which is serviced by Synchrony Bank has did and not allowed me to make any form of payment arrangement but just continue to add fee 's although the account was closed in XX/XX/XXXX without my knowledge and closed when it went over my credit limit of XXXX is punitive and seems like some form of retaliation. 

From the moment my PayPal Credit ( Synchrony Bank ) account went over my credit limit of {$700.00} because of a late payment fee they only tried to contact me by phone one or two times and when I told them when I could make a payment they agreed to that time frame and told me they would not add anymore fee 's to my account. They also told me that my account was still open, which I found out later was not true. When I did tried to make a payment to the agreed amount I found out at that time they had not did what they said they would do, but had added additional late fee 's which I did not have. I asked to have a supervisor call me back and I was instructed one would call me back, but no one ever did. 

Although I called several times afterwards. Instead every time I called and spoke with customer service they would not agree to do any kind of payment arrangment. They simply told me I had to bring the account current and make the scheduled payments the way they were scheduled, but they kept adding late fee 's and over the limit fees and any fees it seemed they could find. Now they have the balance owed at well over XXXX and late fee 's at XXXX per month. Unlike regular credit companies looking to minimize damages they have not tried to return my calls or contact me at all by phone regarding this debt. I realize that it seems like they are purposely trying to make this debt get as high as they possibly can by adding late fee 's each month and other fee 's because they feel they can. I have informed them because of an older family member who is over 90 years of age that I have had to take care of because of covid that I am not working now, but they do not care at all and although they closed this account right after it got over the XXXX credit limit they have continued to add late fee 's and other fee 's on this account that seems as if they are retaliating and not trying to minimize anything, but simply try to get as much money as possible from me which should not be allowed. They are simply trying to take advantage of me and by even trying to make me keep a regular PayPal account open, although they have closed the PayPal credit account does not make any sense unless they are trying to harass me and possibly trying to make it look like they have more people using PayPal services then they actually do for stock holders or something like that. I am also concerned because I feel I am being used and they should not have the right to keep my personal information including my bank and debit card information on that site when I have asked them to close this account. If your agency can not help me, can you tell me what agency may be able to or if I should file a complaint with the attorney general here in California? 

PayPal Credit account number XXXX Thank you, XXXX XXXX

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