Consumer complaint received 2022-01-12
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: ND
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge 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/XXXX I used my Synchrony Bank Gap Visa card to purchase tickets in the amount of {$480.00} for a concert in XXXX, MN to be held XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received an email from XXXX, the merchant, stating the concert was cancelled, would not be rescheduled and that I would receive store credit of 120 % of the full value of the order total. I live in XXXX, ND and XXXX is four hours away so if the concert wasn't happening I have no use or interest in credit with that store. On XX/XX/XXXX, I attempted to call the merchant at the number listed in their email. After waiting on hold for an hour and forty minutes, i had to hang up. That same day I emailed them back that I was not interested in store credit as I live too far away, I only bought tickets to see the concert that they cancelled and I had no interest in any other concerts and to please credit my money back to my credit card. The following day I received an email response saying the mailbox I emailed is not monitored. They gave me an option to chat so I did and conveyed the same info to the chat agent to which she responded that because the concert was cancelled for reasons out of their control she couldn't refund my money. On XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Synchrony Bank, servicer of my GAP Visa credit card and filed a dispute and provided the details and advised that the merchant was unable to provide me the purchased services by the agreed upon date. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a subsequent dispute form asking for more information which was everything I had already provided on the phone but I filled it out and sent it in that day. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from synchrony bank stating credit was given for {$480.00} disputed amount and chargeback sent to the merchant and they have 60 days to respond. I received my XX/XX/XXXX statement from synchrony bank and it showed both a credit and a rebill for {$480.00} on XXXX XXXX. I called synchrony bank on XX/XX/XXXX and asked to speak to a supervisor in disputes and I was told I could not speak to anyone in disputes, only in customer service. I asked why I was credited and rebilled the same day and I was told it was because the dispute was resolved in the merchant 's favor! I explained to the representative my dispute, that the merchant was unable to provide the purchased concert service, the concert hadn't been rescheduled and even if it was rescheduled, a later date would not work for me. The customer service rep agreed it should be a " no brainer '' that I get my money back for a concert that was cancelled and she reopened my dispute. I never did receive a letter from synchrony bank explaining that they resolved the dispute in the merchant 's favor. Today, XX/XX/XXXX I received a message from synchrony bank on my Gap visa credit card app telling me " a credit will not be issued because I entered into an agreement with the merchant for the charge in question. As the merchant sets the policies regarding cancellations or refunds, please contact the merchant directly for any additional questions. '' I tried to contact the merchant before I opened the dispute and that's why I opened the dispute! I'm so frustrated with Synchrony Bank! And the agreement I entered into with the merchant was for tickets for a concert service to be provided on XX/XX/XXXX and the merchant failed to honor that agreement ; terms and conditions do not apply when the merchant is unwilling or unable to provide the agreed upon services by the agreed upon date. Therefore the contract is void and I should get my money back! I called Synchrony Bank Gap Visa today and again asked to speak to a supervisor in disputes and I was told I could not so I asked for a manager in customer service. I was transferred to XXXX id # XXXX and asked if I could be transferred to someone in disputes so I could explain my dispute and he told me " our disputes department does not speak to customers '' but that he could take my information to them. I explained that my claim was handled incorrectly and I was out hundreds of dollars, had received no service for what I had paid and the concert was never rescheduled. I had already conveyed all this information to the last customer rep who reopened my dispute on XX/XX/XXXX so I didn't feel it would do any good to convey the whole story again. A friend of mine who works in banking suggested I come here for help since my credit card company is failing me. Please help me.

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