Consumer complaint received 2022-01-16
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL (NY)

I saw an ad on XXXX for cosmetic injections, which I had been thinking about. When I called to inquire I was told that the doctor was offering deep discounts of {$350.00} per syringe when other doctors were charging {$800.00} for the same product. I made an appointment for XX/XX/2021 at his location in the XXXX section of XXXX XXXX. Upon arriving I filled out some preliminary paperwork asking what area or problem I wanted the doctor to inject and was also asked my form of payment. I showed them my Care Credit card and they took the information down. I was then led to a small room where there was no exam table but only a wooden chair. XXXX walls of the room were lined with folding tables holding duffle bags and suitcases overflowing with clothes like someone was living there. I sat on the chair but thought I might be led to a regular exam room but was not. The doctor immediately picked up a pre-filled, unlabeled syringe laying on the top of a nearby duffle bag in this dirty room and started injecting my face. There were no boxes or bottles anywhere that indicated he was using the popular brand products he advertised. Being new to cosmetic procedures, I was very nervous and asked the doctor what product he was using, and he barked at me, " I know what I'm doing. You don't need to know! '' I was shaking but didn't have the courage to question him or to even get up and leave. I had such a fear and even thought he might mess up my face if I questioned him. After doing maybe XXXX injections he put the syringe back on to of the duffle bag and picked up another pre-filled, unmarked XXXX and also gave me XXXX or XXXX XXXX with that. While XXXX me he never wrote down what product or quantity of product he was using. All in all, I would say I had no more than XXXX XXXX in my face- but it didn't look like anything he did had any effect and not seeing any labeled product, later I thought he could have just injected me with water. He didn't take before or after pictures which I understand is customary to show improvement. When he finished I got up to leave, was not given any paperwork at all, got no indication of the total cost and just left. I was so shaken up that I sat in my car half hour before I could calm down enough to drive. Two weeks later when the swelling and bruising went down, I wasn't sure what to do but I filed a formal complaint with the NY Attorney General and followed up once a month as they said it would take a while. They eventually told me it was given to the Health Care Bureau who I then started following up with. After another few months of following up I was told there was nothing they could do, only the investigation! I thought they would get involved but not. What a waste of time! I thought they would intervene. I did contact the doctor 's office after my " treatment '' to stress my dissatisfaction but they refused to do anything or offer more information. In the mean time when my Care Credit card bill arrived, I was in a state of total panic! There was nothing this doctor did that would justify a {$7000.00} charge! I was never even given a breakdown of the charges or product quantity used! I then thought Synchrony Bank would look into it, realize it was a fraudulent charge or even a scam and credit the charge out but they determined that no credit was do! XXXX sent me a paper obviously from the doctor showing the generic names ( not brand names ) of product used but there was no indication of quantity or number of syringes used which was the way patients were to be charged. I even sent XXXX a copy of a newspaper article indicating that the doctor 's licenses were suspended for performing " invasive aesthetic procedures with inadequate formal training and little regard for the health and safety of his patients ''. It also said he had substandard protocols for medical recordkeeping, patient follow-up, and storage of medical supplies, including products that require refrigeration and strict temperature control. I can testify that there was no medical refrigerator in that office. An inspector went to one of his offices to confirm all this information. So I was injected with reused, unsanitary syringes holding product that was not refrigerated or stored properly, never informed or given a bill or breakdown of the product or quantity used and Synchrony Bank determines I still owe the entire balance? What about the fact that his licenses were suspended by state medical authorities and that he had inadequate formal training? I am shocked how long these investigations took and the fact that Synchrony thinks all this is just fine! How is this fair?