Consumer complaint received 2020-01-10
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$250.00} purchase on my Synchrony Bank/CreditCare credit card. My current mailing address was on file with Synchrony Bank at the time of the transaction. I waited and waited to receive a statement from the bank so that I would know the minimum payment due and the date it was due. I never received a statement, in fact to date, I've not received a statement in the mail. I was not signed up for electronic statements ( screen shot attached ) and never received a mailed statement. 

Towards the end of XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Synchrony stating I was late on my payment and that they had charged me a late fee. I logged on to my account online and saw that indeed they charged me a late fee of {$28.00}. I then sent them a secure message stating that I never got a statement from them, that they had my current address, and that they are required to send me a statement with minimum payment and due date per federal lending regulations. I also requested that they mail me a copy of the statement I never received. 

I then got a response back with an apology, that they were crediting me the late fee back, and that my new due date was XX/XX/XXXX. They did not address my request that they mail me a copy of the statement they never sent in XXXX. I replied back that I was glad they waived the LF but that they also needed to correct the credit bureau reporting that they did initially reporting I was late on my first payment since they never sent me a statement as they are required to do. I also again requested they mail me a statement. When I logged on to my account online to reply to their last message, I got a system message stating I had to either sign up for electronic statements or paper statements. I selected paper statements and again verified that they had my current address. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, they responded that they mailed me a statement copy on XX/XX/XXXX ( which to date I have still not received ) and then said that they had my current address so there's no reason that I should not have received a statement and that I should check with the post office for troubleshooting of my mail delivery. They basically repeated what I've been saying all along which is that they had my current address so there was no reason for them not mailing me a statement in the first place. The statement they said they mailed to me on XX/XX/XXXX was only acknowledged after several requests for them to send me a statement since they never sent the first statement that would have told me what I owed and the due date. 

The message they sent on XX/XX/XXXX also stated that I owe them a minimum payment of {$59.00} which includes the late fee they assessed in error since they never sent me an initial statement, and of which they later said they waived. I am not unsure if that last message was stated in error or they have reneged on the late fee credit they already told me they gave me. 

I am most concerned, however, with the impact to my credit score by reporting I was late when in fact they never sent me a statement as they are required to do, and I do not trust that they will mail me future statements since to date I've not received a single statement in the mail from this bank.

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