Consumer complaint received 2024-04-20 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem when making payments — Problem during payment process
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
I had a messaging conversation today, XX/XX/XXXX, with an associate through PayPal 's Credit site regarding misapplication of my payments. I made some purchases of airline tickets and associated charges with XXXX XXXX in XXXX of 2023 with a XXXX-months same as cash financing agreement. I made large payments, some when no payments were due, in XXXX and XXXX and, to my expectation, had paid the balances off. Now, I login in XXXX and see that those balances are not only paid off but suddenly coming due in less than a month. I contacted the company through instant messaging to ask why my payments had not been applied to my special financing and was told in order for payments to be applied to my balances I would need to call them over the phone every time I made a payment. This blows my mind. XXXX XXXX, whose business is tools and hardware and NOT payment systems and transfers and credit, like PayPal, has a system clearly posted and explained on how to easily designate payments to special financing purchases, but PayPal whose entire business is credit and payments and transfers is saying people need to make phone calls?! This feels like a scam to prevent people from paying off special financing so they can get the total amount of interest. 

Not only this, but I told the associate I wanted to lodge a formal complaint and asked her for directions on how to do so. I was first told, after an ask to their manager, that I could not and that the associate would pass my complaint along to their manager. How do I know, as a consumer, that my LEGITIMATE complaint and discontent on how PP is attempting to do sketchy business for their own profit, is going to be formally passed along the formal, legal, resolution and reporting lines and not just shrugged off between a manager and associate that I am " XXXX XXXX XXXX '' ruining their morning? 

So, after more information is passed between us, including that she can not apply any of the large payments made to the special financing because I missed the XXXX day deadline, I ask again how to submit a formal complaint. Another ask to the manager later and I am given a MAILING ADDRESS and FAX NUMBER! We are in a digital society where everything is done online. Not giving consumers an easily accessible avenue to lodge a complaint is, again, another way for this large corporation to take advantage of consumers in the hopes of making a complaint a hassle so most people will give up. 

I told the associate 'nevermind ' because while she was again checking with her manager ( on a topic that should never have to be escalated to a manager in a customer service department ), I thought I had found directions online ( attached ) on how to submit a complaint online. Only after the fact did I realize that the directions and the linked word " Complaints '' do not take you to a complaint form as it describes and there is NO WAY on the site, whether logged in or not, to actually submit a complaint. XXXX. XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX, you are a XXXX  and XXXX. I was previously a big fan and now I am angry with your treatment of the little guy. You are despicable for taking advantage of people in such a way.

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