Consumer complaint received 2026-05-26 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Overcharged for something you did purchase with the card
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
According to the statements available to me through CareCredit, I borrowed approximately {$2100.00} through CareCredit/Synchrony in or around XX/XX/XXXX. Over the following year, I made payments consistently, responsibly, and on schedule. Throughout the relationship, it was my understanding that the financing arrangement was effectively a 0 % interest promotional financing agreement so long as payments were made as expected. In XX/XX/XXXX, while my remaining balance was approximately {$740.00}, CareCredit added {$1400.00} in interest charges to my account. There was no prior warning, alert, or communication that such a substantial retroactive interest charge was about to occur. The charge simply appeared on my statement. I immediately contacted CareCredit to better understand the situation. During that call, I first learned that the financing arrangement operated under a deferred-interest structure, where failure to fully satisfy the balance within a specific promotional period would result in all retroactive interest being added to the account. During that same conversation, I requested a short grace period to pay off the remaining balance. The representative I spoke with informed me that if I paid the approximately {$740.00} balance within less than 30 days, the retroactive interest charge would be reversed and removed from the account. Relying on that representation, I paid the approximately {$740.00} balance on or around XX/XX/XXXX. Following the payment, the approximately {$1400.00} retroactive interest charge was in fact removed. However, CareCredit then charged approximately {$50.00} in interest to the account. This was significantly higher than the normal recurring interest charges I had previously observed throughout the relationship, which were typically around {$2.00}. Again, there was no prior warning, explanation, or rationale provided before this charge appeared. I contacted CareCredit again during the same month seeking clarification regarding the new charge. I was informed that the interest charge could not be reversed and that I would be required to pay the approximately {$50.00} balance. On or around XX/XX/XXXX, I paid the approximately {$50.00} charge with the expectation that the account would then be fully resolved and closed. However, on or around XX/XX/XXXX, CareCredit added an additional approximately {$30.00} late fee along with another approximately {$2.00} interest charge. I did not become aware of this until approximately XX/XX/XXXX, when I called CareCredit again and was informed that my XX/XX/XXXX payment allegedly did not process successfully. I requested evidence that I had been properly notified of the failed transaction or returned payment. The representatives were unable to provide any evidence beyond routine balance-related emails indicating that money remained owed on the account. I then requested escalation to a manager, requested a transcript or documentation of our conversation in any format available ( email, written letter, recorded transcript etc. ), and again requested evidence showing that I had been notified of the payment failure. I was informed that CareCredit could not provide : * A transcript or recording of the call; * Written documentation of the conversation; * Evidence demonstrating that I had been properly notified of the returned payment beyond standard balance emails. I was further informed that the additional charges, including the approximately {$50.00} balance, approximately {$30.00} late fee, and additional interest charges, would remain on the account and were not reversible. On or around XX/XX/XXXX, one day after my phone call requesting evidence of notification, CareCredit e-mailed me a letter notifying me that my XX/XX/XXXX payment had allegedly been returned. I believe the overall handling of this account reflects concerning consumer practices, including insufficient transparency surrounding deferred-interest financing terms, lack of meaningful warning prior to significant retroactive interest assessments, inconsistent explanations regarding charges and reversals, and inadequate documentation and notification practices regarding payment failures and dispute handling. I also managed to record a portion of one of the conversations after representatives confirmed they would not provide documentation of the interaction, and I am willing to provide that recording as supporting evidence if requested.

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