Consumer complaint received 2025-02-04 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: IN

Complaint narrative:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Synchrony Bank informing me that my XXXX XXXX XXXX account ( ending in XXXX ) had been closed due to the number of dishonored payments. Upon reviewing my account history, I discovered that this issue was the result of an autopay discrepancy that was completely unbeknownst to menot any intentional non-payment. 

For years, I have manually made payments from my primary checking account ( ending in XXXX ) without issue. However, sometime between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, an automatic payment setup was activated on my account without my knowledge or authorization. Not only was this autopay setup something I did not initiate or approve, but it was also linked to an incorrect account ( ending in XXXX ), which belongs to my son, not me. 

At no point did I authorize autopay for this card, and even if autopay had been enabled, it should have been set up with my primary payment account ( XXXX ), not XXXX. Because of this unauthorized autopay error, payments were mistakenly debited from the wrong account, resulting in bounced paymentswhich ultimately led to the sudden and unjustified closure of my account. 

Despite this autopay mix-up, I continued to make manual payments from my correct account ( XXXX ), just as I always have. I had no intention of missing payments, and I assumed that my ongoing manual payments would correct the situation. I never imagined that this autopay issueof which I was completely unawarewould result in the permanent closure of my account. 

Upon receiving the closure notice, I immediately called Synchrony Banks customer service, who acknowledged my concerns and submitted a form on my behalf to review the closure. However, I was given no next steps or clear resolution process. In addition, I have filed a formal complaint with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  to escalate this issue further. 

I have been a longtime, responsible customer with multiple accounts in good standing at Synchrony Bank. I have always ensured that payments were made, and any missed or late payments were extremely rare. Furthermore, I value the XXXX XXXX XXXX so much that I even participated in a focus group for the card, where I provided nothing but positive feedback. 

Steps I Request Synchrony Bank Take to Resolve This Issue : Reinstate my XXXX XXXX XXXX account, as this situation resulted from an autopay mix-up that was completely unknown to menot from intentional non-payment. 
Correct any negative reporting related to this issue, ensuring that my credit history is not impacted by an error that was outside of my control. 
Investigate how autopay was activated without my knowledge and take steps to ensure that this type of issue does not occur again. 
If Synchrony Bank refuses to work with me on this matter, I will continue escalating my complaint to other regulatory agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) and state consumer protection offices. 

This was a clear case of an administrative autopay error, and I am fully committed to working with Synchrony Bank to resolve it fairly. I appreciate the CFPBs attention to this matter and look forward to a resolution.

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