Consumer complaint received 2025-12-03 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I opened a credit card with Synchrony Bank on XX/XX/XXXX with an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX promotional interest rate. I made consistent auto-payments throughout the promotional period. I unintentionally overlooked the promotional payoff date of XX/XX/XXXX by approximately XXXX months. This resulted in a retroactive interest charge of {$9800.00} applied to the entire balance. I was shocked to learn that the entire 18 months of interest had been added retroactively without any prior warning or reminder. 

I contacted customer service today, XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with a customer service representative. This was the first opportunity I had to open my mail and discovered the XXXX statement. When I spoke to the representative I explained my reasons for my oversight and how distraught I was when I realized my oversight. 

I informed her that during the final months of the promotional period I experienced significant and unexpected personal hardships, including multiple serious health issues and the death of my father. I also had to settle my parents estate which was an overwhelming task considering my health condition. These events created a substantial emotional and logistical strain, and as a result, I unintentionally miscalculated the promotional payoff deadline. 

The XXXX stated they were only authorized to waive the recent interest charge of {$470.00}, but not the full amount. I offered to pay off the original balance of {$9000.00} off today for waiving the {$9800.00}. I was instructed to send a written letter to corporate, but no additional support was offered. 

Upon the advice of an attorney friend, I was encouraged to contact Synchrony Bank again and ask for a good will adjustment due to a one-time oversight. I called the company again on XXXX XXXX and asked for a goodwill adjustment due to a one-time oversight. The answer was no. I also requested reinstatement of the promotional APR under a one-time courtesy exception. The answer was no. They told me my only option was to send a letter to the corporate office, but offered no meaningful escalation path or relief. 

I am filing this complaint due to : XXXX. Documented Hardship My failure to meet the payoff deadline was not due to negligence or avoidance. It occurred during a period when I was dealing with serious ongoing health issues and the death of my father, which required significant time, travel and emotional recovery, not to mention the overwhelming task of settling my parents estate. These events disrupted my ability to track financial deadlines despite my otherwise excellent payment history. 

XXXX. Disproportion Punishment Charging almost {$10000.00} in retroactive interest for an unintentional lapse and after XXXX months of reliable payments, feels extremely punitive and financially destabilizing. 

XXXX. Lack of Alerts I was not given any warning or reminder before such a large retroactive charge was applied. I receive texts when my auto-payments are made so receiving the minimum of a text alert is not unreasonable to expect. 

XXXX. Lack of Effective Internal Resolution Customer service repeatedly stated that they were unable to reverse the charges and could only waive {$470.00}. There was no meaningful escalation option other than mailing a letter, which does not provide timely or fair resolution. 

To show my good faith efforts, today XX/XX/XXXX, I have paid the original balance of {$9000.00} owed on XX/XX/XXXX.

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