Consumer complaint received 2025-12-16 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
This complaint is about my XXXX XXXX credit card issued by XXXX XXXX  in XXXX. 
Last time I used the card and received communication ( emails ) from the issuer about purchases and posted payments was in XX/XX/XXXX. I had the card on automated payment to not forget to pay as I was not using it often. After that time, I did not use the card and I did not receive any further emails from the issuer bank or the merchant alerting me on any activity or balances on the card. 
However, around XX/XX/XXXX I started receiving text messages from a debt collector, XXXX XXXX. I contacted XXXX XXXX  ( the number on the back of my card ) and the representative refused to provide any information and said a letter had been sent to my address. I did not received any letter. Next, on XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted XXXX XXXX and the rep transferred me to Barclays who then transferred me to XXXX XXXX XXXX who manages the collection for XXXX XXXX, saying she needed to transfer me because this other company was managing the debt. XXXX is the company who purchased the debt from Barclays. 
Apparently, at some point, the issuer changed from XXXX XXXX  to Barclays ( I just googled it and Barclay had purchased the Gap companies portfolio from XXXX  in XXXX ) for which I did not receive any communication either. In addition, the current XXXX digits on the card provided by the Barclay representative linked to my account are different than the last XXXX digits on the physical card I have. I did not received a replacement card or any communication on it. 
On this call with XXXX, I was able to retrieve as much information on the balance as I could as follows : a. In XX/XX/XXXX, a purchase was made with the card at a Gap store in XXXX XXXX, XXXX, for {$45.00} dollars. 
b. The balance in the card is {$350.00} which the rep vaguely explained it included the original purchase plus XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX late fees ( $ XXXX a month ) plus interest. 
c. She agreed to send the card information with the details comprising the balance, expected to arrive in XXXX  days to my current address. Apparently, previously they had sent a letter to my old address where I have not lived since XXXX. Today is XX/XX/XXXX and the letter has not arrived. I called them again today with the intention to make the payment because this issue is severely impacting my XXXX score ; however, their system did not allow the payment I was requesting to make. When asking for a representative, she said I could not pay unless I revoke the dispute. I said I had not received the letter with the details to make such a decision, and she was able to find out that the letter had been sent on XX/XX/XXXX and should arrive by the end of this week. Regardless, XXXX serious issues on the part of the issuer ( XXXX, now Barclays ) as well as the merchant ( XXXX XXXX from the Gap group of companies ) who offered me the card in the first place : Even if the purchase in XX/XX/XXXX was not made by me ( I never received the physical card with the new XXXX last digits number used for the purchase ), several basic actions should have taken place : a. Email communication from the issuer should have been sent to me alerting me of a purchase on the card ( regular practice until XX/XX/XXXX ) b. The automated payment that I had on the card should have been processed. It wasn't and I did not have how to know that a balance was due. The automated payment was processed up to XX/XX/XXXX following my last known purchase in XXXX of the same year ( document attached as proof I had this feature ON ) c. Email communication of an aging balance on the card should have been sent to me. 

In short, the merchant and the issuer failed to communicate activity on the card, let it alone an aging balance and a replacement card. And XXXX years later, I hear from a debt collector on the balance. How come the merchant and the issuer were unable to use the same communication avenue ( my phone number ) used by the debt collector or the usual communication channel we had up to XX/XX/XXXX ( my email address ). 

As I mentioned, this has severely damaged my XXXX score which puts me in a very bad position at a time when I need to request a mortgage. 

I ask your support to address these bad practices from the merchant and issuer. And I suspect the portfolio transfer over from XXXX to Barclay may have also played a role, highlighting another issue on the lack of continuity of communications when portfolios are sold and us customers are badly impacted and not even informed. 

The fair outcome would be XXXX ) to remove these XXXX lines from my credit score ( late payments with Barclay and the same with XXXX for the same item and amount ), and XXXX ) remove the debt. In the meanwhile, I'll re-try paying the balance to help my credit score but I should be refunded once this complaint gets addressed. 

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

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