Consumer complaint received 2025-02-16 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Privacy issues
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
This is the letter I have sent to Synchrony Bank. 

Subject : Formal Complaint Regarding Recurring Paper Statement Issues and Email Communication Preferences Dear Synchrony Bank, I am writing to formally complain about ongoing issues with my account settings, specifically regarding paper statement delivery and email communication preferences. My name is XXXX XXXX, and I hold several Synchrony-issued cards, including XXXX, XXXX, and a XXXX XXXX. My email address, XXXX, has been associated with these accounts for over 20 years. 

I have consistently opted for electronic statements ( E-statements ) for all my accounts. However, I have repeatedly encountered problems with the Synchrony system reverting my preference back to paper statements, resulting in unwanted paper mailings and, on one occasion, a {$1.00} service charge. This has occurred despite multiple attempts to correct the setting through the Synchrony Account Manager website and numerous calls to your customer service representatives. 

Furthermore, I experienced significant difficulty with XXXX E-statements. For nearly a year, I contacted customer service regarding undeliverable E-statements, despite the same email address working flawlessly with numerous other companies. This issue was eventually " resolved '' by creating a new email address, which unfortunately resulted in other companies associated with my XXXX account creating new accounts under the new email, an undesired consequence. I have recently reverted my XXXX email back to XXXX and request the original undeliverable email issue be resolved. 

During a recent call to your customer service line, I was informed that the persistent paper statement issue was due to my email address being marked as invalid, despite its long-standing and successful use with other institutions. Later, a manager suggested the issue stemmed from my marketing settings not having email selected. While I have now selected email within my marketing settings, I explicitly DO NOT want to receive promotional solicitations. I have selected the email communication option under the understanding that, as your system states, this preference will not affect communications regarding account activity. However, I have noticed that my Privacy Selection is now open for solicitations, which is unacceptable. Additionally, my account still indicates a preference for paper statements. 

I request a written confirmation that the following actions have been taken : Paper Statement Issue Resolved : Confirmation that my account settings have been permanently corrected to reflect my preference for E-statements and that I will no longer receive paper statements. 
Email Address Validation : Verification that my email address, XXXX, is correctly associated with all my Synchrony accounts and that the undeliverable issue, especially with XXXX, has been permanently resolved. 
No Promotional Solicitations : Written assurance that I will not receive any promotional solicitations via email or mail. My selection of email communication pertains solely to account-related information. Please confirm that my privacy settings have been adjusted to reflect this preference. 
I expect a prompt and comprehensive response addressing these concerns. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, XXXX 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 monetary relief