Consumer complaint received 2023-12-27 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Problem when making payments — 
Company: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX, I got a loan through Comenity - XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Since obtaining the loan, I have been paying with Comenity 's XXXX XXXX online system. The system requires scanning a QR code every month in order to make a one-time payment. Supposedly you can make an online portal account and do paperless billing online every month through that account. I have tried every month since getting the loan, but the system always tells me that they can not find my account number, and the way the page is worded led me to believe this is because the account is not a credit card. My bank does not offer paper checks, so paying by scanning a QR code in order to enter the portal every month is the only way I can pay. 

It is worth noting that this QR code was only on my paper statements early on, meaning that I can not pay using newer statements ( that don't have the QR code ) and that I can only pay if I PHYSICALLY HAVE THE QR CODE WITH ME. This has caused multiple issues in the past, and I corresponded with Comenity about the fact that I missed a payment in XXXX because I could only pay with a QR code that wasn't in my possession at the time, as I was out of state assisting with a death in the family and expecting that I could handle my account online. Comenity did not think that the XXXX code setup was problem and left the derogatory mark on my credit for XXXX. 

In XXXX of this year ( XXXX ) the QR code for the XXXX XXXX page stopped working. It no longer brings me to the correct page when I scan it. It brings me to a page where I need to input my account number, which is a problem because the online services STILL do not recognize my account number as being associated with a real account. I have tried working with customer service and they confirmed that my account number, ZIP, and SSN ( required to get an online portal account or do ANYTHING online with your account ) are correct. The website will not allow me to use any online services, effectively cutting off any options I have to pay my bill. 

At this point, I have derogatory remarks from this company purely because of the difficulty I have had with my account since it was created. It was already UNREASONABLY difficult to pay my statement every month. Now it is impossible. 

I spoke to three customer service reps on XX/XX/XXXX in an attempt to fix my account and get my payments current. One customer service rep told me that I couldn't log in because my account wasn't actually associated with Comenity, and did not elaborate on who, in that case, actually owns my account. After that exchange, she offered to take my bank info over the phone in order to pay. I hope you will understand why I was extremely reluctant to use that option. At this point, I have no idea who actually owns this loan, why my account number shows up as incorrect when I try to log in, or how on earth I am supposed to settle my statement securely with ... WHOEVER it is that is sending me bills every month. ( The bills say Comenity, and it is Comenity who issued the derogatory remarks on my credit history. ) I have no idea if the company is just inept, or if this is an extremely confusing scam attempt.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation