Consumer complaint received 2026-01-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal complaint Against Synchrony Bank Unauthorized Credit Activity, Failure to Honor Debt Cancellation Agreement, Improper Dispute Handling, Failure to Investigate Suspected Fraudulent Activity, Failure to Provide Required Disclosures, Elder Vulnerability and Lack of Consent To Whom it May Concern : I am submitting this complaint against Synchrony Bank regarding serious and ongoing issues involving unauthorized credit actions, failure to honor Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program Agreement, failure to investigate suspected fraudulent activity, systemic mishandling and misrepresentation of disputes related to my CareCredit account. 

Background : On XX/XX/XXXX, I accompanied my XXXX  father to a dental evaluation following an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. An extensive {$12000.00} treatment plan was recommended by the provider but immediately declined by my father. Under pressure and with limited understanding of the treatment being proposed, my father reluctantly agreed to proceed. 

Key Facts : XXXX. Initial Credit Application XX/XX/XXXX, I applied for a Synchrony Bank CareCredit Rewards Account solely under my own name after applications involving my elderly father were denied. 

The account was approved, autopay was established, and a payment of {$5500.00} was made on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Although the system indicated that signed agreements would be mailed, no signed documents or account agreements were ever received. 

XXXX. Unauthorized Credit Line Activity ( No Consent ) During a dental appointment on XX/XX/XXXX, the provider introduced a new, unexpected and substantially more expensive treatment plan. I explicitly declined the additional treatment and stated clearly that I did not authorize any increase or new credit line. 

Despite my refusal : The provider contacted Synchrony Bank without my participation Synchrony approved and added a second line of credit in the amount of {$9100.00} to my account I was not on the call, I did not provide verbal consent, and I did not sign any authorization This constitutes an unauthorized extension of credit, in violation of basic consumer consent requirements. 

XXXX. False Documentation I later received my fathers dental records only to find the provider falsely stated that I approved the new treatment and requested the credit increase. These statements are completely untrue and directly contradict my expressed refusal. 

XXXX. Failure to Provide Required Disclosures ( TILA ) At no point did Synchrony Bank provide : Written disclosure of the additional credit terms A signed credit agreement Evidence of my authorization This raises serious concerns under the Truth in Lending Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1637 ) and Regulation Z, which require clear disclosures and consumer authorization before extending credit. 

XXXX. Elder Vulnerability These actions occurred in the context of my fathers advanced age, declining cognitive health, medical vulnerability and financial restraints. 

He did not understand the proposed treatment recommendations or the costs of treatment and relied on me to protect his interests. 

He passed away on XX/XX/XXXX, shortly after treatment was completed and never benefited from the additional work. 

XXXX. Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program Agreement Failure to Honor When I opened the original, authorized CareCredit account : I did not opt out of the Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program The agreement was pre-selected during enrollment I relied on this coverage due to my fathers declining health On XX/XX/XXXX, I notified Synchrony Bank of my fathers death and formally requested full cancellation of the outstanding balance, as provided under the Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program Agreement. 

Synchrony Bank : Claimed it could not locate the agreement Failed to provide a copy of my original application materials despite multiple requests Did not process the cancellation as required This represents a failure to administer a paid consumer protection product and may constitute deceptive and unfair conduct, particularly given the vulnerability of the consumer circumstances. 

Although the CareCredit system indicated that signed agreements and the Payment Security Debt Cancellation Program Agreement would be mailed, no documents were ever received, despite repeated requests. 

XXXX. Improper Dispute Handling and Misrepresentation Dispute filed in XX/XX/XXXX regarding unauthorized {$9100.00} credit line. 

Synchrony Bank : Initially resolved the dispute in my favor Credited only {$190.00}, despite acknowledging the dispute involved {$9100.00} Subsequently unilaterally closed my dispute then opened a second dispute for the remaining {$9000.00} without my consent Mischaracterized the dispute as services paid for were not rendered, which was false Later denied the claim using that incorrect characterization stating service or merchandise was received I contacted Synchrony to appeal the decision based on their failure to honor the initial ruling in my favor, and subsequent incorrect labeling of the unauthorized second dispute. 

The representative determined the provider had fraudulently performed the services and credit limit increase and reported the activity to Synchrony as fraud. 

I later learned Synchrony never opened a fraud investigation Instead, Synchrony closed my original account, opened a new one in my name, then transferred the disputed balance to the new, unauthorized account Synchrony effectively manipulated and nullified the original favorable ruling. 

XXXX. Failure to Investigate Fraud I followed-up with Synchrony multiple times requesting escalation to the Fraud Department , but my concerns remained unresolved.

I eventually contacted the Fraud Department directly but was informed a fraud investigation could not be initiated because there was no active dispute on file. 

I contacted Synchrony again to initiate a dispute regarding the companys failure to honor their own ruling in my favor, as well as their failure to investigate suspected fraudulent activity. 

A new dispute was filed and labeled by Synchrony as No Written Disclosures at POS, which failed to accurately represent the entirety of the issue I reported. 

The new dispute was denied. 

Despite multiple follow-ups Synchrony has not provided any written explanation or investigation results. 

This conduct violates Fair Credit Billing Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1666 ) requirements for good-faith investigation and accurate representation of consumer disputes.

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