Consumer complaint received 2025-10-21 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly — Talked to a third-party about your debt
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
I worked for a XXXX XXXX. They closed in early XX/XX/XXXX because of XXXX. Prior to closing the owner did not pay us. I already had consumer debt and medical debt of {$30000.00} that I had been carrying sine XXXX. I applied for unemployment in May but it took several months before I received any benefit so I was without income for almost XXXX months. There was no way to pay my credit card debt. In XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted a pro-bono legal aid attorney to file for XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was informed that because of XXXX, the agency was shorthanded, the process and preparation were taking a lot longer then usual, that the court was backlogged and cases were not been heard in person. I should expect it might take many months before the petition would be filed and more time for the courts to review the case. Before that I needed to qualify for their service, then pay the {$380.00} fling fee, gather extensive financial information, take XXXX credit classes and stop paying my creditors. I sent " Cease and Desist '' letters to all my creditors and I was to refer any collections, warrants and judgements to the attorney. In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a debt collection letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX, the debt collection firm representing Synchrony Bank. It said I needed to resolve the debt in XXXX days or a they would seek a judgment. I contacted the firm immediately. I could not reach a person so I left a voice mail and explained that I had been working with a legal aid organization since XX/XX/XXXX, that I was in the process of filing for XXXX XXXX XXXX and did not have a case number yet because the petition had not been filed. I left the attorneys name, phone number and email address. I sent the letter to my attorney and I never heard back from the creditors attorney.. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a warrant in debt for {$8200.00}. Again, I called the firm representing Synchrony- no one answered their phone again. I reiterated that the process was slow and that my attorney was due to file the petition that month. I provided my attorney 's contact information and asked them to call me back if they couldn't reach anyone. I never heard from them. I forwarded the warrant to my attorney, who said not to worry because we were in the process of filing. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, I called my attorney for an update and earned that she had taken a leave of absence due to illness. A new attorney contacted me in XXXX, .My case still had not been filed and because so much time had gone by none of my documentation was valid. I would need to start all over - including qualifying. 
The attorney suggested that I might want to postpone filing anyway because most of my debt had reached the statute of limitations in Virginia, that no new legal issues had surfaced and that I had made no interim payments to restart the clock on the statute. 
I wanted to think abiut it so I requested that they wait XXXX days before moving forward. I received a check for my filing fee a week later. My case had been closed. 

I received no further correspondence from XXXX XXXX XXXX after the XXXX in Debt but in XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from a corporate filing agent company. We used that company to create and maintain the LLC " legal entity '' docs for our pet care business to operate in XXXX XXXX & XXXX sent them a Garnishment Summons naming them as responsible and our business as the XXXX and me as the Judgement Debtor. 
My daughter and I have a small pet care business. We are self employed, the business is an LLC and we do not have an employer but it was beyond embarrassing to me and confusing to the other company to get this notification. I had to research the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Detail Files to find that they had been granted a Default Judgement back in XXXX. 
All other things aside, I think it boils down to this. 
A ) I was not aware that the Judgement hearing had been held therefore I was not aware that it had been granted. In XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX were informed that I was engaged in the process of filing bankruptcy, that I was using pro-bono legal services and that their notification had been forwarded to XXXX. They were given contact information for XXXX. Whether they contacted my attorney or not is unknown to me. I left XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX different messages in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, and they never contacted me. I was clear in my messages that I had paid the filing fee and was waiting for a case number to be assigned. 
B ) XXXX & XXXX incorrectly sent the Garnishment Summons to a corporate filing agency, a third party. This agency helps create and maintain legal business entities. This company is not my employer. They have no control over my earnings or the ability to garnish my wages. They have no involvement in my business or business finances. Serving this Summons to them instead of directly to me was inappropriate and should invalidate the service of this Summons. The paper work they did finally mail to me was incomplete. I had to get the other documents from the email that was sent to the wrong party. 
C ) This is a personal debt, and our business entity is a XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). The business has no involvement with my personal debt, and a corporate filing company has no legal authority to withhold payments. 

I understand that I have a responsibility to pay my debts, and it was never my intention to shirk that responsibility. I stayed current with Synchrony until XXXX XXXXas long as I could. Life is difficult. I was sidelined- XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I continued to pay this debt when I was incarcerated- my daughter sent them payments when I was in jail and if it wasn't for COVID, I would have been able to continue paying them. I dont think my situation is unique or any worse than anyone elses- but when does it end? Over the years, I have been plagued by harassing phone calls, legal collections, civil suits and in some cases not so honest tactics. Its hard to know what to do but Garnishment and bank levies are harsh and cruel. 
This law firm/debt collection agency was so eager to file legal documents and civil suits against me that they did not go through the proper motions with my pro-bono attorneys and decided to proceed with the Judgement anyway because they couldnt get a case number. They never called me back after leaving several messages. They knew that I had sent the warrant to my attorney and that I paid my bankruptcy filing fee. They also failed to notify me properly or follow the correct procedure when they filed this Garnishment Summons. They sent the Summons to an entity that is not involved with the finances of the business and not able to garnish anything. I have reached out to the court but I want to make sure no one else has to deal with this. 
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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