Consumer complaint received 2025-01-14 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge 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: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
XXXX

I am lodging this formal dispute because, to date, and well over 9 months since I paid off my Care Credit account, and despite MANY phone calls and requests, Care Credit has continuously failed to correct my account. While the account is indeed listed as closed, as of XXXX it shows a balance of XXXX. 

All of these issues stem from someone elses XXXX payment made in XXXX XXXX that was MISAPPLIED to my account. Below is a summary of the events that have taken place to date:

As of my XXXX  statement, my balance was at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, my husband and I refinanced our home with XXXX XXXX  The refinance included paying off all of the credit cards in my name. Care Credit was one of those cards.  My goal was to pay off my Care Credit account and then CLOSE the account. 

My title company issued payment for the statement balance in midXXXX XXXX however the check was not received by Care Credit before the payment due date of XXXX so I made an interest only payment in the amount of XXXX on the due date of XXXX  I have records of phone calls to Care Credit at various times in XXXX including twice on XXXX  and once on XXXX. Any calls I would have made earlier in the month would have been made from my office phone and I dont have access to those long distance call records. 

I called Care Credit on XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX about the payment that had been reissued and checked to see if theyd received it and also questioned them about the misapplied payment of XXXX. I was told it would take a couple of billing cycles to correct the misapplied payment. 

My title company issued a stop payment on the prior check issued to Care Credit, and thereafter reissued the check and overnight mailed it to Care Credit.  Care Credit posted this payment to my account on XXXX 

My next Care Credit statement dated 0XXXX notes the following activity: (1) a credit applied which was described as dispute-temporary credit in the amount oXXXX XXXX on XXXX; (2) a payment in the amount of XXXX posted on XXXX (THIS IS THE INFAMOUS MISAPPLIED PAYMENT THAT HAS CAUSED SO MUCH TROUBLE) and (3) another separate payment in the amount of XXXX posted XXXX (THIS WAS THE INTEREST ONLY PAYMENT I MADE).   The ending statement balance was negative XXXX.

The next statement issued by Care Credit was dated XXXX  and notes the following activity: (1) payment in the amount of XXXX (THIS WAS THE CHECK FROM THE TITLE COMPANY MENTIONED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THIS PARAGRAPH); and (2) a balance adjustment of XXXX  The ending statement balance was negative XXXX 

The next statement issued by Care Credit was dated XXXX. There was no activity on the account and the ending statement balance was, again, negative XXXX 

The next statement issued by Care Credit was dated XXXXXXXX. Again, no activity was on the account and the ending statement balance was once again, negative XXXX 

My cell phone records reflect I also called Care Credit on XXXX XXXX twice for a total of 10 minutes. Because these calls were so short I assume I was just calling about the status of them reversing the misapplied payment and applying it to the correct account. I still wanted to close my account, but could not do so until this issue was fixed.

The next statement issued by Care Credit was dated XXXX. Once again, no activity was on the account and the ending statement balance remained at negative XXXX. 

I next called Care Credit on XXXX and was furious when I checked my account and saw that they had issued a refund check in the amount of XXXX. I told them that I never got that check and even if I had, I would not have cashed it because I was not owed that, and that I was only owed XXXX  I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with them that day. I lodged another complaint and they said theyd look into it. 

The next statement issued by Care Credit was dated XXXX. Activity reflected on this statement was as follows: (1) a refund check issued XXXX in the amount of XXXX  (2) a balance adjustment of XXXX on XXXX and (3) another separate balance adjustment on XXXX in the amount of XXXX Due to all of this activity, the ending statement balance went from negative XXXX all the way up to XXXX 

I called Care Credit twice on XXXX, three separate times on XXXX and once on XXXX. I again told them that I never received any such refund check and even if I had I would not have cashed it because it was not my money. I also reiterated once again that the $XXXX was owed back to me as a refund of the interest payment I made back in XXXX. Youll see on their XXXX XXXX statement they did send me a check for the XXXX which I cashed. I also complained about the current noted balance of XXXX  and questioned why it was still there. I recall going up the ladder to several representatives and managers and was assured that my credit would be corrected as I felt their actions were causing my credit score to decrease. I was told by the last representative I spoke with that he would correct my credit score THAT SAME DAY but that the balance issue would need to cycle through and to just be patient. 

Care Credits next statement was dated XXXX Multiple entries are noted on this statement which consisted of the following:  (1) a credit described as dispute-temporary credit on XXXX  in the amount of XXXX (2) another separate credit described as XXXX on XXXX in the amount of XXXXXXXX  (recall, this was the refund check they supposedly sent out on XXXX; (3) a refund check in the amount of XXXX (described in the paragraph above); (4) a credit described as customer settlement in the amount of XXXX on XXXX and (5) another separate credit described as customer settlement in the amount of XXXX also on XXXX. As a result of all of this activity on my account during this statement period, the ending statement balance was negative XXXX 

I did not make any phone calls to Care Credit during the month oXXXX XXXX, because I had been told in XXXX to let things cycle through. 

Care Credits next statement was dated XXXX. The only activity reflected on this statement was a supposed payment on XXXX described as Payment thank you XXXX  OH with payment no interest. The ending statement balance was noted to be XXXX.  I can assure you, I never made any such payment. Why would I when my account was supposed to be at XXXX? For all I know, they misapplied someone elses payment for a second time. I dont know where this came from.  

After seeing the XXXX statement, I was admittedly extremely frustrated and angry. I called them twice on 10XXXX  and spent a total of 144 minutes on the phone with that day alone, and another 54 minutes on the phone with them two days later on XXXX. I did not get anywhere with them despite speaking with at least 7 people and recall being told that my calling was starting things over in terms of their investigative process. I also recall being told that they were in the process of investigating their prior investigation especially with regard to the XXXX  refund check they supposedly issued in XXXX  which I never got (and even if I had, would not have cashed it). I questioned and asked to speak with their legal department, threatened to sue them, and demanded answers to no avail. I just kept getting the same old run around that I had already been getting for many months. 

I called Care Credit again on XXXX and spent 74 minutes on the phone with them. What prompted this call was that I received a collection call from them asking me to make a payment on my account. They told me that they would remove me from the list of collection calls. I demanded to speak to their legal department and was told they had none. I lodged yet another complaint, and got the same old speech that theyd look into it.  As I was on hold towards the end of the phone call, they disconnected the call. I did not call back as I was at work and could not get away.  

The XXXX XXXX was the last statement I had access to. I cannot get into my online account. I have not seen the XXXX XXXXXXXX or XXXX XXXX statements. However, I have been getting email reminders from Care Credit. 

The latest email reminder I received from Care Credit stated that the minimum amount due for XXXX was due by XXXX These email reminders also state that the account balance is currently at XXXX. 

The last time I called Care Credit was XXXX I explained everything (again) and did not understand why this was still showing up on my account. I told the representative that I saw on my credit report that the account is still showing as closed but that there was still a balance showing so it was looking bad on me-  as if I didnt pay my bill and it was closed as a bad debt or something like that. I told her that this was going on far too long (almost a year) and I was tired of being told the same old thing time and time again. Predictably, she stated that theyd look into it. She also told me that they have no way of verifying whether the XXXX refund check was ever cashed by me. I told her that cannot be possible, but that is what she said.  I was told it would take another 60 days to figure things out.  

I thereafter received a letter from Care Credit dated XXXXXXXX which stated We are researching the payment in question. You are not responsible for paying the disputed amount during our investigation. Therefore, while we complete our research we have issued a temporary credit to your account in the amount of XXXX for the payment dated XXXX  and associated interest and fees  THIS IS INSANE. NOW, ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR LATER, THEY ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER THEY RECEIVED THE FIRST CHECK ON XXXX WHICH, OF COURSE, THEY DID NOT BECAUSE MY TITLE COMPANY PUT A STOP PAYMENT ON THAT CHECK, RE-ISSUED THE PAYMENT AND OVERNIGHT MAILED IT TO THEM, AND THEY CASHED IT. AGAIN, THE RECEIVED PAYMENT IS REFLECTED ON MY XXXX XXXX  CARE CREDIT STATEMENT. 

In summary, there just does not seem to be any resolution and it is the same thing with Care Credit each and every time I speak with them. I have spent HOURS on the phone with them and have called no less than 19 times (including XXXX since XXXX XXXX Nothing is being done and this needs to be fixed. I have gone about as high as I can go with them and am seriously considering legal action but wanted to try lodging formal complaints with all three credit bureaus first.  

I have also in the last two weeks lodged complaints/disputes with all three credit bureaus. None of these have been helpful as Care Credit is still erroneously stating I owe them money, but that I am not also over 30 days past due on my bill.   Nobody over there is taking the time to go back through the statements, look at the transactions posted to my account, and correct their errors. 

Again, my credit needs to be corrected so that it shows I paid off my balance in full, there were no delinquent payments, and the account should be closed. As it stands right now, it looks like I have not paid my credit card off which is false. All of the activity that has been on this account since XXXX XXXX   the misapplied payment, the removal of the XXXX from my account, and then charging it back to my account time and time and time again. These people at Care Credit are completely incompetent and at this point I feel it is deliberate on their part- there is something going on over there that is not on the up and up.  They need to do whatever they need to correct the record in this matter- and that would be to (1) reflect on my credit report that the account is at a XXXX balance; (2) remove all references to delinquency; (3) reflect that the account was paid in full; and (4) the account is closed.  

Please contact me at XXXX if you have any questions or write me at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX AZ XXXX. You may also call me anytime at XXXX. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
XXXX 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 explanation