Consumer complaint received 2025-09-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Delay in processing application
Company: Synovus Bank
State: OR

Complaint narrative:
I applied for a First Progress Secured Credit card in XX/XX/year>, after being recommended to get the card for credit building by XXXX. I applied for the card and was charged at the time of the application, I was charged {$200.00} for the secured card balance and {$19.00} for expediting the card in XXXX days. After XXXX weeks had passed I still had not received the card. I called first Progress to inquire and was told I did not have an account, it took over XXXX hours on the phone to get through to a person who could find any information to give me. 
They said my card was on the way. A week went by, still nothing, I called again, same story. I waited another week and when it still had not arrived now nearly 30 days after applying, I called and spent over XXXX hours making my way through customer service representatives to a supervisor, who finally told me my application had not even been processed. I was livid!!! They took {$220.00} from me a month earlier, and just kept my money without processing my application. I immediately demanded the application be cancelled and a refund issued. The representative told me they cancelled the application and issued the refund. I was told I would receive a email confirmation and the refund would take up to 10 days to reflect on my account ( debit that was charged ). 
10 days and no refund. I called back, was told it was sent by check and on it's way. 
Every 10 days for 3 months I went through this, and finally when I told them I had reported the to the ftc and ago, a check arrived in the mail, 4 months total to get my refund check, which oddly was dated XX/XX/year> and for {$210.00}. It was deposited and XXXX weeks later returned to my bank with a stop payment, causing me overdraft fees of {$140.00}. my bank account left overdrawn {$460.00} as a result. 

I received a second refund check for {$210.00} after another XXXX more calls and 5 months more invested in getting the refund, again I deposited a check for the {$210.00}, only to have it returned for stop payment. Overdrawing my account again, now - {$390.00}. and because I'm XXXX, only receiving SSDI monthly my account remained over drawn, and the bank closed my account before I was paid and able to bring it positive in time to keep it open. This credit card company owes me {$210.00}, charged to me for a secured credit card without even processing the application. They made me fought for 8 months to be refunded only to send refund checks they stopped payment on and I was never refunded and these fraudulent checks caused me to lose more money. In full, they cost me {$310.00} in fees and fraudulently charged me {$210.00}. this companied fraud cost me {$540.00}, half of my monthly XXXX, they caused my bank account to be closed effecting my credit and i can not be the only person they have done this to. 
This fraud by first progress Bank is targeted to people of low income looking to restore their credit. They stole {$220.00} and 8 months of fighting to get it back cost me another {$320.00} depositing their fraudulent refund checks.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation