Consumer complaint received 2025-08-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: WI

Complaint narrative:
I am a responsible credit user with multiple credit cards through various issuers. Several of these accounts, including the Harbor Freight credit card ( issued and managed by Synchrony Bank XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX include a payment protection or account security plan intended to provide financial support in the event of unexpected hardship. These protection plans come with an additional monthly fee, which I have willingly paid in good faith under the assumption that the service would be honored and correctly billed. 

All of my credit cards are set to automatic payments for the minimum amount due each month, a method that ensures timely payments and avoids delinquency. As I understand standard credit industry practices, the minimum amount due should include interest charges, applicable fees, and at least a small portion toward the principal balance allowing the balance to gradually decrease over time if no new purchases are made. 

This expectation holds true across all of my credit accounts except for the one issued by Synchrony Bank. Despite having no new purchases for years, I noticed that my XXXX XXXX card balance was increasing month after month. Synchrony Bank sets a flat {$30.00} minimum payment that appears to only cover interest, a paper statement fee, and a small portion of the balance while completely excluding the monthly XXXX XXXX fee. 

When I contacted Synchrony Bank to address this, I was told that any questions related to the XXXX XXXX plan had to be directed to a separate department at ( XXXX ) XXXX. I did call that number, promptly cancelled the service, and inquired about compensation for the extra debt that had accrued. That department told me they had no authority over the credit card balance and referred me back to Synchrony starting a cycle of deflection and denial. 

When I pressed Synchrony Bank for a resolution, they claimed they could not credit the XXXX XXXX fees, again insisting that the service is managed by a separate company. Even after escalating the matter to a supervisor, I received no accountability only repeated claims that they couldnt do anything, despite confirming that all fees should be included in the minimum payment due. The supervisor even went so far as to say the XXXX XXXX fee is not a fee, but a purchase from a third-party vendor. 

This is clearly false. On Synchronys own website and billing statements, the XXXX XXXX charge is clearly classified as a fee in their own system. Furthermore, public records and online research show that both the XXXX XXXX phone number and mailing address ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, GA XXXX ) return varied but related results, many of which associate them with Synchrony Bank XXXX 

To better understand the relationship, I reviewed the FAQ on Synchronys site and performed a XXXX search of the provided contact details. While it is true that the company operating the XXXX XXXX phone line and address is a third-party administrator, their role is limited to facilitating and managing the service not handling billing or credit card balances. Their function is comparable to a company like XXXX, which may manage leaves of absence for employers but does not control payroll or HR policies. 

This is confirmed by a formal response posted on the XXXX XXXX XXXX website by the XXXX XXXX XXXX. In that response, they wrote : " We are a third-party administrator for the XXXX XXXX program... Synchrony provides this optional product, and it is an addendum to the credit card agreement... The fee for this program is charged to your credit card account by Synchrony. '' This response can be found on the XXXX  website at the following link for reference : XXXX XXXX XXXX So while Synchrony may contract out administration, they are clearly the provider of the XXXX XXXX XXXX and the entity that charges the fee to customers accounts. Therefore, their refusal to include the fee in the minimum payment due is both misleading and financially harmful. 

Had the minimum payment been calculated properly including the XXXX XXXX fee my balance would likely have been paid off by now. Instead, I am further in debt despite never missing a single payment. 

I want to emphasize that I did not request a full credit to XXXX out my balance, though I believe such a remedy would be justified. Instead, I reasonably requested that Synchrony calculate how much additional debt had been added to my account solely due to their flawed billing practice, and to credit that amount only back to my account. If any balance remained afterward, I would have no issue paying it. 

Despite this fair and well-supported request, Synchrony refused to take any corrective action. Their unwillingness to resolve a legitimate issue even after being presented with factual documentation is unacceptable and deeply concerning. 

This is not an isolated incident. Numerous other complaints, including those found on your own site, reference misleading practices and poor transparency by Synchrony Bank. This behavior appears to reflect a broader pattern of systemic abuse and deflection of responsibility, designed to take advantage of customers who trust their systems to operate fairly.

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