Consumer complaint received 2025-08-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: IN

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding my recent experience with Synchrony Bank in relation to an unexpected interest charge on my XXXX XXXX account. 

I signed up for a 12-month promotional financing offer which, I now understand, ran from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. However, due to limitations on the mobile app- which only allows access to statements dated back to XX/XX/XXXX - I mistakenly believed that the promotional period ended in XX/XX/XXXX. As a result, I miscalculated my monthly payments, believing I had until XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX to pay off the balance in full. 

Throughout this period, I made consistent payments and even increased my payment amount in XX/XX/XXXX to ensure the balance would be paid off ahead of what I believed was the deadline. It was only after noticing I still owed an outstanding amount and upcoming charges in XX/XX/XXXX that I realized my error. 

To resolve the issue, I spoke with multiple representatives, including three phone calls, an online chat session ( handled by my husband ), and finally, a phone call with a supervisor followed by an account manager, who stated she was the highest authority I could speak with. Unfortunately, I found the interactions to be frustrating and dismissive.

Despite acknowledging that the misunderstanding was my own, I referenced Synchronys own public statement that says : Synchrony actively gathers and analyzes customer feedback through various channels, using it to drive continuous innovation and improve the customer journey across all platforms. They aim to identify and solve customer pain points and make their lives easier and more convenient.

This sentiment was not at all reflected in my experience. Each representative repeatedly told me things I had already acknowledged - such as the statement box showing the promotional period end date - rather than working to find a solution. I explained that I do not check every individual statement in detail and did not notice this box until it was too late.

Prior to contacting Synchrony, I had researched and found that Synchrony has offered one-time courtesy adjustments for long-standing, responsible customers. I have never missed a payment with Synchrony or any other credit card company and have always used automatic payments to ensure that my full balance ( not just the minimum ) is paid on time. Despite this, I was told that Synchrony has never issued such a courtesy for a promotional period expiration - a statement I found hard to believe.

Additionally, I respectfully asked how Synchrony handles situations where a customer makes a mistake, and whether the company has the capability to issue a one-time courtesy credit or refund in such cases. In response, she seemed to take this as me blaming Synchrony for the mistake, which I had never implied. I had already clearly stated that the misunderstanding was on my part.

I was simply trying to understand whether Synchrony had the ability to assist customers in situations like mine. Her response came across as defensive and dismissive, and I did not feel heard or understood - despite my efforts to be polite, transparent, and take responsibility for the error.

At the conclusion of the call with the account manager, I expressed my disappointment and chose to pay my current balance off in full and close my XXXX account while still on the phone with her. After hanging up, I also made the decision to pay off and close my remaining Synchrony accounts, including my XXXX account, as I no longer wish to do business with a company that does not seem to value loyal, responsible customers. 

When I informed the account manager of my decision to close the Ashley account, she seemed completely unbothered. Her only response was that she hoped I would remain a loyal customer - a comment that felt dismissive and frankly, insulting, after the time and effort I invested into resolving this misunderstanding.

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