Consumer complaint received 2019-04-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: CT

Complaint narrative:
Hello, On XX/XX/2019 while checking out at a XXXX XXXX  store located in XXXX, CT, I was asked if I would be interested in the store rewards card. Assuming this was just a card that accumulated points for purchases in store, I agreed. 

However, when the cashier began to ask me for my social security number, drivers license, etc. I asked why she needed that information. She replied it was necessary for the store rewards card. As I believed this to only be a store card I provided the requested information. 

At no point in this process did the cashier indicate in any way that this was a credit card application. If she had I would have immediately declined as I had no desire for another credit card. When she informed me that I had been approved I was flabbergasted and asked why she had not told me this was a credit card. Her response was that she had told me it was a store rewards card. 

As this was a Saturday ; I contacted the creditor, Synchrony Bank, on Monday, XX/XX/2019 to have them cancel this card and asked them to remove this inquiry from my credit report. The representative was helpful and cancelled the card and told me he would forward my request to have the inquiry removed. I emphatically told him that I was intentionally misled and not informed that this was a credit card application. He indicated he would provide that information. 

On XX/XX/2019 I received a response from Synchrony Bank, copy attached, in which they informed me that as I had provided the necessary information for their paperless credit card application they were not able to remove this credit inquiry. They went on to inform me that compliance is very important to them and they follow all applicable laws as outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). If that is so, then their employees should disclose to customers that they are applying for a CREDIT CARD and not a STORE REWARDS CARD. 

Additionally, they state in their letter to me that it was fully disclosed to me on the application that Synchrony Bank would access my credit file when processing my application. However, as this was a paperless application as they stated, how would I have known that? They clearly have contradicted themselves in this instance. 

As I was misled ; whether intentional or not ; this practice clearly is in violation of the FCRA in which a consumer needs to be fully informed of what they are applying for. Im sure I am not the only consumer that may have been impacted by this practice ; not only at this store. This may be their store practice to encourage their employees with incentives on accounts opened. 

I respectfully ask that this inquiry be removed from my credit report immediately.

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