Consumer complaint received 2024-12-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Problem when making payments — Problem during payment process
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: MN

Complaint narrative:
I have a XXXX store card with Synchrony. I recently purchased a new XXXX device using the store card. I have always had an auto-payment set up on my account so that it is either my set amount or the minimum payment. After my new device purchase and trade-in went through, I had a new balance representative of what was left from my device purchase to be paid over 24 months. However, when viewing my account my upcoming minimum payment was showing as the entirety of my device balance. I contacted a customer service representative on XX/XX/year> and explained what I was seeing. The representative told me that this was a technical error and would be forwarded to their engineering team and not to worry, that it would be fixed before my next payment. 

On XX/XX/year> I received an email saying my next payment was coming up and was going to be for the entirety of my balance. I contacted XXXX XXXX at Synchrony customer service once again. I explained the problem and they reviewed my previous chat. I was then told once again that I should " just trust them '' and there was " nothing to worry about '' and that my autopay was still showing it would be debiting for only my set amount and that, again, it was a technical error. When asked why I should trust them and what would happen if the full balance was in fact taken from my payment account, I was not given an answer and just continually told to " trust them ''. On my account page itself, a new banner had appeared saying " your autpayment of XXXX  will be debited on XXXX '', where XXXX  was the amount I had set as a recurring payment. I asked if I should cancel my autopayment for the time being and was told not to change anything so the team can be sure to fix it and I don't fall behind on payments. I said I could make a separate payment, I would just need to know an actual minimum balance. I was told to leave the autopayment, it would only be my set amount, and they would have the minimum payment being displayed incorrectly corrected soon. 

Today, XX/XX/year>, my payment was removed from my checking account for the ENTIRETY of my balance. Nothing that they said was true. The message on my account saying my autopayment of XXXX  set amount would be debited was not true, I should never have trusted any of their representatives who clearly did not actually know what was happening and chaulked it up to a technical error without actually looking into anything. 

I returned to their chat today to tell them of the gross negligence and incompetence and asked how they were going to refund the payment and what they would do to make right the additional fees I would be incurring from my bank and to ensure I had the money returned before I fell behind on other bills as a result of this sudden, fully preventable, lack of funds. I was told they could send a refund check in XXXX weeks and nothing more. 

2 days before XXXX and they stole all of this money from me. And then some because of the fallout from this lack of funds.

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 monetary relief