Hi guys,
In March 2023, I opened a JCPenney card through Synchrony Bank and made purchases, which I paid off on time. In June, I applied for a personal loan through a bank to cover emergency auto repairs. My good credit allowed me to secure the loan, but it was contingent on paying off two cards: one with JCPenney and one for medical expenses. The medical card was cleared immediately, but the JCPenney account required a check.
Using the account number on my JCPenney statement, the bank sent a check for $307 to cover the balance. A month later, I received a notification from JCPenney claiming I still owed money, as they hadn’t received the check. I contacted the loan bank, which confirmed that the check was received and cleared. I then reached out to JCPenney, and they requested a copy of the check and confirmation from my bank. After my bank provided these documents, JCPenney admitted to applying the payment to the wrong account but couldn’t determine where it went. They requested the documents again, which my bank sent a third time, and I also sent them certified mail.
During the dispute process from June to October, I was credited $307 so I didn’t have to make payments, and my balance was shown as $0. However, in December, I received another notification stating I owed $307. I called and was informed that the payment was mistakenly applied to an old account due to a name error on the new card. They assured me that I didn’t owe anything, and the notification was removed.
In January, the same issue occurred. I was told the $307 credit was double-billed during the dispute process and that I didn’t owe anything. However, when I called again recently, a rude representative said it was my problem that the payment was applied to the wrong account. She claimed they had never received any confirmation or proof of payment. Each time this happens, my credit report is negatively affected, and I’m at my wit’s end. What are my options to resolve this issue?