Consumer complaint received 2020-02-07
Company: COMMUNITY CHOICE FINANCIAL, INC.
State: CA
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan
Sub-product: Payday loan
Issue: Loan payment wasn't credited to your account

Complaint:
On or about XX/XX/2019 I took out a payday loan from the Buckeye Check  Cashing aka BCCI Cash One Store located on XXXX XXXX in XXXX California. The loan was for {$250.00}, in which I signed an agreement to payback the loan in the Amount of {$250.00} plus a {$45.00} finance charge, on my next pay period, XX/XX/2019. Due to an unexpected hardship, two other creditors debited my account which caused it to be overdrawn. I called BCCI XX/XX/XXXX to ask for additional time to pay my loan back, stating I didn't have the funds yet in my account and explained my circumstance. A customer service rep from the XXXX store stated that they could only hold it for another day, that if they deposit the check, if it is returned, I could come in and pay it back with a return check fee of {$15.00}, the {$250.00} loan, and the {$45.00} finance charge for the loan. The check # XXXX was deposited into my bank account later during the same week of XX/XX/XXXX. It was returned as insufficient by my bank. I was also charged a returned check fee by my bank of {$35.00}. On XX/XX/2019, I received a Demand for Full Payment Letter from the Cash One Corporate office in Ohio. The letter was defamatory, shaming and accused me of attempting to avoid my responsibility of paying back the loan. The Corporate office never spoke to the local XXXX CA store to find out what my circumstance was. On XX/XX/2019, I paid my loan off in full for a {$310.00} cash payment at the XXXX Store. On XX/XX/XXXX, the Ohio Corporate office re-deposited my check # XXXX that they kept that was previously returned, and they submitted another ach debit of {$300.00} from my checking account again. It caused my account to become overdrawn. This redeposit caused all my other ACH debits/bills, etc. to bounce ; it caused me to have to make a cash deposit to get a rental car, because my debit card linked to the checking account was declined. I was charged another {$35.00} for insufficient funds and return of this check, a second time which I feel is illegal. The Corporate office did not check their account system to see that I had paid the loan off inside the XXXX store in cash the day before. I contacted the Ohio corporate office 5 times by phone with no response to the request to be reimbursed. I sent two demand reimbursement letters, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/2019 stating I needed to be reimbursed with no response. On XX/XX/2019, I finally got through by phone to a rep and asked about getting reimbursed, and the letters I previous sent. I demanded the {$35.00} NSF fees because the loan was paid in full, a total of {$310.00}, plus {$70.00} total for returned check fees. I was put on hold for 20 minutes, then told I would be getting a letter stating my request for reimbursement was denied, regardless of their error made. I never got another letter. I want the FTC to look at filing a class action against this company for illegally keeping personal checks and redepositing them multiple times until they get a payment when they know your payroll is being direct deposited into your bank, instead of trying to work with the consumer. They make assumptions about your character without knowing what your circumstances are, or what you are enduring in your personal life.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation