Consumer complaint received 2018-09-10
Company: Westlake Services, LLC
State: ND
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease
Sub-issue: Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off

Complaint:
My wife has called in and spoken to several different people who have not been helpful and have hung up on her. At the end of XX/XX/XXXX   the XXXX  that is financed on this loan was damaged in a hail storm. On XX/XX/XXXX I made a payment against the loan and spoke to a westlake representative about this issue and that the insurance company would be contacting them about payoff. I asked that the automatic payments be shut off and was assured no additional payments would be taken. After communication from the insurance company and a letter being signed by Westlake showing their intent to send the title to the insurance company after payoff was received, a payment was taken out of my bank account on XX/XX/2018. Westlake had confirmation that the loan was being paid off by the insurance company and provided the payoff amount. The payment that was electronically taken out of the bank account held by my wife and I was taken incorrectly. My wife is trying to get this resolved with Westlake and is being told that the money will be returned within 21 business days. She has been transferred around, put on hold and then miraculously disconnected by two individuals in two different departments. I have emailed Westlake Customer email and received a response back that I would be contacted within 10 days. I have called on multiple occasions to be left on hold and never make it to a person. I finally made it to someone today and asked for a supervisor only to be put on hold over and over and told no supervisor was available. I asked for the next level up and was told they were not available. I asked for someone who had the authority and refused to wait for a call back as I have not received one yet. I was finally put on with a supervisor who talked over me until they finally hung up on me. How is it acceptable for Westlake to take the funds immediately and incorrectly and then to hold onto the funds for an additional month before returning them? Why would it take 21 business days to cut a check and mail it? Who do I need to talk to about refunding my money directly into my account the same way it was taken in a reasonable time? This is a reasonable question that no one can answer except to tell my wife that it is your process. Is it your companys process to take money fraudulently and then to hold it for over a month before returning it? You can not tell me that Westlake has the ability to take the money from my account but do not have the ability to return it the same way when a mistake has been made. You can not tell me that it takes 21 business days for Westlake to cut a check and to send it in the mail. You can not tell me that there is not one person within Westlake that has the authority to correct a mistake such as this faster than 21 business days. 

It is ridiculous to even think that anyone would accept someone taking funds out of their bank account incorrectly and would not be upset that they have to wait approximately a month for the return of those funds. Would you accept this explanation?

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation