Consumer complaint received 2023-09-29
Company: CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION
State: MI
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease
Sub-issue: Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing

Complaint:
ON XX/XX/XXXX, I RECEIVED A SLOT MACHINE THEMED PULL-TAB MAILER FROM XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX AT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, MI XXXX. BECAUSE I WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF A VEHICLE, I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE MY MAILER SHOWED THAT I WAS A " GRAND PRIZE WINNER ''. I WAS CONTACTED BY AN XXXX XXXX WHO WAS WORKING AT THE DEALERSHIP BUT WAS " A FLOATER WHO WORKED WITH SEVERAL OF THE XXXX XXXX  LOCATIONS ''. HER PHONE NUMBER WAS XXXX. WHEN I SPOKE WITH XXXX, I WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST VEHICLE LOAN, MY CREDIT SCORE WAS LOW DUE TO LACK OF CREDIT HISTORY, THAT I WOULD ONLY CONSIDER PURCHASING A TRUCK OR SUV. BUT PREFERRED A TRUCK. XXXX PROMISED ME THAT THIS DEALERSHIP COULD HELP WITH MY NEEDS AND GET ME INTO A GREAT VEHICLE. I WAS ALSO VERY CANDID WITH XXXX ABOUT MY BEING XXXX. AND THAT I NEEDED VERY TRANSPARENT AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION. THERE WERE MULTIPLE TEXTS BACK AND FORTH CONFIRMING ALL OF THIS INFORMATION. ( XXXX STATES THEY DON'T KEEP THE ACTUAL TEXT MESSAGE CONTENTS. BUT I DO HAVE PHONE RECORDS SHOWING THE MULTIPLE CALLS AND SHOWING THAT MESSAGES WERE SENT AND RECEIVED FROM HER ). XXXX STATED THAT I HAD TO COME INTO THE DEALERSHIP WITH MY MAILER TO ENTER MY MAILER CODE INTO THEIR LAPTOP TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT I HAD WON. SHE ALSO STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO RUN A CREDIT CHECK TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF FINANCING THEY COULD GET ME. ON XX/XX/XXXX, I PROVIDED XXXX WITH MY NAME, SSN, AND INCOME VIA PAY SLIPS. SHE CAME TO PICK ME UP ON XXXX FOR AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP. IT TURNED OUT THAT I HAD NOT WON THE " GRAND PRIZE ''. BUT INSTEAD, I HAD " WON '' {$2000.00} OFF OF THE PURCHASE OF A VEHICLE. XXXX AND THE SALES MANAGER TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO PRESSURE ME INTO PURCHASING A XXXX XXXX. I TOLD THEM FLAT OUT TO TAKE ME HOME AS I TOLD THEM UP FRONT THAT I WOULD ABSOLUTELY NEVER CONSIDER PURCHASING ANYTHING OTHER THAN A TRUCK OR SUV. THE SALES MANAGER XXXX XXXX XXXX, FINALLY TOLD XXXX TO TELL ME THAT THEY HAD AN AS-IS TRUCK THEY COULD GET ME INTO. IT WAS A XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX WITH XXXX MILES ON IT. THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND TPMS LIGHT WERE ON. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRUCK HAD AN OPEN RECALL ON THE XXXX AIR BAG RECALL. BUT THAT THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT FIX IT. ( DEALERSHIPS DON'T EVEN PAY FOR THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER PAYS FOR THOSE. I HAD TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO XXXX XXXX TO GET THE RECALL REPAIR DONE ). XXXX XXXX NEVER PROVIDED ME WITH A BUYER 'S GUIDE. THEY ALSO DID NOT DISCLOSE THAT THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE DOOR LOCKS. THE REAR WHEEL WELLS ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. ( UNABLE TO SEE DUE TO PLASTIC FENDER FLARES ). I HAVE XXXX DIFFERENT PURCHASE AGREEMENTS WITH DIFFERING PRICES. ( NEITHER OF WHICH SHOWS THE {$2000.00} OFF THE PURCHASE PRICE ). THE TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE OF THE TRUCK AS SHOWS ON THE LOAN CONTRACT FROM CREDIT ACCEPTANCE ( AT 22.99 % APY ) IS $ XXXX, WHICH INCLUDES {$1500.00} AS A ( CASH DOWN PAYMENT BUT WAS ACTUALLY THE TRADE-IN VALUE THEY GAVE ME FOR THE XXXX XXXX XXXX I XXXX XXXX ). SO, INCLUDING THE SUPOSSED {$2000.00} OFF THE PURCHASE PRICE I HAD " WON '' FROM THEIR PULL-TAB MAILER IS {$21000.00}. THERE ARE NUMEROUS ILLEGAL STATEMENTS IN THE LOAN CONTRACT FROM CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORP. INCLUDING STATEMENTS ABOUT ARBITRATION, AND EXCELLERATED PAYMENTS SHOULD I DEFAULT ON THE LOAN. IN A COMPLAINT I SUBMITTED TO THE MICHIGAN STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, I RECEIVED A REPLY FROM CREDIT ACCEPTANCE STATING THAT THE CONTRACT STATES I WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THE PRICE ( WHICH I WAS NOT ALLOWED ) I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE PRICE. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMAITON ABOUT VETERANS ' OR TYPES OF DISCOUNTS. THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. XXXX EVEN KEPT LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER WHEN HAVING ME DO THE ELECTRONIC PAPERWORK, RUSHING ME ALONG. STATING THAT I NEEDED TO HURRY AND THAT THIS WAS ALL " STANDARD '' PAPERWORK. CREDIT ACCEPTANCE EVEN STATED THAT THEY CHECKED WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD THEM THAT THEY DON'T SEND THESE TYPES OF MAILERS. I HAVE PROOF THAT XXXX XXXX DID SEND THESE MAILERS. THE LENDER PERFORMED PREDITORY LENDING PRACTICES AGAINST ME, AND WORKED IN COLLUSSION WITH THE DEALERSHIP ( LOAN CONTRACT STATES THEY HAVE " AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DEALERSHIP '' ) TO GROSSLY OVERCHARGE ME FOR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP ( XXXX XXXX XXXX AND XXXX XXXX ) ALSO PERFORMED DECEPTIVE/AGGRESSIVE SALES TACTICS, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY XXXX IN BEING XXXX. REFUSED TO FIX AN OPEN SAFETY RECALL WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE COSTED THE DEALERSHIP A XXXX. 

IN LOOKING AT XXXX  AND XXXX, THE VEHICLE IS WORTH BETWEEN {$2300.00} AND {$5700.00} WITH THE MILAGE ON IT. 

THE DEALERSHIP ALSO PERFORMED IDENTITY FRAUD BY NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL FALSE LOAN APPLICATIONS ON THE DATES OF XX/XX/XXXX AND XX/XX/XXXX. MANY FOR OTHER VEHICLES I NEVER SAW, HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT, OR WAS AWARE OF IN ANY WAY. THE ONLY VEHICLE I WAS SHOWN, KNEW ABOUT OR AUTHORIZED ANY LOAN APPLICATION BE APPLIED FOR WAS THE TRUCK I PURCHASED. MANY OF THOSE HAD REBUTTLE TERMS SENT BACK BY THE LENDERS WHO DENIED THE TERMS INITIALLY REQUESTED IN THE FALSE LOAN APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO INFLATED MY INCOME AFTER I HAD ADVISED THEM OF MY CORRECT PAY AND PROVIDED PAY SLIPS TO THEM ON XXXX 


I HAVE TRIED MANY, MANY TIMES TO GET THIS INFORMATION FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REFUSE TO EVEN TAKE MY CALLS UNLESS I CALL FROM A NUMBER THAT IS NOT MY OWN. THEY EVEN AGREED ABOUT A MONTH AGO TO PROVIDE ME WITH AN ADDITIONAL COPY OF THE SALES AGREEMENT. THEY NEVER SENT IT.

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