Consumer complaint received 2023-01-17
Company: Bridgecrest Acceptance Corporation
State: TX
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Struggling to pay your loan
Sub-issue: Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle

Complaint:
This is regarding a XXXX XXXX XXXX that was purchased through XXXX and financed through their in house financing Bridgecrest ( based out of XXXX ) XXXX XXXX I asked company for payment plan or deferment as I was behind in payments and having financial hardship and assistance would have allowed me to catch up the loan in just a couple months time. I explained the situation and the agent agreed that I was indeed having a hardship and they could do a deferment plan. Company then refused to work on payment plan or deferment unless I paid past due in full first. I explained that defeated the purpose, I wouldnt be asking for assistance if I could pay in full. They refused to work with me. They told me to call back when I could make the full payment. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was repossessed XXXX XXXX XXXX {$1700.00} ( had to get a loan from a family member ) in two payments to have car released from repo ( {$1300.00} + {$400.00} ) - Agent originally pulled up wrong account and almost had me pay on account for someone named XXXX - Agent made mistake and processed the total amount incorrectly and for {$400.00} less than what he told me they were charging. Agent then ran second transaction for the difference and charged me a SECOND processing fee despite the error being on his part. 
- Had to pay {$50.00} XXXXXXXX to repo yard nearly an hour away to pickup my car. 

XXXX XXXX Car illegally repoed - I went outside the morning of the XX/XX/XXXX and my car was gone. 
- I lost a job because this caused me to miss an important interview that morning - Bridgecrest would not immediately return stolen vehicle. Quoted XXXX for them to review my case- I contacted the police but they said it was a civil matter and they couldnt do anything at the time. 
- Had to call Bridgecrest repeatedly throughout the day and was told they would call when done with their review. I was extremely distraught and stressed how they were impacting my income and they had no legal grounds to touch the car after it had been released just days earlier. They didnt care. 
- I called the following morning and they said they had approved the car for release the day prior. This is not what I was told the day prior and nobody had contacted me XXXX XXXX XXXX car out of second repo. 
XXXX Bridgecrest did not make arrangements for car to be brought back in timely manner, quoted XXXX XXXX XXXX to return car. This is on a Friday before a holiday weekend. I would have lost a weeks pay if I waited - They would not provide address for where the car was. Only a phone number and the agency holding the car would schedule an appt for the following Monday at the earliest. I had to XXXX to find their address and show up unannounced to retrieve my car. 
XXXX Bridgecrest did not initially notate the car as wrongfully repossessed so I had to call them again so they would inform the repo company this was a wrongful repossession and the car needed to be released immediately. 
- Bridgecrest refused to compensate for cost of trip to retrieve vehicle - Bridgecrest refused to compensate for lost wages due to their actions - When I got to repo yard ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) they had sent wrong release forms to the company. The forms were for the original repossession and had the wrong date and company name on forms. I called and they quoted 24hrs to fix the forms, I said absolutely not and had to argue with them to get them to repair their mistake so I could have my car released to me. 

The payment record according to Bridgecrest showed that I paid them XX/XX/XXXX, then the payments were returned. This is untrue and fraudulently being reported. I paid the amount they gave me to cover past due balance, current balance, and repo fees. That was the {$1700.00}. My bank has provided me with signed documents showing I made both payments on the XXXX of XXXX and the payments posted on XX/XX/XXXX. They were never returned as the Bridgecrest and XXXX ledgers suggest. According to Bridgecrest records the payments were reversed on XX/XX/XXXX ( but according to XXXX record they were reversed XXXX. ) As of today XX/XX/XXXX my balance is showing - {$1700.00} and nearly 90 days late. Bridgecrest is claiming their accounting team is just processing the payment and this is completely normal. 

They have created a fraudulent record of my payments to them. They have received money that the record is claiming they do not have. Interest is accruing DAILY on the account on an amount higher than what it should be because they have not applied my payments. I believe this is both fraud and theft on their part. 

I have never received any kind of statement or monthly billing documents from this company. There is no breakdown on what is owed, running balance, where my money is going, or the terms of the loan. I dont even know how long the loan period is for or what the interest rate is. 

The original financing amount can not be looked up, nor the amount of interest charged YTD or last year. I know the car originally financed for just over {$19000.00}. As of today ( one full year of XXXX XXXX monthly payments ) the account says my principal balance is {$18000.00}. 

The car was not worth what they charged in the first place. When I purchased the car last year ( XX/XX/XXXX ) They charged about {$17000.00} before any fees for a used XXXX XXXX XXXX that had XXXX miles on it. When they delivered the car it did not even have functioning brakes or the correct wheel well liners. I had to fight the company to have them pay for new brakes and rotors. The car was delivered dirty ( sent pics into the company ) and had many small damages that were not reported in the listing. I believe they used covid as an excuse to price gouge on these vehicles as there were no other options available. Because the car was sold for significantly higher than its value I can not refinance the loan with another company. It is severely underwater. 

This company is very dishonest in their practices. They price gouged on the original purchase, they do not provided proper documentation or statements or any financial information about the loan, they refused to offer assistance to avoid repossession in the first place despite financial hardship. They have falsified my payment records and continue to charge interest on a higher principal by not applying my payments. I have the bank records to confirm they received payment on XX/XX/XXXX ( posted the XX/XX/XXXX. ) They have caused serious financial losses to me in lost wages and a lost job plus significant emotional trauma. All of which they refuse to compensate me for or take any responsibility for. The majority of the agents I have spoken to during this time have been completely indifferent to my situation and their companies role. 

They have claimed that my car will not be repossessed again despite them not correcting my payment records but I believe this to be a lie as well. This morning XX/XX/XXXX there was a tow truck lurking around my apartment and driving in circles looking for something. I am completely terrified my car ( and income ) will be stolen again and am afraid to go home. I can not even park at my own home for fear of losing my car at this point. I believe what this company is doing is extremely abusive and illegal. I would like to see compensation for the damages their fraud and negligence has caused me and I would like them to be held criminally liable and prevented from being able to abuse any consumers like this in the future.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation