Consumer complaint received 2023-05-05
Company: United PanAm Financial Corp.
State: LA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Auto debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
I signed a retail loan agreement with United Auto Credit after purchasing a XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX in XXXX, LA. I signed as the primary person on the loan and my husband signed as the cosigner after we signed the loan. We initially, you know, started making payments, but any time that we would miss a payment here or there. Sometimes we would even make small payments if we couldnt make the whole payment for that month. When we missed ANY payment, it seemed like we would get a phone call every single day multiple times a day about the missed payment. And that continued for until XX/XX/XXXX. So finally, when I was going through credit repair, or we were going through credit repair. I found out that the percentage in which we were paying for the truck would take us more than the amount of time to pay off the loan with United Auto credit. So, I reached out to their corporate office about getting a refinance. We did get a refinance at a lower rate. The rate was cut in half from our previous finance rate, but it still was super expensive. So, after we got the rate cut in half, we made the payments to the best of our ability. Again, any time that we were behind, even though there's a 10-day grace period allotted after the payment is due, they would call every single day. Around the clock. They would call family members, friends, anybody that they could XXXX on white pages that was possibly related to you. I even received a message from my sister stating that her ex received the phone call from united auto credit saying we were past due on our payments. My sisters ex was nowhere on our contract application as one of our references stating that they were calling her because we owe them debt. I immediately called United Auto and asked them why they called her because some way this has got to be illegal for you to reach out to people that have nothing to do with my consumer auto loan. And they assured me that they can reach out to whoever if the debtor does not answer their multiple harassing calls. Relatives and all, regarding the debt matter. What's crazy is they violated laws by telling them exactly what was going on, and I have several voicemails I have text messages, screenshots, all of that. So, after going through this nightmare and seeing that we were getting nowhere with continuing to pay United Auto for the truck and after receiving so many extensions, including through COVID, I reached out to United auto on several occasions about our payment history. How is it possible that we've made this many payments and we're not even halfway through paying for the vehicle? And nobody could give me an answer after. After reaching out to their corporate office and supervisors. Nobody could give me an answer on why they were threatening to repo the vehicle. And also, I couldn't talk to anybody about getting an extension, you know, just to be able to make payments as we could. Because I mean it again, it was COVID everybody 's hours and it was a hard time for everybody. So after speaking to several people, I just decided that I was through with United Auto. I didn't want to deal with it anymore. Due to the constant harassment regarding payments due to the threats that you would constantly receive by mail that they were going to come and repossess the vehicle and even when were at a point to where they were going to come and get the vehicle, they agreed to accept the accept multiple payments of money we didnt have to spare so that we would not lose the vehicle. A representative even stated that if I missed one of the scheduled pts they would immediately cancel the verbal agreement and repossess the vehicle immediately. We experienced financial stress because the recurring threats that we could lose our vehicle any day if we did not pay when they said pay. Finally, we got it refinanced with a new credit union. I spoke to them about settling for XXXX to completely get United Auto out of lives and just pay the new lender. The gentleman who spoke to the credit union loan agent told them about the agreement of me signing the contract agreement to settle for XXXX grand. He also gave us an ultimatum. Once I signed the settlement agreement, the credit union only had three days to have the check mailed and, in their hands, or the contract would be void. I missed work to make sure the credit union had everything they needed from me so that there would be no delay. So the credit union, as long as well as I, had to rush and actually have everything done from the contract down to the check being mailed and sent to them within three days. And once they got it, they immediately put it as paid in settlement but there's still a balance. And since then, they have been ruining my credit every month. Constantly by reporting that it was settled, and the other amount was written off which reports as debt to the bureaus. All of those missed payments, even though this agreement has been settled. Everyone had a copy of the settlement agreement, including the credit union. They no longer financed it. The account should have been closed. It should be reported as settle and paid as agreed. And I've disputed this on multiple occasions, but it it's I'm not getting anywhere, and it will get deleted then they will report it as a new closed account a few months later. In my speaking to the corporate office I began to suspect that something fishy or illegal was going on. Even when I ask for a copy of statements would take them more than three days to email it sometimes. When I asked for a copy of our contract that we signed initially. I only got the 1st 2 pages and not the FULL contract which showed multiple consumer law and retail contract violations. When I asked for statements from the last six months of statements and a full printout of all the payments made during the contract, It took them days to email me back. I knew then that something's not adding up and there is an immense amount of fraud going on with United Auto. The reason why I'm sending this now is to 1. help enlighten the CFPB and FTC of exactly what's going on with United Auto Credit as a lender. 2. to also hopefully prevent someone else from going through this nightmare with this lender. Because it has been a nightmare trying to get rid of not only that consumer loan, which has fraudulent information in it, there was no percentage rate. I mean it, it violated so many laws. It's ridiculous. Also, To help educate someone that you know these kind of criminals are still out here. They're still selling vehicles like this and there are everyday hard working American families that are getting railroaded by these car lot agents to sign contracts with companies that will make them regret the day they did. I pray this helps another consumer to know the CFPB has a copious amount of information related to consumer laws, debt collector laws, and how to protect ourselves as consumers when these laws and our consumer rights are both violated.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation