Consumer complaint received 2018-07-22
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: GA
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Struggling to pay your loan
Sub-issue: Loan balance remaining after the vehicle is repossessed and sold

Complaint:
Around XX/XX/XXXX, my car was repossessed. I was involved in a car accident XX/XX/XXXX and I informed my lienholder and let them know that I was involved in a car accident and that I was injured in the accident. I ended up going through treatment over 2 months for treatment from my injuries sustained from the accident. The driver of the other vehicle hit me and my car lifted off the ground causing damage to the frame. My insurance attempted to work with the lienholder as well. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called my lienholder and asked them what did I need to get the car back so that insurance company could possibly total out my vehicle. The rep from PNC said not to pay anything yet until I got the letter in the mail from PNC. They also told me that the letter tells everything that I need to get the vehicle back and that the reason that I needed to wait on the letter is so that I will not expect to pay one amount and end up being higher than I thought. I also informed the rep about the insurance company and how the car may be a total loss due to the frame of the car. I spoke with a manager named XXXX as well who stated that the repossession team would work with XXXX in order to resolve the manner. I was advised by the repossession team that they would be working with my insurance company to resolve the issue. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone call from my adjuster with XXXX who informed me that the tow yard and told refused to release the vehicle to XXXX to resolve the issue of the car being in the accident and that they needed to speak with me. So I called the tow yard and they informed me that they don't have permission to release the car until the XXXX and when I asked to whom. They said a company in Florida and I asked them why would they do that, they advised me the company was an auction. I asked for more information and they referred me to PNC. When I called PNC, they advised me that they had all of the information in the letter that they sent out to me via certified mail. I asked for the tracking number and then advised the PNC rep that I never received it and the package still stays in transit as of XX/XX/XXXX. I asked the rep did she check the tracking number and she said she didn't need to because she finds it hard to believe that I didn't receive something when they have a tracking number. I called corporate escalations on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with a manager named XXXX XXXX for about an hour about the issue and she told me that she would work on getting me another letter and stopping the repossession 's auction process and get more information from the team and that she would call me back by the XXXX. I contacted my personal injury attorney as well and informed them of this and they advised me to follow up with her on that Wednesday if XXXX didn't call me. XXXX did not call me at all so I called her back and was told on the XXXX that she had not heard anything from the repo team and that she would follow up with me as soon as she did. In the meantime, XXXX had called several times about paying PNC for the car that was not in safe driving conditions ( which my lawyer also kept a record of the problems with the car ). On XX/XX/XXXX, I went to the tow yard to get my things out of the car. When I arrived at the tow yard, they told me that PNC had behaved in an unusual manner. They had not given the tow yard notice any information about the amount that was owed to release the car ( even after XXXX offered to help pay it ). They also advised me that the company ( PNC ) advised them to change the locks on the car and prepare it for auction on the third day of the tow yard having the vehicle. I found this out because I tried to hand the worker my keys and she told me that the lienholder had them to cut new keys for the car after the car being there for three days. PNC also interfered with XXXX 's investigation of declaring the vehicle as a total loss because XXXX tried getting the keys from me to investigate my car and PNC didn't tell anyone that they changed the locks and wouldn't give XXXX the option to properly inspect a vehicle that was not safe to drive. I took a XXXX to the tow yard. I was told that it was extremely unusual for a lienholder not to tell how much is owed on the vehicle and that most of the vehicles that are left there are not there longer than 3 days and PNC never told the company what was needed to release it. On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX called and left me a voicemail at XXXXXXXX XXXX to call her back when I get her message or speak to someone in the escalations team. XXXX normally gets off at XXXX XXXX and the tow yard closes at XXXX, which means that the car already had been released to the auction. I have no idea how much is owed or anything like storage fees, etc. I called the escalations team and spoke with a manager who told me that on the XXXX that I had to have paid the past due balance by the XXXX to prevent the car from going to auction. I confronted the manager for not only releasing a dangerous vehicle to the auction but calling me after the car was released to the auction and not informing me ahead of time or working with me. I also confronted her for being fully aware at least since XX/XX/XXXX that I NEVER received another letter. I also had the company to update my address for me to receive mail which they did not do intentionally. Even the old address that they sent it to is a relative 's home address who would have informed me of the package not arriving yet. As of Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, I still have not received anything from PNC about what was owed on that vehicle. I also contacted lawyers who told me to first report them to consumer protection agencies and then we can proceed if necessary but to make sure that I reported it before the statute of limitations ran out. The lienholder was not only informed by me but the insurance company and refused to work with any of us about resolving the issue. They even reported it on my credit when the insurance company even told them that the car was possibly a total loss due to the injuries that I sustained from being the driver of that car in the accident. I reported this company to the Georgia Consumer Protection agency who informed me that this is not normal for PNC to do this especially since state law says that they must give me a written notice about a vehicle to not only give me a chance to get the car back but before they send it off to public auction. I didn't get any of that. Also on the XXXX, I asked the gentleman what would happen should I get the car back and he told me that PNC would open the account back as if the repossession never happened and start back where we left off but they closed the account. I have recordings of the woman calling me after the balance was supposed to be repaid, my insurance adjuster also has recordings of the calls and manager information letting them know what happened with the car and even trying to pay the company. I also have screenshots to go against the company as well. The company refused to send me another letter so that I could make the account current and before the repossession when I let them know that I was out of work for over 2 months on FMLA leave due to my injuries the company refused to negotiate with me to temporarily lower my payments until I finished paying. They even refused to take partial money. Not only was I injured in the same car, I had a passenger in the car that was also injured and they still sent it off to public auction knowing the dangers of the car. Not only am I now without the car and still injured from the accident, I am now responsible for something that I was denied my rights to and they did not make any effort to resolve this. Also when XXXX was supposed to call me back, her coworker informed me that I didn't prevent the car from going to auction by paying the balance on the XXXX and I informed her that I never knew how much was owed which is why XXXX was supposed to resolve this for me which is the purpose of her calling me back which she never did until the XXXX. I have had enough of this company and tried to resolve it with them but obviously, they feel that they do not have to not only respond to their customers but that they can do as they please and put people 's lives in danger. I will also be contacting the transportation bureaus to let them know that the company intentionally released a car to the public that not only were people injured in but did not resolve the issue or allow the insurance company to do what they needed to do to resolve the issue. I also have written documentation from my insurance company supporting the lack of effort of PNC to resolve the issue including them refusing to let me or the insurance company know what was needed to make the account current to have it released. The fact that they negatively influenced an insurance inspection is also beyond low. Also when I called multiple federal agencies on XX/XX/XXXX, they advised me to go online to submit a complaint and that I could later go and submit more documentation as needed. I have also attached the tracking number and the status of the letter that the company claims has the information on how to make my account current that I never received nor was it attempted to be delivered to me. They didn't email me either tell me how much it was either. No call. No nothing. Also according to the rep on the XXXX there was supposed to be a 5 day investigation and then I have 23 days to make the account current but don't do anything until I get my letter but since the company was working with the insurance company that I should just wait for the letter and take it from there. I'm tired of this keeping me up at night.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation