Consumer complaint received 2023-06-10
Company: Affirm Holdings, Inc
State: AL
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan
Sub-product: Personal line of credit
Issue: Problem when making payments

Complaint:
After we experienced a theft of property at our business in XXXX, XXXX I completed an online order for a XXXX XXXX XXXX for the business from XXXX. The order, dated XX/XX/XXXX totaled {$500.00}. I have a copy of this order. 

I processed the order using Credit that I already had established with AFFIRM XXXX and set the purchase up to have monthly payments in the amount of {$48.00} deducted from the XXXX XXXX 's business checking account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I was notified via text message to my personal mobile phone at ( XXXX ) XXXX that the first of the {$48.00} payments would be deducted on XX/XX/XXXX. 

As far as I could tell that {$48.00} payment was completed, because on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a follow-up text message thanking me for the XX/XX/XXXX payment. [ My assumption : the payment was completed without incident ]. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was again notified via text message to my personal mobile phone at ( XXXX ) XXXX that the second of the {$48.00} payments would be deducted on XX/XX/XXXX. 

However on XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX pm, I received a text message this time, stating that " We couldn't process your scheduled payment of {$48.00}. Please pay at XXXX '' I knew that this COULD NOT BE TRUE, BECAUSE AT NO TIME SINCE I MADE THIS PURCHASE, HAS MY CHECKING ACCOUNT BALANCE NOT EXCEEDED THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO SATISFY THESE PAYMENTS. SO, later that day, I logged into my account using the link supplied. And I again re-authorized the {$48.00} payment using Account # XXXX. 

AFFIRM XXXX sent me a text message acknowledging the payment. But, in a couple of days, I received another text notification, stating that the {$48.00} payment was again overdue. By this time, I'm mad as XXXX, because I know there are adequate funds in the business checking to cover this {$48.00} payment, and I'm wondering why my payment keeps getting declined when I KNOW full well I am an authorized signer on the account, and I have provided the correct account number. 

This text message provided me with a code that I could text back to immediately re-authorize the payment, which I used re-authorizing the payment a third ( XXXX ) time only to be notified via text message AGAIN that the payment couldn't be processed. I was asked to update my payment method and again I was invited to navigate to the link supplied XXXX. 

After the third attempt to authorize this payment, I decided to call Affirm to try to determine why this payment was repeatedly being declined. And I was told that " The Account Is Closed '' which we all know to be UNTRUE. 

I HASTEN TO MAKE CLEAR THAT IN THE BEGINNING OF THESE ISSUES WITH AFFIRM, I ERRONEOUSLY PLACED THE BLAME ON MY BANK WHERE WE HAVE OUR BUSINESS CHECKING ACCOUNT. HOWEVER, AFTER CONTACTING MY BANK IN WRITING, AND PROVIDING THEM WITH THE DOCUMENTATION OF THE ISSUE, THEY LOOKED INTO IT, AND CORRESPONDED BACK TO ME THAT THE PRE-AUTHORIZED AFFIRM PAYMENTS NEVER REACHED SOUTHERN STATES BANK. 

My business checking account has NEVER been closed in my recent memory, and therefore, I began to question why something of this nature could be repeatedly occurring. As a business owner-operator of many years, my personal credit is very important to me, because there are times when funds may not be readily available to take care of issues that arise, and therefore I depend on my creditworthiness, and my ability to get things done whether the funds are available or not. THUS, these repeated declined payments made me suspicious of my bank, where my checking account is held. 

As a means of illustrating and documenting the facts of my unpleasant encounters with my Affirm XXXX account, I have retained screen-shots of my numerous text messages, and emails received basically advising me of the payment issues. 

IN ADDITION TO THE PRESENT CONCERN ADDRESSED HEREIN PLEASE NOTE THAT .... 

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT these repeated declined payments have occurred where similar transactions were involved. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I ordered XXXX rear-outlet toilets for the public restrooms in our funeral home. This online order was placed with Signature Hardware. 

Together, the XXXX toilets cost {$580.00}. And again, I was approved for financing via AFFIRM credit. I agreed to XXXX payments in the neighborhood of {$52.00} per month. These monthly payments were to be made via automatic draft from the same Business Checking Account # XXXX. 

During that period of time, other than the first payment, XXXX XXXX Bank declined every single payment, up until XXXX or XXXX of that year, when I finally just GOT TIRED and switched the payment over to my personal checking account, and finished paying for the toilets without incident. 

MY QUESTION : Why should I have had to use my personal funds to pay for a business purchase, when the business checking account had adequate funds to cover each of these {$52.00} per month payments ; and the payments had been pre-authorized by me? 

AS A RESULT, I REALLY DEVELOPED ANGER TOWARD MY BANK, BUT I NOW BELIEVE THAT MY ANGER WAS MIS-DIRECTED. 

SO BECAUSE OF THE DECLINED PAYMENTS, I CONTINUED TO ERRONEOUSLY PLACE THE BLAME ON MY BANK, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, XXXX, FOR THESE DECLINED PAYMENTS. 

THIS situation became so frustrating for me, that on XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed AFFIRM, because I felt so BAD that they had extended me the privilege of making payments on this very important piece of my business operation, and I felt that I had floundered in upholding my agreement with them ; because of action that YOU took with respect to my business account AND DIDN'T BOTHER TO INVOLVE me in that decision. 

During this time ( when I was paying on the XXXX toilets ), I called XXXX XXXX Bank in XXXX, to inquire about these transactions. Though I can not recall specifically who I spoke to, I do remember that I was told that there was NO REASON why these payments should have been declined. Yet they continued to be declined. 

As proof of the numerous, multiple communications ; and the back-and-forth that I have had to engage in, to try to make this right, I have maintained copies of each of these documents. I will attach as many as I can. 

PLEASE NOTE that the letters I have written were addressed to my Bank : XXXX XXXX Bank, XXXX, XXXX However, through the process of corresponding with XXXX XXXX Bank, I now believe that AFFIRM is the origin of the problem, and NOT XXXX XXXX Bank ( as I had originally thought. I am uploading the letter, however, so that you can see the full explanation of the situation, which I directed to my bank, when actually I should have been directing them to AFFIRM. 

I now believe that the problem lies with AFFFIRM, and despite numerous efforts to call and speak to somebody who has the authority to correct this situation, I can't get anywhere, because I end up speaking to some foreign representative, whose XXXX is not good, and unable to effectively communicate with me. Furthermore, there is NO XXXX at their publicized phone number who can speak to a customer with any clarity or with any degree of competence. THIS, TOO HAS MADE MY SITUATION WORSE. 

ON XX/XX/XXXX, I fell and sustained a XXXX XXXX, and was immobile and incapacitated for months, and was unable to try to troubleshoot this situation for months, so as things now stand, the monthly amount has not been paid, and Affirm is sending me threatening texts and emails saying they basically can ruin my credit. HOWEVER, IF THEY DO, I WILL BE PREPARED TO FILE A LAWSUIT, because, my bank has assured me that the transactions are not even reaching the bank and the failed payments are not occurring on the Bank 's side of these reauthorized drafts.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation