Consumer complaint received 2019-06-10
Company: Peoples Commerce Inc
State: PA
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease
Sub-issue: High-pressure sales tactics

Complaint:
I visited XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to simply view a car I came across online through the XXXX XXXX pre-approval auto search. When arriving at the dealership, I was greeted by XXXX XXXX. She asked what I was interested in looking at and I told her the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I immediately explained my situation. I advised her that my current vehicle is a great car, low mileage and has never caused me any issues. I let her know that I would have negative equity and most likely would continue to drive my vehicle, until I was closer to the break-even point. I figured there was no harm in viewing the vehicle and getting a rough estimate of where my payments would fall. 

She provided me with three forms to complete and explained each. 1 ) Consent to value my current vehicle to obtain a trade in value. 2 ) XXXX   XXXX Privacy Notice. 3 ) Authorization to check my employment history and obtain information about my credit experiences, including a credit report from the bureaus, in connection with a credit application. I told her that I would consent to them valuing my trade and acknowledge that I was provided with XXXX XXXX Privacy Notice ( forms 1 & 2 ). I informed her that I was NOT signing the 3rd form, as I was not interested in completing a credit application and DID NOT want my credit pulled or submitted to lenders to secure financing. I have a good relationship and positive history with my current finance company ( XXXX XXXX ), as I have my car loan and several credit cards with them. 

I let her know what range my credit score was in and what my current car payoff amount was on my current vehicle. With that information, I requested a rough estimate on what Id be looking at in terms of a monthly payment. It was clear that I was NOT filling out a credit application and not seeking lending ( aka I didnt complete/sign a Credit Application and did not sign the authorization to obtain my credit report or submit to lenders ). After test driving the car, I wasnt really impressed. Mainly because it was pretty much the same car as my current vehicle, but with a slightly larger engine. The sales manager provided an estimate on where they believed my monthly payment would fall if I was considering the purchase. It was almost double my current car payment and I had no interest in discussing any further. My response to both her and her manager was that Id continue to drive my vehicle to pay down the negative equity and consider a possible  purchase in a year or so. I thanked them for their time and went on my way. 

The following day I received alert after alert from my credit monitoring site that inquiries ( hard pulls ) had been made. I was blown away and extremely upset. I was upfront and firm in letting them know that I wasnt looking for financing or interested in a credit application. Not only was this verbally expressed to them, but I specifically didnt sign the authorization to obtain my credit report or complete any credit applications with XXXX XXXX. I emailed XXXX XXXX the following morning and requested a copy of documentation I signed to authorize this. They sent me the documentation ( 3 forms ) and I recognized all three. The three forms that were put in front of me at the dealership the day before. As stated, two of them I signed, but I refused to sign the third. When viewing the forms, it was clear as day that someone at the dealership forged my signature on the third document. I know this because ONE, I didnt sign it and let them know that I wasnt signing it and TWO, it is not my signature on the form. 

I immediately emailed XXXX XXXX about the unethical business practices and grave violation of my rights. I demanded to know WHO executed this document on my behalf and requested a manager contact me immediately. I received a voicemail the following day ( 5/15 ) from XXXX XXXX, Operations Manager. I returned his call a few days later, left him a voicemail and did not hear back. I submitted a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Received a call on XXXX from XXXX XXXX regarding a complaint received from the AG. It was clear from our phone conversation that this matter was not being taken seriously. He acted confused and said he was calling to understand what my desired resolution meant. He continued that the complaint states compensation and removal of inquiries. He said, so if I send a courier to you with a letter for you to sign, we can submit to the lenders we sent your credit report to. I explained that XXXX XXXX did not comply with Federal Law, in  accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. I provided XXXX with my reasonable resolution ( monetary amount and proactive measures to be taken ) to settle this matter. He continued to ask what I was seeking and after repeating myself multiple times, I advised that he should speak internally with counsel and respond to me once they were providing a settlement offer. Moments after the phone call, I emailed XXXX a summary of our conversation for documenting. Did not receive a response or follow up. 

Received an email on XXXX from XXXX XXXX ( Operations Manager ), to let me know that he sent formal letters with my complaint to each lender that they pulled credit on, requesting it be removed. I emailed XXXX back the same day ( XXXX ) to advise that his our " good faith '' gesture to submit formal letters to lenders they contacted without my authorization, does not absolve them of their actions. First and foremost, that should have been done as a proactive measure, the moment you were made aware of the severity of this situation. I concluded in the email that if he would like to review with counsel, take accountability and provide a settlement offer, I will take it under advisement and respond accordingly. If a bipartisan settlement is agreed upon, we can close this matter. As of XX/XX/XXXX, that is the last correspondence Ive had with XXXX XXXX. 

When searching to see if other consumers had similar experiences, I found multiple media outlets report that XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ) has been investigated in the past. There was a lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General, seeking restitution and penalties for every violation of the Consumer Protection Laws. XXXX XXXX was investigated for their fraudulent business practices in selling/leasing vehicles at inflated prices and deceptive business practices. It is in my opinion that they continue to operate their business in an unethical/illegal manner, blatantly violating consumers rights. 

My taking is that XXXX XXXX uses any means necessary to push someone to purchase a vehicle. As reported in the past, they used deceptive business practices to push non-roadworthy vehicles on customers at inflated prices. Though, my experience was different, it establishes a pattern of ongoing unethical business practices. Using pressure, aggression and deceitful tactics to push consumers into a purchase.

Company public response: Company disputes the facts presented in the complaint
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation