Consumer complaint received 2020-02-28
Company: KLS Financial Services, Inc
State: SC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services
Sub-issue: Billing dispute for services

Complaint:
I am an International XXXX who arrived with a couple of XXXX XXXX  last XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, a couple of new XXXX  were directed to XXXX XXXX in XXXX North Carolina to scout for cars that we can loan even if we are still new in the United States. We were told that since we are new it would be hard for us to buy cars and that they are doing us a favor by allowing us to get a car from them even if we have XXXX credit history. Knowing that car is a necessity for us, I jumped into the offer and got myself a XXXX XXXX XXXX model and paid around XXXX USD for downpayment and around XXXX USD for the insurance. In all honesty, everything was new to me at that time, I just looked at the cars in the center, did not know that cars in the US had XXXX history so that we can take a look at it. When we scouted for cars, all we can see on the windowshield of the car where the price and monthly amortization on that car. When we signed on the documents, it was not explained to me, I was just told that I have to signed this and that. It was just our 3rd day in the United States and everything was so new to us and I trusted their words that they are actually doing us a favor by helping us out settle in the United States. After a week, the car was delivered to us in South Carolina. But then by the end of XX/XX/XXXX, we started seeing a check engine display on our car. I contacted the dealership about it and just told us that it could just be a loose gas cap. XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX told us to take the vehicle to advanced auto parts or oriley in our area so that they will scan the code and know the diagnosis unfortunately when we are about to go there, the check engine sign was gone and the autoparts told us that they can not scan it if the display is gone. I continued communicating with XXXX XXXX about the car but he offered no possible solution to the problem until on the XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX, the car displayed engine malfunction. We went again to advance autoparts and this time they told us that there are two parts of the car that needs to be replaced and told us that we need to return the car to the dealership because they do not have the parts with them. After a few days, we started noticing that the oil is leaking and we contacted again XXXX XXXX and this time just told us to bring the car to a repair center. It was checked there and according to the repair center there is nothing wrong except for the fan. But we were still hesitant because we can literally see the oil leaking when we checked it in the morning so this time we called XXXX XXXX and told him about the problem and told my husband to just bring the car to XXXX and told him that if there is nothing wrong with the car we will be the one to pay for everything. And after all the struggles XXXX dealership told us that there is really something wrong with the car and there are parts that needs to be replaced. I asked the dealership who will be paying for all the cost since there was a problem with the car before the end of the one month warranty. They just told us that we need to pay first and will just get a refund after. After a hard decision with my husband, we just informed the dealership that we will just return the car because getting assistance from them is so hard and I was even telling them that I am after the safety of my children since they are always with us. I called them and told them that we are just going to return the car and told me that we can send them an email to formally notify them of us returning the car and we did. They accepted the email and replied that they received the notice. And I thought that was it not knowing how the system works here in the US. But on XX/XX/XXXX we received a letter from KSL Services demanding us to pay for the remaining balance of the car. I contacted the dealership and asked them why they are asking us to pay for the balance since there was a problem with the car and just told us to contact the KSL services. I even told them that how come that they are asking for me to pay for the loan but a friend of mine who also returned the car that year was not asked to pay for the car. They did not replied to my email. I just feel that we are exploited. That was exactly the reason also that there were a few of us last year that returned the car to their dealership because we were paying so much for everything and we thought it was ok knowing that we are new to the system. I just hope that the next batch of XXXX   who will be arriving next school year will not be having the same problem as ours. I literally was shocked when my credit score went down because it says there that I had a derogatory account. I even called KSL services about it but they just told us to contact the dealership. I could have just dealt with the issue right away but given that I am also new to the XXXX  position here makes me think less of the problem as I got so busy with XXXX  and the XXXX. They said that we get what we paid for. But on our case, it was less of that. If the dealership could have been more helpful in resolving the issue right away, in assisting us in the most efficient way we could have retained the car but at the back of our mind, if we persists with the car and another problem will appear again and they will handle it the same way that they handled the first problem then that would jeopardize our safety because literally that car is our only mode of transportation.

Company public response: Company believes the complaint is the result of a misunderstanding
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation