Consumer complaint received 2020-05-24
Company: Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.
State: SC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I sold a vehicle, that was financed by Santander Consumer USA, on XX/XX/2020. At the time of the sale of the vehicle, the XX/XX/2020 payment was due. Santander Consumer USA received the payoff for the vehicle on XX/XX/2020. The payoff amount included the payment that would have been made for XX/XX/2020. On XX/XX/2020, Santander Consumer USA reported a 30-day delinquency to the three major credit bureaus : XXXX, XXXX  and XXXX. 

After many phone calls and submitting a dispute to the credit dispute center for Santander Consumer USA, I was able to talk to XXXX on XX/XX/2020. During the phone call, XXXX offered to review my account to track a refund from the GAP coverage on the vehicle and to review payment history in an attempt to find why the delinquency was reported. After reviewing the account, XXXX informed me of what I knew, there were no delinquent payments in the 25 months that Santander Consumer USA serviced the loan. XXXX went on to inform me that the company reports from month beginning to month end, which I was already aware of. A 30-day delinquency is reported if the account is not satisfied with a payment during a given month, not from due date to due date. XXXX then went on to admit to and to apologize " for a mistake that Santander made '' and promised to escalate my complaint. 

I did not receive a call from the Executive Office at Santander, as promised, so I called back to the company on XX/XX/2020. The CSR, who answered my call, escalated my call right away after hearing my concerns. XXXX, in the Executive Office at Santander, addressed my concerns and reviewed my account. After reviewing my account, XXXX confirmed what XXXX ( on XX/XX/2020 ) told me : my account had never been delinquent and that credit reporting at Santander is based on month beginning to month end, and that my account did not qualify for a 30-day delinquency. XXXX assigned a case manager, XXXX XXXX, to my complaint. 

XXXX XXXX contacted me via phone on XX/XX/2020. Mr. XXXX informed me that he had tracked the " missing '' refund and I informed him that I received the refund on XX/XX/2020 in the form of a debit card. I asked Mr. XXXX about the credit report and he stated that " the credit bureaus would not allow us [ Santander ] to report as we would have had your loan not been paid off in XXXX. We had to report based on due date to due date, and because you were just over 30 days late, we reported a 30-day delinquency. '' I informed Mr. XXXX that in addition to being advised contrary to what he stated at the time I sold the vehicle AND having been advised contrary to what he stated by two Santander Consumer USA staff, what he stated was not true. Mr. XXXX then went on to ask me to have the dealership, who purchased the vehicle that I sold, to take the blame and submit a letter to him by XX/XX/2020 stating that I was ill-advised by one of their personnel. Mr. XXXX promised that he would then correct the delinquency for XX/XX/2020 reported by Santander Consumer USA. 

I have consulted with a consumer attorney to clarify what was the correct way for Santander Consumer USA to report on my account, and I have been advised that the credit reporting period is indeed from month beginning to month end, regardless of when the vehicle is paid off. This rule does not change because of a payoff and Santander Consumer USA should not have reported a 30-day delinquency.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation