Consumer complaint received 2021-02-11
Company: Bridgecrest Acceptance Corporation
State: IN
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX my car was hit by an unlicensed driver and was not drivable. A police report was filed and the officer requested a tow to the nearest tow facility. I reported the accident to the at-fault driver 's insurance company. I later filed with my own XXXX insurance because I could not wait for XXXX XXXX to handle my claim. I gave my adjuster the contact info for Bridgecrest Total Loss Department. The adjuster went out to inspect the car a few days later, and the car was GONE. The tow facility advised that Bridgecrest had ordered a REPOSSESSION. I have never once been late on a payment and have had full-coverage insurance in place on this car since day one. I called Bridgecrest and no one ONCE mentioned that this was a repossession and stated that they moved the car because it was " their right to do so because it was considered abandoned. '' My car was never abandoned! The insurance company was doing their due diligence and informed me that they would handle the entire claim. I was also told that I was NOT ALLOWED to speak to the Bridgecrest Total Loss Department -- only my insurance adjuster could do that. I called Bridgecrest Customer Service once again to advise that this car should NOT have been repossessed because I was not behind on payment and was not in default in any way. The rep proceeded to inform me that it was their policy to retrieve cars after being in an accident in order to " stop the towing charges, '' but no one can or will provide me with any documentation of this policy. I then submitted a XXXX XXXX XXXX complaint which resulted in immediate contact from Bridgecrest ( this was the first contact I have EVER received from them, after I filed a complaint ). The Bridgecrest Compliance Dept rep rudely informed me that the only way I could get my car back was to redeem or reinstate it per the " offer '' they mailed, and this letter was dated XX/XX/XXXX ( 15 days after the accident, and I had received no contact whatsoever by phone, email, or otherwise prior to this letter ). The letter dated XX/XX/XXXX was sent by First Class snail mail and was not delivered to me until XX/XX/XXXX. The letter stated that I only had until XX/XX/XXXX to come up with {$3000.00} to redeem the car- {$2000.00} loan balance and {$930.00} " expenses of retaking the vehicle, '' which should have never happened to begin with! I continued to argue that my car should not be listed as " repossessed '' when I was never late and never violated a single part of my contract. The Compliance Dept. rep said " Its too bad that you don't like my answers, but that's the way we do things. '' My insurance adjuster attempted on XX/XX/XXXX once again to do the inspection at the new location Bridgecrest had said my car was towed to. Once again, the car was not there! On XX/XX/XXXX I was able to track my vehicle to a location nearly an hour away from where it was originally towed to, which resulted in the need for a new XXXX adjuster to be assigned due to the new location being so far from the original. On XX/XX/XXXX my new adjuster went to the new location and did the initial inspection of my car, all the while I am being told that I had to pay off my car plus all of their fees if I didn't want my car to be sold! They repeatedly gave me inaccurate and misleading information, always glossing over the " repossession '' aspect and simply telling me that they only moved the car to save us all from the towing fees. I repeatedly told them that my insurance would be paying all of those fees! The XXXX liability agent contacted Bridgecrest Total Loss Department once again and they refused to provide him any information, other than to tell him that they would not allow my car to be towed to a repair shop for further inspection to determine the extent of internal/computer damage ( so that a settlement could be prepared to end this nightmare ). Finally on XXXX, Bridgecrest agreed to send photos to XXXX to help them determine if the car was a total loss or not. The car had already been visually inspected -- photos didn't help anything. All it did was drag this out even further, and Bridgecrest could only tell me that their fee would continue to go up each day. The XXXX liability agent called the Total Loss Department once again and they informed him that all I had to do was call Bridgecrest and give them permission to release the vehicle to XXXX. I made the call and was told that no, in fact, this was not the case. They told me that I would need to sign and have notarized a release document, in addition to providing a XXXX driving history, among other things. A driving history?? I have done nothing wrong!! They disabled my online account which makes it impossible for me to make online payments during this nightmare ( and I have made one payment -- on time -- during this process already, with another due next week ). They will also not allow my insurance company to pay the fees to retrieve the car because the only options for payment are debit cards or cash at XXXX. Unbelievable! Yesterday, XX/XX/XXXX, my credit score dropped 95 POINTS due to a repossession being reported by Bridgecrest. I am not and have never been delinquent in any way, nor have I failed to uphold any part of the contract. This is not a financial issue, nor is it a credit or contract issue. It is the predatory and abusive " policies '' under which Bridgecrest does business with no regard whatsoever for loyal customers with exceptional payment history. I would love nothing more than to pay the {$2000.00} balance I owe on my loan and move on my way to a reputable lender, but I have no faith that Bridgecrest will ever provide me with the title to my car, nor will they accurately report my balance. My credit report now shows my Bridgecrest account as CLOSED, even though my car hasn't even been deemed a total loss! The inspection can not be completed due to them moving my car and not allowing XXXX to complete their process and offer a settlement. My credit report says that my account was " never late, '' and the payment history illustrates on-time payments each and every month, yet Bridgecrest has ruined my credit without just cause. I demand that this negative information be REMOVED from all credit bureaus immediately. I do still have a balance on my loan, but it is NOT PAST DUE ( never was ) and should not be listed under a negative credit report entry! This action is deceitful and damaging, and I will pursue all legal action required to remedy the situation, as I have paid faithfully and taken excellent care of my care, including full-coverage insurance which I am TRYING to utilize to repair the car. My next complaint will be to the Attorney General and other appropriate entities.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation