Consumer complaint received 2018-07-22
Company: UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION (NE)
State: WA
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease
Sub-issue: Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off

Complaint:
I purchased the XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX in XXXX, Washington in XX/XX/XXXX. The sales person was XXXX and the manager was XXXX. From the very beginning I had nothing but problems with the car. Within the first 2 days my car shut off completely in the middle of an intersection. I got it started after 5 or 10 minutes and then drove again. A week later it stopped completely again at another intersection and I had to have it towed to another town to the only place that XXXX XXXX would allow me to take it, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. The fixed it under the warranty. A while alter the starter died, I was forced to take it back to the same place. They replaced the starter but the garage would not release the car because they said I needed an EG valve and in order to get that I would need to replace the catalytic converter which were not covered under the warranty since. I could not afford that so the mechanic said he would have to replace the engine, which IS under warranty and therefore replacing the cat. As well. I was without my car for 6 weeks a completely unacceptable time to be without a car. Not long after I had to have the entire brake system replaced and the tires replaced. This, according to XXXX XXXX had forfeited my warranty because I had another mechanic work on it rather than their approved mechanic XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. However, I was not willing to be without my car for another 6 weeks. I had not had the care for even a year and I had now put in over {$2000.00} worth of work on a car that was only worth about {$500.00} at the time. 
After getting the car back I experienced several issues with their poor customer service and contacted the CFPB ( the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ) and put in a complaint for poor business practices. The CFPB then forwarded the issue and its details to the Federal Trade Commission. Within a month I was in contact with a woman named XXXX XXXX at the financing company for XXXX XXXX ( WA ) / Universal Acceptance Corporation ( UAC in Minnesota ). After several emails and calls an agreement was made to cut the remaining balance of what I owed by half and that would make my LAST payment to be on XX/XX/XXXX. We agreed That I would continue my payments of the same amount XXXX every two weeks until that date at that point my car would be paid in full and I would receive the title. I did this with on time payments until XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX was informed by XXXX of this issue as were other employees at the XXXX WA location and all were aware of this In XXXX of XXXX I was forced to leave my apartment and move across the state to XXXX to live with family. I had continued my payments and was only scheduled to pay 5 more until it was paid off AS AGREED on XX/XX/XXXX. 
The car was such a lemon that I did not feel safe driving it over the mountain pass and into the desert where it would undoubtedly brake down or stop working. I arranged to have the car transported using a company called XXXX XXXX based out of New York. I was to receive my last paycheck from my job by direct deposit on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX therefore I asked for the car to be picked in XXXX on Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX and delivered NO EARLIER than XX/XX/XXXX. I was to pay XXXX ( NY ) {$210.00} and pay cash of {$250.00} to the driver they'd brokered to bring the car. On Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from a man with a middle eastern accent and a strange name, He said he had the car in XXXX and was needing payment now to deliver it. I told him that the car was not to be delivered until Thursday XX/XX/XXXX as I would not have the money to pay until then. He refused to deliver my car at all, he said he was going to bring it back to XXXX and That I would have to pay {$500.00} to get it as well as any storage fee. I would like to add here that there is no proof whatsoever that he was EVER in XXXX, as far as I know he NEVER LEFT XXXX with my car. I did not have a job and could not afford that. I called him and told him I was still willing to pay the {$250.00} to get my car. He said He would not deliver it until I could pay {$500.00} but he was willing to pay the storage fee. I told him that he was holding my car for ransom and therefore he had stolen my car. He still refused to deliver it and now he said I had to pay a minimum of {$750.00} If I wanted my car back. 
Being that the car was stolen I called the police in both XXXX and XXXX, they said they would not allow me to file a stolen car report because this was a civil case and if I wanted help I would need to bring a lawsuit against him. I then called XXXX, they said that it was out of their hands and that I would have to speak to the driver from now on and they hung up on me. I was able to track down my car by GPS and discovered it was in front of the driver 's house in XXXX, WA in a nice neighborhood. I then called XXXX XXXX and proposed a plan that could assist me and them as well. I told I know that you can only repossess a car if the payments had not been made. But since I had only 5 payments left on the car ( according to the agreement settled on earlier ) I would be willing to stop the payments and have them repossess the car into their location at which time I was willing to pay the balance in full to get it out of repo status and get my car back. I had even suggested that they could have it repossessed to their XXXX XXXX location in XXXX if that would be easier. However, this was unacceptable to XXXX, the manager he said I would have to pay the complete balance of nearly {$3000.00} to get the car back and he was not willing to bend at all. 
I have been without my car for a year now. My sister and I have had to take the bus with homeless drug addicts and derelicts all this time and it was nearly impossible to find work until now. I recently received a notice from a tow company demanding over {$4000.00} to get the car out of in impound. I no longer live in XXXX and can not retrieve the car under any circumstances.. 
This car should have been repossessed and should be back in the care of XXXX XXXX in XXXX. 
I AM DISPUTING THE ACCOUNT ON THIS REPORT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, AND UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE CORP. I DO NOT OWE THIS AMOUNT. THE AMOUNT I I OWE IS ONLY {$880.00}. Which I am willing to pay to settle the account and have this removed from my credit reports even though the car is only worth {$330.00} or less according to XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX is a disreputable company and has sold me a lemon. Under the lemon law they are required to fix the mechanical issues with the car and they refused. I resent the way I was treated in all of these matters described in this complaint. I resent that they ignored a decision made LEGALLY by a UAC employee to reduce the amount owed. The refused to assist me in getting my car back. They are still in possession of the title of the car and are the only ones responsible to retrieving the car out of impound. 
The manager XXXX should be charged with Gross misconduct and Poor Business practices in every aspect of my complaint. He was a failure at doing his job and should be dismissed. He offered no customer service no assistance at all in helping a customer with this disastrous situation. In fact he went out of his way to be disrespectful, nasty and unprofessional every time I had to deal with him. XXXX XXXX/ UAC failed to keep their end of the deal put in place regarding the balance and the complaint with the FTC and the CFPB. XXXX has misrepresented themselves and brokered the job to a disreputable and untrustworthy driver. They collected the {$210.00} I paid them then washed their hands of the situation. 

Obviously, I have become a victim of Scam, swindles and theft and I do not feel that these companies should go unpunished. I am willing to pay {$880.00} to receive my title and get my car back. I would also expect this dispute to show on my credit report and I expect that when I settle this for the {$880.00} I owe and for this to be removed from my a credit report completely. I am making this offer officially, I will pay {$880.00} to XXXX XXXX/UAC to return my call and register it as Paid in Full. I will pay the driver of the truck the {$250.00} agreed to in the signed agreement with XXXX to have my car returned in tact without damage with all property inside returned as well. It is to be returned to my current address in XXXX, WA and no additional costs or fees. 

Thank You and I am anxiously awaiting a response from each of the companies and/or agencies below.

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