Consumer complaint received 2023-07-29
Company: MARINER FINANCE, LLC
State: NM
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan
Sub-product: Installment loan
Issue: Problem with additional add-on products or services

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I entered into a loan with Mariner Finances XXXX branch for {$7500.00} at 35.98 % interest and a monthly payment of {$270.00}. They included an HP laptop worth {$1500.00} and a XXXX TV worth {$700.00} as collateral. They offered insurance options to add on to the loan. I declined and proceeded to go through the loan signature process. I noticed the insurance included that total {$1600.00}. I told them I declined and they said I would have to start the process over and wasnt guaranteed to get the loan a second time. I reluctantly agreed. Shortly after that, I was transferred for work and began struggling with bills due to increased expenses. I made several attempts to work with this company but they refused to allow me to make smaller payments to catch up and they called me daily and often multiple times a day to threaten to sue me and take my assets if I didnt comply. I was forced into refinancing my loan in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, which resulted in a monthly payment increase of around {$440.00} and having to borrow additional money for the refinance to be approved. I was already struggling to make payments and my payment was greatly increased. This increased monthly payment also included the insurance that I have denied every time. They told me it wouldnt be included and then at the last minute it was in there and they were threatening the same thing about me not being guaranteed to be approved a second time if it was removed. I began struggling again and was forced into another refinance in XX/XX/XXXX. This time I demanded no insurance be included and they claim it wasnt. However, I now owe {$11000.00} and my monthly payment is {$400.00}. The interest rate appears to have stayed the same. I am still struggling with this high monthly payment and have had some recent unexpected expenses. I began sending payments in late in XXXX and have not been able to catch up. From XXXX to XXXX, they called me multiple times a day while I was at work and caused me to get in trouble for answering personal calls so often. Each time they called to collect my monthly payment they threatened to sue and seize my assets if I didnt pay up. I called the XXXX branch manager to complain and she denied any of this was occurring. They accused me of lying about not wanting the insurance and not having enough money to pay them. In XX/XX/XXXX, they tried to force me to refinance again. I refused and demanded they stop calling me at work. They started only calling me once a day. I was able to send in the XXXX payment but can not send them the XXXX, XXXX, or XXXX payments and they will not accept partial payments. A few weeks ago I spoke to a man there who said if I dont pay up I will be sued and he will make sure they garnish my paycheck and seize my land. I complained again and they denied that was said to me. Now it is the end of XXXX and they call me every afternoon and every Saturday to tell me I will be sued if I dont pay. They actually called me 3 times just this Saturday after I had already answered once and spoke to someone. They claim they have helped move XXXX payment to the back of the loan once this year and multiple times before so they are not offering any assistance. I have calculated that my loan includes around {$6700.00} of insurance packing that I didnt want. They charged {$350.00} for life insurance, {$730.00} for XXXX insurance, and {$600.00} for involuntary unemployment insurance each time they wrote this loan up. I want that money back. Im on the hook for {$11000.00} and if XXXX cant catch up they are going to sue me for everything I have because they can. There has to be some way to get them to stop and be reasonable. The least they could do is take that insurance off my loan and change my monthly payment back to {$270.00}.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation