Consumer complaint received 2021-04-01
Company: AMERICA FIRST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: UT
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Struggling to pay your loan
Sub-issue: Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle

Complaint:
I entered into an arrangement with America First Credit Union on XX/XX/XXXX. Due to my financial situation caused by the COVID pandemic. I never received a physical copy of this agreement. All communication was done via email and one phone conversation. Never in any communication did the loan officer tell me that my car was going to be repossessed. The arrangement is as follows : ____ Here is the arrangement. You will also be receiving a letter in the mail regarding this information for your records. If you have any questions please let me know. 
Approve XXXX  months interest only payments on Auto Loan 3 for XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. You will pay {$150.00} for XXXX, {$150.00} for XXXX and {$150.00} for XXXX. 
Your contractual payments resume in XX/XX/XXXX. 
You are required to call in after payments are made to have due date updated. 
You will run delinquent and be reported to credit until your loan is brought current. Your XXXX payment will bring due date to XX/XX/XXXX, then your XXXX payment will bring due date current to XX/XX/XXXX. 
Your contractual payments from XXXX XX/XX/XXXX will be going to paying off remaining unpaid interest on loan. Once the XXXX payment is made we will do a one time courtesy and forgive approximately {$350.00} in remaining unpaid interest to resume your principal and interest payments in XX/XX/XXXX. 
XXXX I was unable to make the first two months of payments. But as the agreement states that I have till XX/XX/XXXX before my contractual payments resume to fulfill the agreement. I am an XXXXXXXX XXXX Because of COVID I get small amounts of money and saved them to make the lump sum before XX/XX/XXXX. I just needed to make a little more money which I would have been able to do in the 6 days before. XX/XX/XXXX. But AMERICA FIRST CREDIT UNION repossessed my car on XX/XX/XXXX 6 days before XX/XX/XXXX. 

I saw the tow truck through the window. I went out to the guy. I was in utter shock. I asked him what and why he was putting my car on a tow truck. He said America First sent us to repossess your car. He said I would have come up to your apartment but America First didn't give us an apartment number. I said do you have to take my car now? I am not understanding why you are taking it, its my livlihood. He said now that it is on the tow truck and I scanned it and put in the system there is nothing he could do now. I asked " So if America First would have given you an apartment number you could have stopped taking my car? '' He said " Yes, but now I have to take your car. '' I said " well just take it out of the system. Delete it ... I will go call America First ''. He said " I can't '' I said How am I going to get back to XXXX XXXX? I was left stranded in Wyoming. 
My car is my livlihood. I need my car, I am an XXXXXXXX XXXX. 

Just a 4 days earlier I had to get my car clutch replaced and new rotars and brake pads. I had to replace these because otherwise I wouldn't be able to drive my car, my clutch went out and I could n't drive my car. 

I called America First and asked them what was going on. 
I talked to XXXX first. He said well you didn't pay XXXX XXXX or XXXX. I said " It's still XXXX, I had to make repairs on my car. I have 6 days to get everything paid. For an XXXXXXXX XXXX it is possible. But i can't do it without my car. '' XXXX said there is nothing I can do. You pay the remainder of what you owe on your car which is {$15000.00} - which includes the repo fees. I almost fainted. My car has XXXX miles on it. its worth {$4000.00} at the most. I said ... is there any leniency because of the pandemic we are in and the fact that I had to just get the car fixed? 
He said no. I asked to speak to a manager. She was very rude and kept repeating herself as if I didn't understand what she was saying. Although I repeated what she said and told her I understood what she was saying. I then asked her where in the agreement I was given on XX/XX/XXXX, does it say that my car would be repossessed at any point ... .. It doesn't. She wouldn't answer me. She just kept repeating to me that if I wanted my car back I would have to pay {$16000.00}. I asked why they didn't call me to see why i hadnt made a payment. I had told her what was going on when applying for the latest arrangement. She said " why would we call you when we are trying to reposes your car. '' I asked. " So how long you have been wanting to repossess my car? It sounds like you weren't planning on honoring our arrangment? '' She wouldn't answer any of my questions or try to work with me. I begged and pleaded, '' " it's my only way of making money, I need to take my daughter to school. '' she said " your car has been repossessed. You will need to pay the {$16000.00} to get your car back or it will be auctioned. '' I said " have been talking to you guys about my situation during this pandemic since XXXX, I just need the 6 days and you will have the money. '' She said its too late, the car has been repossessed there are no other options.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation