Consumer complaint received 2015-09-10
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: AP
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
XXXX garnished my account and stated that if I did not pay {$2900.00}, they would keep my account locked. The amount previously stated was more than half of my account. I agreed to pay so that my account could be released and I could use the remainder of my money to buy food and other required things for my children and household. 

When they garnished my wages, I was unable to pay my rent and bills. My landlord contacted my Commander at my work. Now, I am facing disciplinary actions at my job and possible eviction, as I have been late on my rent before due to financial issues. 

I was attempting to pay off my debt with XXXX XXXX previously and agreed on a settlement of {$3600.00}. I paid {$1800.00} in XXXX and because of financial hardships was unable to pay the rest. My intentions were to continue paying off my debt once my situation improved. I was going to begin making payments again in XXXX as things were looking better financially. 

XXXX contacted the finance department to have my wages garnished and sent paper work to my commander about my debt. This caused me undue embarrassment and interfered with my work. They harassed me at work. 

When I attempted to gain access to my USAA account on XXXX XXXX 2015, it was locked due to a garnishment placed there XXXX. There was a note on my account stating that I should call an Attorney, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I contacted him and he stated that he can not release my account until I call the creditor, XXXX and come to some agreement with them about making payments. 

I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and she told me that I violated the original agreement by not continuing the payment so now I would have to pay half of the original debt ( {$5800.00} ). I told her that I could not afford to do that because I would n't be able to pay my rent and other expenses. She stated that if I did not pay the {$2900.00}, they would continue to hold my account and I would n't have access to it. 

I felt like I had no other choice. I needed groceries for my household and I had to pay child care and other acute expenses so under duress, I reluctantly agreed to sign a garnishment disposition authorizing the bank to release the money. 

After paying XXXX the money, my account was released. I did not have enough money after that to pay for all my required living expenses. I could not afford my rent or bills. I used the remainder of the money in my account to purchase needed food, pay for child care and other immediate necessities. Because I did not pay my rent, the landlord went to my Commander and filed a complaint against me for not paying my rent. I have to face possible disciplinary actions at this time and I am under extreme pressures from everyone, due to the domino effect of this garnishment. 

I am requesting an investigation into this situation as I do not understand how the Soldiers and Sailors act did not protect me and how a lawyer, working for USAA " assisted '' my creditor in getting money from my account by providing them with information about my account and making it easy for them to extort money from me. 

I am XXXX undergoing immense stress due to this situation. I intend to settle all of my debts. I am a divorced mother of XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and had been experiencing back-to-back financial crisis and this situation set me back even further. I would like to know what my options are in this situation. I believe that the USAA lawyer and the XXXX XXXX representative were both wrong in how my case was handled.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation