Consumer complaint received 2016-12-08
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: OH
Product: Consumer Loan
Sub-product: Vehicle loan
Issue: Problems when you are unable to pay

Complaint:
Last night my vehicle, a XXXX, was repossessed by the lien holder, Fifth Third Bank. This is our only family vehicle. It gets me to work and all XXXX of us to various errands and functions. As of XX/XX/XXXX, I was past due on three installments ( excluding the 10-day grace period ). That 's all fairly understandable, but ... 

Fifth Third Bank has theoretically been contacting me. They have been doing this via several phone numbers from different non-Ohio area codes that did not list the business name as they came in. XXXX percent ( a guesstimate, I admit, but it was a definite majority ) of these calls came in during the day, when I 'm at work and unable to talk. Even so, I do not answer phone numbers that I do n't know or recognize the area code at least as someone I might personally know or be doing business with. I do not know people in XXXX, XXXX, or XXXX who would know my phone number and want to call me, so I did n't answer. On top of that, these numerous unrecognized calls only attempted -ATTEMPTED -to leave a voicemail twice. One " voicemail '' was one second of nothing. The other " voicemail '' was over two minutes of utter silence -no beeps or chirps or clicks, no words mumbled or clear - no sound at all. I would still not know who was trying to call me if I did n't sift through several XXXX searches after my vehicle was repossessed. This inability to communicate properly I find unacceptable on the part of a billion-dollar financial company. 

Now yes, I probably should have called them, not that a depressed person with no money available to pay a bill ( who dislikes phones anyway ) really wants to speak to a foreign national with poor English whose only job is to get you to pay a bill you ca n't pay. I did actually speak with one such person once over a month ago, but was instructed to call back when someone was actually in whatever department could discuss and approve the payment plan I had offered. 

On top of all of this, Fifth Third Bank never once attempted to call the cosigner on my loan ( my mother, who happened to sacrifice part of her day to drive me around today ). There is a reason to have a cosigner, yet they did not call or write her even once. ( Although they did send me a letter XX/XX/XXXX. ) At any rate. Last night while the repo company was hooking up my vehicle, I tried to call Fifth Third Bank. After two dropped calls on their part, I finally got through to another person with tolerable English in a foreign accent who eventually told me the account was now with the Repossession Department, which closed at XXXX ( it was around XXXX when the repo crew arrived, XXXX when I started calling Fifth Third Bank ), and I would have to call them back the next day ( today ). 

Today, while at work, I got a call from a phone number I did not know. I googled it right away and learned it was yet another XXXX XXXX phone number. They called twice during the day, then finally called a couple of hours ago. 

I 'm told that I have to find a XXXX XXXX ( a very rare sight in Ohio 's XXXX ) and pay an initial {$890.00} ( my original car payment of $ XXXX*3 - that 's reasonable ) in cash via a process through them, then call Fifth Third back and then wait another two days until my vehicle is released, after which I have to pay the repossessor their fees to actually get my vehicle back. Then there 's still {$70.00} in late fees to pay plus some other fees ( she had quoted some {$1100.00} total at one point ) PLUS $ XXXX in repossession processing fees beyond that. That is utterly insane and unacceptable highway robbery. 

I despise this con game. It needs to stop, however legal it may be. I offered {$620.00} ( two months payments of {$310.00}, including late fees ), but it was not acceptable to them. Why does XXXX-dollar company need an additional hundreds of dollars on an interest-bearing loan? They DO N'T and I am outraged

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief