Consumer complaint received 2017-05-19
Company: TIDEWATER FINANCE COMPANY, INC.
State: VA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem

Complaint:
Three times in XXXX Tidewater Motor Credit ( TMC ) took unauthorized money from our checking account. Using ACH they took the money and credited it to their client. They should return the money, we are not responsible for their dealings with this client as we do not know the client and we had no relationship with TMC prior to this activity. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, TMC used the ACH system to take {$2100.00} from our XXXX XXXX XXXXhecking account in a transaction labeled Loan Payment ID : XXXX ( see attachment 1 ). We discovered this and XXXX reclaimed the money from TMC on XXXX XXXX with no protest from TMC.
However, TMC had also used ACH to take money from our account on two prior occasions. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, TMC took {$500.00} and on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, they took {$1000.00} from our XXXX XXXX account. Both transactions have the same Loan Payment ID : XXXX label as the XXXX transaction ( see attachment 2 ). XXXX offered no assistance on these transactions because of the time that had elapsed before they were discovered. TMC was not authorized to take this money. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, we filed a fraud complaint with the XXXX Police Department. The investigator hoped that TMC would refund the money to close the case. They are not willing to refund the money. On XXXX XXXX, after interviewing the client, he sent a letter to Tidewater Finance Company, ATTN : XXXX XXXX, Legal Assistant, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX VA XXXX ( Evidently TMC is associated with Tidewater Finance Company ). The letter states that the client said she " did not know '' us and " did not make any payments from '' our account. The letter also states that our credit union account number differs from the client 's account number by one digit only. The investigation concluded that there had been an error made in entering the account number, leading to unauthorized transactions. Two weeks later the investigator sent a revised letter with the same date ( see attachment 3 ) to that same address. The revision was necessary because of an omission in the first letter. The revised letter states that we ... do not know '' their client and " did not authorize '' the payments from our account ( the original letter was missing the first not in this sequence. From the end of XXXX XXXX until XXXX XXXX, XXXX, we had many discussions with TMC representatives and jumped through their hoops to try to get the money back. We sent them information about our checking account, set up a three-way call with a XXXX representative, authorized XXXX to provide TMC with our personal information, and asked the XXXX Police to investigate. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX, Assistant to the Director of Asset Recovery Center for TMC, told me that TMC would not refund the money and that we would have to pursue their client for relief. They took our money but want us to deal with their client to get it back. At the end of that phone call, I pointed out the change in the revision letter, that XXXX XXXX had not previously noticed. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I placed a call to XXXX XXXX, the legal assistant. I got through to his office and was promised a call back that I have yet to receive.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation