Consumer complaint received 2019-07-19
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: PA
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Managing the loan or lease
Sub-issue: Billing problem

Complaint:
I have banked with USAA for 37 years, as spouse of XXXX veterans and divorced spouse of XXXX veterans. I have had a checking account, credit card, property insurance, car insurance in my name only for over 20 years. USAA has always been informed of, and known of my marital status changes, and I've never had health or life insurance through USAA. 

I opened a car loan in XXXX. I signed up for automatic payments to be made on the XXXX of each month. 

I am social security XXXX and needed a car to work part time and go to doctor appointments, work, shopping, etc. 

I have been paying principal only payments in addition to my auto payment with the hopes of paying the car off in 2.5 years. There was no charge for early pay-off. 

So, it was strange that when I hit {$1600.00} range, the amount of principal I owed stopped going down. I pulled up the payment records, and it appears that USAA turned off my auto payments without notifying me or asking permission and was just charging me interest and my loan protection fee. 

I called the evening of XX/XX/XXXX to ask them to take the auto payments out and back date the payments and adjust the interest. I was told they could not do that. So, I asked them that if I was in a financial crisis, could I call them and ask to just make interest only payments for a couple of months. I was told it didn't work like that. 

When I asked why they stopped taking the auto payments and just charged me interest, I was told it was because " I was so far ahead in paying. '' Three times the young woman told me this. I told her that I was obligated to make those auto payments and i did not give them permission to stop those payments. In effect, they were stealing interest from me and I wanted it back. 

The woman at USAA Auto Loans said she could not do that. 

I expressed disappointment to her and asked her to pass that on. I expressed I had lost trust in USAA and was considerig paying of the loan so they would get no more interest. I told her I was not angry at her, but at USAA. 

I payed off all but about {$50.00}. When I went in to cancel auto pay, it said my next auto payment was due on XX/XX/XXXX. When I told them to turn it off, it said it was already turned off ... .. not my me. 

I have screen shots of all this. The call took place the evening of XX/XX/XXXX Eastern Daylight Time. I will attached screen shots showing I make principal payments, but they did not take the XX/XX/XXXX payment, at all, and only took the XXXX interest and loan protection fee. I also have screen shots of me paying a {$1400.00} payment and how they tell me that I am still responsible for the XX/XX/XXXX auto payment ; a screenshot showing that I am on autopay ; one of me telling them to cancel ; and one showing that auto pay was already turned off ( not by me ), though it was hidden from me in the previous screenshots. 

USAA taped the phone conversation, or so they said. 

To say I am angry is an understatement.

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