Consumer complaint received 2019-02-18
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan — Installment loan
Issue: Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan — 
Company: ACIMA CREDIT, LLC (MO)

In XX/XX/XXXX I purchased tires from XXXX XXXX  XXXX  and decided to use Acima Credit Financing because of the offer of 90 days interest free. I understood that I had 90 days same as cash and that I could pay it off early. This was all done online with the help of the sales person at the XXXX XXXX XXXX. The sales person got my information from me and typed it in himself on his computer. The sales person had me read the information on the screen and it was very confusing. The sales person discussed with me the 90 day financing and stated that if I didn't pay the amount off in 90 days there would be high interest on the money owed after the 90 days. So I did what anyone would do and hit a box on his computer screen that did a digital signature. My understanding and assumption was that Acima was like a credit card with a 90 day interest free period. At no time did I realize this was a lease. I made 3 scheduled payments of {$250.00} through automatic payments through my account on XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX. There were no issues with these payments. Additionally, I made a {$50.00} payment on the day I took out this financing. Then I made an Online payment to the company through their website of {$350.00} on XXXX XXXX. There was no confirmation number that I recall, just stated that the payment went through. On XXXX XXXX, I made what I thought was my final payment of what they said I still owed Online through their website of about {$370.00} again the only confirmation I got was on their page that said my payment went through. All of the payments went through with no issues except the last payment. All of the payments show up on their website when I login except the last payment. I put the payment through their site just like I had done the previous Online payment. I am not sure how the last payment managed to not go through. On XXXX XXXX I went Online looking for the receipt for my last payment and to show I had paid it off. When I logged into their website I noticed they showed I did not pay it off and that I now owed them {$1900.00} with early payoff being {$1400.00}. I called them to see what was going on. They stated that the one payment that I made of {$350.00} in XXXX was just an early payment for XXXX and XXXX and that's why I did not get an email confirmation. I told them these payments were not " prepayments '' but were to pay off the financing. I asked them why I was not getting receipts for the additional Online payments I made and they said it was all on their website, which it isn't. I asked them what happened to the {$370.00} I paid through their site and they claimed there was no such thing. It still has not come out of my bank account. However, the {$350.00} " prepayment '' has gone through my account. I acknowledged that the last payment had not come out of my account at this point and stated that I would attempt it again to pay off the loan. They said " NO '' and that I now owed the {$1900.00} because it was now past the 90 day promotion time. I told them I would only pay what was left and some interest. They told me that the contract was a " lease '' and they would come and get my tires. I asked them what happened to the almost {$1100.00} I had already paid. They stated again the contract was a lease and I now owe the {$1900.00} in addition to what I already paid. I told them this was a scam and that I wanted to talk with a manager. I asked the same questions to another person the " manager '' and was told the same thing. They threatened me with reporting this to my credit. I asked if there was any wiggle room to negotiate the amount. They again said I owed the {$1900.00} in addition to what I already paid. This went on for a while. I got nowhere. This seems to be a " legal '' scam because they call it a " lease ''. I made the last payment Online through their site of about {$370.00} and they did not run it through. The site said that my payment went through so I had no reason to question it. Now they want to stick me with the " lease ''. This is much more than the original loan. How can they get by with that? That would make my amount be {$3000.00} for tires. This is ridiculous. They did not run the last payment so they could make me pay the larger amount. With them stating that the {$350.00} payment I made in XXXX only counts as " prepayments '' for XXXX and XXXX automatic payments leads me believe they are trying to keep me from paying off the financing in the 90 days and did not run that last payment of {$370.00} intentionally. This kind of financing should be illegal and there are some questionable tactics taken by Acima Credit.