Consumer complaint received 2024-07-16
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Repossession — Damage caused or loss of personal items in vehicle during the actual repossession
Company: Westlake Services, LLC (FL)

Westlake Financial and XXXX XXXX XXXX Repossession in XXXX XXXX, Georgia to XXXX, South Carolina On XX/XX/XXXX my vehicle was repossessed in XXXX XXXX, GA while I was visiting XXXX, GA at the Best Western Plus Hotel in XXXX XXXX, GA. My child went to get something out of my car. My child returned back to the hotel room and told me my car was missing. I told the hotel clerk my car was missing and asked the XXXX young female hotel clerk who was at the counter did she see anyone tow or drive my car away. She said she didnt know what happened or saw anything and told me to speak with the manager. I spoke with a hotel manager, a XXXX female. She was rude, wouldn't give me any information, refused to pull the hotel cameras and told me she doesnt keep up with cars in the parking lot, she just kept repeating and asking me do you have a car loan?. I immediately stopped communicating with her and walked away. I had to call the XXXX XXXX Police Department multiple times and spoke with the same female police dispatcher each time who answered the call about filing a missing vehicle report and asking her did a repossession has occurred on the XXXX XXXX XXXX. The female police dispatcher wasnt so helpful, this was her immediate response : You need to talk with your car lender do you have a car loan with a lender?. My response to the female police dispatcher where is my car? I have my belongings in my car who took the car from the hotel. I requested her multiple times to send a police to the Best Western Hotel for a police report to be done throughout each phone call I made to the XXXX XXXX Police Station. The female police dispatcher refused to provide any information regarding my car, she was making it difficult to dispatch a police out to the hotel, she never confirmed that my car was repossessed or stolen. She just sounded like she was aggravated, frustrated, uninterested and had a nasty attitude about the situation then she finally sent the police out to the hotel. At this point I requested a police report on my car and belongings that were inside the car. The white male police officer asked me if I have a car loan with Westlake Financial. I confirmed to him that I do have a car loan with Westlake Financial. He never revealed the repossession company name or address where my car and my belongings were towed. I requested to do a policereport on my belongings. He did not do a police report. From his knowledge he felt like a crime wasnt committed to do a police report on my belongings. I called Westlake Financials. I received the name of the repossession company name and address XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, SC XXXX. 
However I asked the Westlake Financial agent why they took the car and our belongings to South Carolina instead of XXXX, Ga because they had a location in XXXX, GA which is close to the Best Western Plus XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, GA XXXX area which it was more convenient to get to the tow yard to get our belongings. I had to purchase a storage unit in XXXX, Ga to put our items in storage that were in the hotel due to checkout. On XX/XX/XXXX I had to purchase a lyft to travel to XXXX SC from XXXX XXXX We did not have any relatives in South Carolina XXXX XXXX XXXX Ga we never lived, visited, and were unfamiliar with South Carolina XXXX My Child and I were stranded in a wooded area at XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, South Carolina with our belongings for XXXX hours due to the large amount of belongings we had were items from the trunk and back seat we had to pile our belongings on Associate XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX attached to a small trailer and wait. XXXX XXXX XXXX employee a white female, demanded My child and I to leave the property due to her closing for the night. The XXXX XXXX XXXX female told my child and I we could not be there after closing hours after I explained to her the entire day we were waiting on a ride no cars were close in the area. I had to reach out to the XXXX Police Department a couple of times due to her making those demands at that point I fear for our life wasnt sure what going to happen to us, we were surround by woods ( trees ), behind the trailer but distance a guy near wooded area with a truck he never approach us were hanging around on the property the entire day after closing hours the XXXX XXXX XXXX employee didnt ask him to leave the property but told us to leave was strange to me. Cab Service was expensive at the moment, XXXX and uber did not have any cars in the surrounding area to get back to Georgia, XXXX and XXXX were our affordable way out it was getting dark. The XXXX XXXX XXXX female got into her XXXX and left for the night. The XXXX driver accepted the XXXX ride from XXXX, South Carolina. A guy driving an SUV truck finally picked us up and took us to a hotel in XXXX, South Carolina. We stayed a few nights there. I had to purchase a uhaul truck from XXXX, South XXXX drive us back to XXXX, XXXX.The repossession of my car wasnt not the issue because I admit the payments were past due Westlake Financial had a right to repossess the car. The fact that Westlake Financial Repossession Company took our belongings to XXXX, South Carolina from XXXX XXXX Georgia made it very difficult and inconvenient to get our belongings while experiencing a crisis at that moment. 
At the time we were at XXXX XXXX XXXX I reached out to Westlake Financial, the agent on the phone told me I had to pay {$6000.00} to get my car back. 
The reason My child and I traveled to South Carolina was because our belongings were inside the car. The car was scheduled to be auctioned off in XXXX, South Carolina. My child and I feared for our lives during the moments reason it's a man behind the trailer near a wooded area were present the entire day after closing hours until we depart from XXXX XXXX XXXX it was almost XXXX he was still present it getting dark we didnt know what his intention were if he had weapons, chainsaw, and ropes to kill us, XXXX XXXX XXXX employee never ask the man to leave but told my child and I to leave were very suspicious, wildlife animals and alligators possible in the area. We were stranded outside of the XXXX XXXX XXXX trailer for another reason I called XXXX Police Department in tears at least if something did happen to us to identify our last location, XXXX XXXX XXXX to our family confirmation that I did attempt to reach out for help for my child and I were to become missing, which wasnt much the police could do again because a crime didnt occur they couldnt help us. I had spent money on a hotel in XXXX, South Carolina, XXXX from XXXX, South Carolina to XXXX, South Carolina, and purchased a u-haul box truck in XXXX, South Carolina to get back to Georgia. I originally financed my car in XXXX, Georgia with XXXX XXXX the car was repossessed in XXXX XXXX, Georgia. Westlake Financial claimed the reason the car went to South Carolina was because XXXX XXXX XXXX  was the closest to XXXX XXXX, Ga area which is false. XXXX XXXX XXXX has several locations in Georgia including XXXX, GA. Georgia has tons of repossession companies in the state. I don't understand why Westlake Financial selected the State of South Carolina to take my car and our belongings to South Carolina from the beginning from the State of Georgia. Westlake Financial done harassing call to my numbers back to back in a every XXXX mins span throughout the entire day whenever you late on payment from early mornings until almost XXXX even when i answer the call give them a explanation for being late on payments Westlake Financial continue the harassing calls demanding payments it was so bad i could not identify from other business calls or personal calls were calling my number using a XXXX area code and different Georgia area code numbers.Westlake Financial done all the harassing calling doing business with Westlake Financial experience was like dealing with the XXXX experiencing harrassing call tactics especially how they schedule and handle the repossession of my car and belongings leaving out the state. Westlake Financial and XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX put my child and I safety and life in jeopardy trying to get our belongings from South Carolina. What if the XXXX Driver never showed up that night? What would have happened to us? My child and I almost had to spend the night at XXXX XXXX XXXX outdoors on the XXXX XXXX XXXX patio porch in a wooded area.