Consumer complaint received 2024-05-22
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: HYUNDAI CAPITAL AMERICA (GA)

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was involved in a car accident. The police determined that the opposing driver was at fault. I reported my loss to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, after XXXX commenced an investigation where they accepted fault. XXXX requested a Market Valuation Report from XXXX XXXX, which determined the vehicle was worth {$22000.00}. ( Actual cash value = {$21000.00}, taxes = {$1400.00} XXXX fees = {$23.00} ). The vehicle was deemed a total loss. While payments to the appropriate parties were arranged, I maintained my monthly payments on my vehicle. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I accepted the evaluation for my XXXX XXXX XXXX and provided XXXX with my loan information. XXXX called Kia Finance, and XXXX received the payoff amount of {$9400.00}. 

During the process, I noticed that my account information was incorrect and contacted XXXX about the error. XXXX, Kia Finance, and I had a three-way call to explain the error, and a new payoff amount was issued with the corrected information. 

The first check, for {$9400.00}, was issued to Kia Motors Finance on XX/XX/XXXX, and was voided due to incorrect account information. 

The replacement payment of {$9400.00} was issued to Kia Motors Finance on XX/XX/XXXX, and cashed on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX received the letter of guarantee from Kia Motors Finance on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Once Kia confirmed that they received payment, I accepted the remaining balance of {$13000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, when I stopped my payments to Kia Motors Finance. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Kia Motors Finance stating that the agreed-upon payoff amount of {$9700.00} between XXXX and Kia Motors Finance was not paid in full. Because the payment from my GAP provider was not received, this loan did not have gap coverage. GAP coverage is optional car insurance coverage that helps pay off your auto loan if your car is totaled. At the time of purchase of my vehicle, I put down {$6000.00} eliminating the need for GAP coverage and thus when offered it was declined. When I drove off of the lot, the car was worth more than I owed. It would have been silly of me to add an unnecessary cost. If this was done, it was done without my consent and thus fraudulently. At the time of the loss, I owed approximately {$9000.00} for a vehicle evaluated at {$21000.00}. I assumed this letter was sent in error. 

If you notice the documents that I have sent, the loan had a credit after the loan was paid off. A credit that I never received. I can only assume that Kia or an individual at Kia kept the credit for themselves and thus created a fake cost to make it look like I as the consumer was negligent or irresponsible. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, they proceeded to charge off my credit report. For an account at the time, it had XXXX missed payments. 

Upon noticing the significant dip in my credit score ( credit score in excess of XXXX dipped to the low XXXX ), I called Kia Motors Finance and XXXX to gather information on why there was a charge-off on my credit report. 

I filed a complaint on XXXX with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for the state of Georgia. They conducted their investigation and it was determined on XX/XX/XXXX that XXXX fulfilled all obligations required of them. This issue lies with Kia Motors Finance. 

Later, I called Kia Motors Finance. Kia Motors Finance stated that the payoff amount of {$9700.00} was not paid, so they charged me the remaining balance. They confirmed that they received XXXX 's payment of {$9400.00}. I was responsible for the remaining {$340.00}. 

I explained to Kia Motors Finance that the agreed-upon payoff amount they provided to me was {$9400.00}. I explained to Kia Motors Finance that the agreed-upon payoff amount provided by Kia Motors Finance was confirmed to be paid for in full by Kia Motors Finance . I explained to Kia Motors Finance once that the agreed-upon payoff amount provided was paid in full and that Kia Motors Finance would release the title to XXXX. The payoff amount was confirmed to be paid for in full and the title to the vehicle was released. 

I explained to Kia Motors Finance that I do not have GAP coverage on a vehicle for which I placed a substantial amount of money down. Kia disagreed with my assertions and stated that they were still owed money. 

I called Kia Multiple throughout the year in XXXX, and each time, I was informed that I still owed them money on a vehicle whose title they had already given away and a debt they had already charged off. 

I continued to call Kia Motors Finance to fix the issue, and every time, they did nothing. That is, until XXXX, when Kia Motors Finance admitted there was an issue on their side. I am possibly experiencing an error in their system. But no action has been taken to fix the error, nor has an apology been given. Every time I call Kia Motors Finance, I am told I still owe them money. On top of this nightmare, I now have a collection agency asking me for money on this debt - a debt that was never owed to Kia.

I have always paid the few bills that I have faithfully and always on or before the date due. As stated earlier, I have never missed a payment on my loan with Kia and as a matter of fact, I. have always paid more than the actual payment due. The payments that I made in XXXX and XXXX even when I did not have a vehicle were never refunded to me - somehow they vanished into fraudulent thin air. After doing my research and pointing it out to Kia, the XXXX payment that was sent in XXXX was placed in a miscellaneous account and not properly applied to my loan. 

It has been a nightmare dealing with Kia. We even tried to reach out to the corporate structure to no avail because this is a multinational company with their corporate office located in XXXX XXXX. I as a consumer feel strongly that someone at Kia or Kia has fraudulently created a charge to cover over a nefarious wrong doing on their part. The sad part about this whole ordeal is that Kia financed my new car that I purchased after receiving my insurance settlement as quickly as the information was punched in at the dealership, yet, I am such a bad consumer that you charged-off the loan for the XXXX Kia? 

I, as a consumer, am reaching out to you for help as I have no one else to turn to. My credit has never recovered. My score, even with me paying my debts faithfully, is still lingering in the XXXX. I studied hard in school, went to college graduating with honors and will be entering Georgia XXXX to pursue my XXXX XXXX. However, my biggest hope, the reason why I worked so hard to maintain an excellent credit profile, will never be realized. My hopes of purchasing my first home have been shattered. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX