Consumer complaint received 2023-09-21
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Repossession — Voluntary repossession
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC. (NY)

I purchased a new XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX through financing provided by Ally Bank. When the schools shut down during the early stages of the pandemic, I was fired from my job because I could not find childcare for my XXXX children under the age of XXXX. Ally Bank offered me a temporary extension bringing me current through XX/XX/XXXX. Unfortunately, schools remained closed and I was not able to return to work. I received a charge off notice in the mail on XX/XX/XXXX. I have to put into context the area in which I live. I moved to the middle of the XXXX  in late XXXX early XXXX for the aforementioned job. There are no cell phone towers in my vicinity and at the time, the internet service provider was just above dial up quality. I spent the majority of the first year of the pandemic locked down in a small trailer with limited connectivity. 
When I received the charge of notice I sent a message through my Ally account portal notifying the bank that due to my job loss I could no longer afford the car and asked when they would be picking it up. I did not drive the vehicle after XX/XX/XXXX because I was terrified the the bank would come to pick it up while I was in the grocery store and I would be stranded somewhere with my children. I did not receive a response. In XXXX I sent another portal message asking Ally to come get the car. They responded they received my repossession request, and needed me to call them. I wrote back letting them know the situation with no phone service. 
By XXXX of XXXX, I did some research as to why a lender would not repossess a vehicle. Most of the resources I found indicated that this happens when the lender does not believe the vehicle 's value to be more than the cost of repossession. I found that hard to believe as the vehicle was only 2 years old when I surrendered it and was still valued at close to {$20000.00}. We had a new internet service provider and a slightly better ability to make phone calls, so I attempted to call Ally Bank. I thought since it had been so long we might be able to work out a lower payment so I could get it back on the road. I was still without a vehicle and it had been actively looking for new full time employment. In my rural setting, there are not many viable work options and the closest suburban area is about an hour away. It took me several days to reach Ally. The department I needed to speak did not have someone regularly answering the phone and there was no way to contact them directly. Each employee I spoke with during triage expressed surprise when finding out it had been two years and the vehicle had not been repossessed. I was finally connected with someone in the right department. I explained the situation and was told by the representative that they could not talk to me. When I asked why, they said they could only speak to my attorney. I told them I did not have an attorney. They said there was a note on the account regarding attorney only contact, and I again stated I never had an attorney. I was transferred again. I asked the next representative what my options were and she told me I had to pay the past due balance of {$26000.00}. I said I wanted them to take the car. The woman I spoke with ask about the location of the vehicle, if it was locked in a garage, and if they would need any codes to access the property. I let her know the vehicle was and has been sitting in my driveway since XXXX, no gates, no obstacles. The Ally representative informed me that they were a little backed up, but they would be coming to get it. 
I heard nothing from Ally Bank until the letter I received from Ally Bank dated XX/XX/XXXX. The letter stated by account had been sold to a company called XXXX XXXX XXXX. To this date, this is the first correspondence I have received from Ally Bank since my XXXX request. They have had my phone number as well as my address. I have not received any debt validation correspondence from XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
The XXXX XXXX has been sitting for the last 3 years. It has seen 3 XXXX  winters, wildlife refuge, and storm winds and hail. The value of the vehicle has depreciated immensely and now I am left with a vehicle I can not drive and {$26000.00} in debt. I have been working with the USDA to move, My children and I are in a compromised living situation and I am unable to get approved for safe and clean housing due to this debt, While I understand the debt is mine, but Ally Bank told me they would collect the vehicle. If they had sold the vehicle and possibly recouped a large portion of the debt and I would have something more reasonable to work with. How can they sell a vehicle debt on a loan in repossession status?