Consumer complaint received 2024-01-18
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Getting the loan — 
Company: MARINER FINANCE, LLC (NC)

I received an advertisement from mariner finance with my name on it that stated that I was " pre-approved '' for up ro XXXX. The letter had an offer code which was " XXXX ''. I went to the website and entered the offer code. My information popped up as I have had 2 prior paid off loans with Mariner finance. I went through prompts and when I asked how much I wanted to borrow, I entered XXXX for debt consolidation. I have 2 pressing/past due medical bills that need to be paid and a small loan I planned on consolidating. 

The window showed that I was pre-approved for the amount entered. I proceeded to enter al the information, take a selfish, etc.i entered banking account information on where the loan would be sent amd submitted all documents. 

Now, I have done an application before, in XXXX 2023, and it was " pre-approved '' so based on the advertisement, it gives the impression that they have your information and can approve you based upon the information they have. The advertisement DID NOT say " pre-qualified '', it says pre-approved. 

After submitting the documents, I called and spoke with an agent to verify the documents were received and email from the " online support '' stating that they didn't receive child support documents although I sent it in one PDF document. They sent an email requesting that I send it separately by replying to the email and that is what I did. I sent the document, again, by email. My account status chnged to " Under review ''. I was told that the " online support '' could not accept my income from XXXX and XXXX as income for the loan without good reason. The terms on the letter does not state that certain types of income can not be accepted. 

Next, I was told that of " 0nlinr support '' couldn't fund the loan, it would be sent to " the local office ''. I received a notice in the my account sectin that my loan was sent to a local branch and to contact my local branch. I was given a number of XXXX. XXXX is a area code for North Carolina. I then recieved a call from my " local branch '' the next day from a representative named XXXX. XXXX told me she was at the location branch which was " virtual ''. She asked me some of the same questions and information that I had submitted on the application and I expressed my concern with why she was asking me as it appeared I was doing the application all over again. She told me, " she needed " to verify the information. '' I wound up having to upload all of the documents again to the portal. She informed me that the loan would close later that day. The next day came and went and she called me on Wednesday asking me to send the child support order again. I sent it again, foe the 3rd time and she informed me that the loan would close that day, which was XXXX, XXXX. I never hear back from her so I called on Thursday around XXXX. It was then that I found out she was NOT at a local branch in XXXX XXXX North Carolina located at XXXX XXXX, a shopping Plaza here. She was in fact in the same location as " online support. '' She and Mariner Finance misled me into thinking I was working with someone local by falsely providing a local number whe. In fact, they were in Maryland. Both online support and the " local branch '' loan officer were in another state. Lastly, she informed me that the loan was not approved despite misleading me and sending me a " pre-approved '' notice and giving me an " offer code '' like they had already had my information AND her telling me twice when the loan would close. She never gave any indication that it would not be approved. As far as I was told, it was already approved. XXXX then said to me that it was in the " fine print ''. The fine print should read as big as " pre-approved '' as it was at best misleading. It feel criminal as I made obligations and decisions based upon the loan being " pre-approved '', if even for a smaller amount. I am now in a very bad spot financially my their misrepresentation and misleading advertisement. I had asked them back in XXXX to stop sending me these false advertising documents anymore, yet they did it again, but had a local address listed like it was from a local branch. I have suffered a great deal of harm by their misleading advertising, false statements and misrepresentation like they were in North Carolina. 

I have recorded calls, screenshots and email correspondence to provide, but could only upload one from the website and could not upload the recorded calls. I am certain they have recorded calls on their end. 
I question if this was racially Charged discrimination as the loan was " pre-approved '' until I had to upload my license amd a " selfie '', it was then declined agter doing so and I had to send every document known to man and then they wouldn't accept the proof that I sent, resulting in a decline when the offer was " pre-approved ''