Consumer complaint received 2021-07-24
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease — Problem with paying off the loan
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION (IA)

All times in Central Standard Time. All calls were made to and from the phone number ( XXXX ) XXXX. 
XXXX Call at XXXX XXXX- set up two payments with agent in multistage collections for {$330.00}. One payment for XX/XX/XXXX, the second for XX/XX/XXXX. Collections agent told me that this would pay off the loan. 
XXXX Payment 1 drafted from account XXXX Payment 2 drafted from account XXXX Took call at XXXX XXXX from collections department, saying money was still owed on the account. Told agent that I would call back when I had a chance to actually talk about it to figure out what was going on. 
XXXX- Made call at XXXX XXXX to collections department, requested to speak to a supervisor to ask what was happening. Cold transferred five times within call between collections and customer service, no one said they were the right department. On fifth call told supervisor that anymore cold transfers would result in communication through a lawyer. Someone needed to just review the notes and tell me what was happening. The supervisor said he would warm transfer me to customer service, who he said would be the correct department. While on hold for customer service the supervisor said he reviewed the call, and the agent I had spoken with was named XXXX XXXX, and confirmed that she had taken the payments and told me that my account would be paid off, but also explained that she had told me my balance, not my actual payoff amount. Also said that she had written in account notes that account would be paid off. No one in customer service answered, supervisor said he would escalate it to his manager, and I should call back by the end of the week to get an update if I hadnt heard anything. 
XXXX Made call at XXXX XXXX, asked to escalate to supervisor. Was kept on hold, then when supervisor picked up the call was disconnected. Call lasted 25 minutes and 30 seconds. 
Made a second call at XXXX XXXX  Call was bounced around five departments, and I spoke to twelve employees, including five supervisors. Different supervisors confirmed seeing notes from the call on XX/XX/XXXX, but when I finally got to someone who could tell me why I owed money they told me I was being charged interest on late fees that had been paid, which seems illegal, but apparently is just a scummy business practice. This call lasted 2 hours, 13 minutes, 11 seconds between all the transfers. At that point I was just tired of having wasted an entire afternoon hearing multiple people from the same company tell me stories that didnt align, and I decided to just set up the payment so it would be done. Set up a payment with a supervisor in multistage auto collections. 
XXXX- Received 4 collections calls during the morning while working. Checked account and noticed money had not been withdrawn. Called collections number, and was told my bank had reversed the transaction. That supervisor asked me to set up a payment on that call, and I told him absolutely not, because two times I had set up payments and been told the account would be paid off, then received collections calls. I told him I would figure out what was going on, but that my next communication to the company would be through a lawyer, because I was so tired of dealing with setting up payments and being lied to. Called my credit union, was told that no charges had come through from 5/3 Bank, so none could be reversed, giving further evidence of yet another lie from a 5/3 employee.

All I want is to have my car paid off. The amount is not a concern. The fact that I have been told twice that my account would be paid off with payments I arranged, and then failure on the part of the company to train their employees resulted in this not happening. I will pay whatever I actually have to pay, but I will not set up a payment with some random collections agent again hoping that it will actually work this time. The fact that multiple people who identified themselves as supervisors do not have access to the same notes indicates that either there is a flaw in the system, or the people who I spoke to outright lied to me. The supervisor in multistage auto explicitly told me that the agent I
spoke to did not say the things she said to me, and told me that there were no notes from the supervisor I had spoken to the week before. I believe that she is trying to
protect her employee, as XXXX is in her department. I was also told that I am being charged daily interest of two cents, but the amounts I have been told do not make sense if it is only going up by two cents per day. I also should not have to pay interest on a payment I did not even know I owed because an employee was so poorly trained she did not know the difference between a balance and a payoff amount. I am tired of being lied to. I am tired of speaking to entry level representatives who have no access to look into the account, and this includes supervisors who have inconsistent access to notes on the accounts. I need someone who has actual authority and clearance to review the calls, to set up a way that I can make whatever payment I need to make, and to make sure that employees are not lying, and are adequately trained to do their jobs.