Consumer complaint received 2018-12-05
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — High-pressure sales tactics
Company: Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (CA)

I was online looking at the XXXX XXXX XXXX because I was thinking of maybe trading in a car I was financing with my mom who was a co-signer. I received several offers from several dealerships including XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX. I went to XXXX  XXXX of XXXX XXXX with the intention of seeing the value of a car l already had to see if it would be good to trade in. However, once I got there this gentleman greeted me my kids and asked me why I was there so I explained and he asked that we waited in the lobby why he inspected my car. During this time I wasnt even looking at oher cars because I wanted to know if it would be a good trade in. Im a female and dont know much on cars so I do feel this has something to do with my experience. Then the guy comes back to the lobby and tells me oki inspected the car so aretou interested in getting a new car? At no time did I get any information regarding my trade in and I was there with XXXX kids so when they heard new car the youngest one got excited. So I told the gentleman man that I wasnt thinking of buying a new car but maybe a trade in so he called the salesman that was there and quickly we were already walking out to the lot so he asked what kind of cars I like and I told him I love my car just that I would like to know if its be a good time to trade it in and he said for something similar? And so I said yes. Know he showed me like 3 cars then we went back to the office and thats where I started feeling uncomfortable. He took my information such as income etc and after that he said he would check my credit and I said ok thats find Im not going to lose anything. Later he walks out telling me I didnt qualify for their financing because of my credit score. So I asked him for it and he gave me a number completely different than what I had so I asked him to show me the reports and he got up and said he would talk to the manager and never showed me my credit reports or score. Then he comes out after like a 40 min wait and tells me they were trying with other banks and thats when I go upset because I asked if it would hurt my credit score with the inquiries and he said no. That it would only show as one. Well then he comes back telling me that this bank approved me and how much down payment I had and I said well Im not thinking of buying a car so I dont have that in mind plus I had a trade in in mind do I told him thanks you for your time but I have an appointment to go with the kids so I have to go. As Im walking to my car I see that they had already brought the new car to the front of the building and they parked it next to my car. Then another man came out of nowhere helping his buddy get me back to the office. I was like no its fine Ill keep my car and when my credit gets better Ill contact you. I told him I have to leave and cant stay anymore. Then he was like tell you what come inside and Ill give you the cat with no downpayment, youll be the only signer and that will boost your credit becadusd its going to show your old car as paid off. So I was trying to rush out of there but then he got my son and was like do you like the new car its bigger. So I walk back to the office and he brings me the paperwork he knew I was in a rush and he asked me to go with another man who finalized the purchase. I could definitely see in this other mans face the guilt he felt when he asked me to initial and sign that contract. He knew I had to leave and all I got was the amount I had to pay monthly but no one ever disclosed the total amount of the car the interest or anything about my old car. I felt so pressured because the other men were already taking things from my old car to the new car and I had this appointment to go to so I signed that contract not knowing anything I had to ask which bank finance me because not even that information was given to me. I went back the next day telling them I could keep the car because its too much and Im a single mom and after reading the contract myself its not what I went for but the person who was there was very cold and didnt show any understanding. All he said was well just wait 3-4 months and then refinance and went on to tell me about his personal experience when he bought his house and later regretted it. I got six hard inquiries on my credit report. For an entire week I couldnt sleep or eat crying about this entire situation. About 15 days later I get a call from the financing bank to go over the payments and I told them if what happened and how if I was going to get that high of an interest rate they couldve given me the option of waiting until my credit was better for a better rate. He just asked which date would be good for me for my payments and hot that set up. Not even they went over any of the financing information with me. Im learning everything on my own. I got financed by Santander consumer USA.