Consumer complaint received 2025-06-04 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Repossession — Loan balance remaining after the vehicle is repossessed and sold
Company: 3G+1, Inc. dba California Auto Finance
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, 2025, I obtained a XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, CA. I was informed before I left that I had been approved for a loan and that my monthly payment would be {$540.00}. I made a down payment of {$2500.00} and paid an additional {$1000.00} down payment to them on XX/XX/XXXX 2025. I was told before I left the dealership on XX/XX/XXXX, that I was already approved and that I just needed to switch over my insurance before I left the dealership, and that they would need me to send my check stubs and my W2 as soon as possible, which I sent on XX/XX/XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX, I was asked to call the financing company to interview with them and to add them to my insurance policy as the lien holder on the XXXX. That same day, I spoke with California Auto Finance and she asked me some questions. One of the questions was if I was happy with the vehicle. I said not really. I told her I had felt like I was overcharged for the vehicle and also that it was having acceleration issues. She told me there was really nothing she could do about that and then soon after we ended the call.

My first payment was due on XX/XX/XXXX. I tried to go online to make a payment, and there was no place to make one. I tried calling. No automated payment option and this was a Saturday so they were closed. On Monday the XX/XX/XXXX, I called them to make a payment. The person on the phone asked me the same thing, if I was happy with the vehicle. By this time we had been having more issues, including the transmission light blinking while I was driving on the freeway. I told him about it and continued to try to make my payment, but he put me on hold and then got back on the phone and told me that the dealership was missing something and he could not take payment from me. I asked him if it was going to make me late on payments and affect my credit and he said no, not to worry about it.

The next day, the dealership called me back ( which was funny because when I had asked them for the windshield wiper they promised me and my receipt for my {$1000.00}, they ignored me ). They said they were told I was having problems with the vehicle and that they would check it out and fix it for me. I asked how long that would take, and they couldn't give me an answer. Then they told me that California Auto Financing had told them that I was late on my payment. When I told them what the financing company was, they said they would call me back, and they did not until the following week. California Auto also called me the next week and was extremely rude. After that, over the next few days, I was bombarded with calls from several different numbers, local and XXXX, sometimes one right after the other. I work full time, and I was also dealing with a XXXX  XXXX issue, so getting all these calls and not knowing the numbers, I got extremely overwhelmed, and I kind of shut down. I went to a hotel with my kids to get my mind off of everything, and when I woke up in the morning to take my kids to school, the car was gone. This was on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I was out of it for a few days. On XX/XX/XXXX, I tried calling them from one of the numbers they left a message, and I could not leave a voicemail. I called another number and was able to leave a message. I did not receive any call back. I called again a few days later, and nothing again.

On Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX2025, I received a letter from California Auto Finance. dated XX/XX/XXXX 2025, saying that they were going to sell my vehicle on XX/XX/XXXX 2025. The letter stated that my vehicle was being stored at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and it had been there since XX/XX/XXXX. The letter stated that I could reinstate my contract if I paid the amount of {$1600.00}, which was 2 payments and a repossession fee. The next day, I called California Auto Finance and was actually going to make the payment. They told me it had to be made in cash at a XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX and that once I sent it to call them and let them know. Then they would call the dealership to release it. They said once they heard back from the dealership, I could then go pick up my car. I told the gentleman I would call the dealership to give them a heads up that it would be quicker to get my vehicle. After I hung up with them, I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and told them I had received the letter and that I was going to pay my payment. First, he was beating around the bush but eventually told me not to pay the payment because they had already sold the car. I was shocked. After talking for a bit, he told me that California Auto Finance had rejected my contract because I had complained about the transmission, and that they no longer did business with them because of all the complaints they had had about them. I asked about my items that had been in the car, and he told me they had the items there and I could pick up that day. When I called later that day, he was not at the dealership. 

The following day, XX/XX/XXXX 2025, I called California Auto Finance again, and when I told him that I was the person who called the previous day with the letter, he said, " We're not really going to sell your car, ma'am, you're ok. '' To that, I answered, " My car has already been sold. '' He seemed surprised and acted like he didn't know that had happened. He even put me on hold so he could call them, and when he got back on the phone, he told me everyone had left for the day. On a Friday. Before XXXX XXXX. He also told me that my stuff was not at the dealership ; it was an hour away at a tow yard. I asked why I received the letter and what the reason the car being towed, and he said I was late on 2 payments, when in reality the car was repossessed 12 days before my second payment was even due. On my credit report, it showed I was current on payments. I asked about that, and he could not give me an answer. I asked for it to be removed from my credit if they no longer had my account anymore, and he said he couldn't do that ; he would need to speak with the managers first. I asked to speak with them, and he said he couldn't do that and said they would get back to me. I asked for something in writing, saying it would be taken off, and he said the managers would have to reach back out to me, and we ended our call.

After that, I called the tow yard, and they said I have to pay almost XXXX to get my stuff back. I read that when your car is repossessed, the agency that repossesses it has to pay for it. At this point, I am unsure who repossessed it, but I would like assistance getting my stuff back if possible, and the account taken off my credit.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation