Consumer complaint received 2025-08-18 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Company: AC AutoPay LLC, Denver, CO Branch
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
Summary : Autopay advertised a soft pull prequalification tool but instead distributed my information to multiple lenders, resulting in unauthorized hard credit inquiries. This was materially misleading, caused harm to my credit, and Autopay has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the deceptive marketing. 

Full Narrative : On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a request through Autopays advertised soft pull prequalification tool. This was a request to see if I prequalified for a car refinance loan. Their website clearly represented this as a soft inquiry only, with no impact to credit. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed hard inquiries appearing on my credit report. Concerned, I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, one of the creditors listed, and they confirmed the pull originated from Autopay. I immediately contacted Autopay, who told me there was nothing I can do and even suggested I call the police. At the time, I initially believed this might be fraud because I have previously had my SSN stolen. 

I also discovered that Autopay had submitted my information to multiple lenders. Other lenders attempted to pull my reports, but those attempts were blocked because my credit files were locked. This demonstrates that Autopay was not simply conducting a single prequalification, but instead distributing my data broadly for hard credit checks contradicting their advertised promise of a soft pull. 

Because of this, I filed a complaint with the XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX. Autopay responded on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. Each time, they avoided the issue, claiming I authorized the pulls by agreeing to fine-print terms, while refusing to address the core misrepresentation : that their product was marketed as a soft pull prequalification. Authorization obtained through deceptive representation is not valid authorization. 

Autopay continues to frame this matter as resolved, but it is not. Their actions resulted in multiple hard inquiries that negatively affected my credit and violated the trust consumers place in prequalification tools. 

They state they called to speak with me, which they did call ; however, when I returned their call they did not answer. I left a voicemail and they never returned it. In their XXXX   responses they continue stating, consumer would not answer the phone. Autopay has nothing to do with the credit pulls. Consumer admits to authorizing credit pull as it is in the fine print. 

It is in the fine print, but the beginning of their sit states that it will be a soft pull. You then click the link and the refinance is an option on that next page, if it isnt a soft pull why would the hyperlink for the soft pull take you to a section where you can select it. Furthermore, Autopay keeps denying that they pulled my credit. When I called the credit union that did they told me that Autopay pulled it, and it is only coded with their name on top. 

This was all in all a terrible situation, especially as someone who had their SSN stolen prior, I immediately thought my identity was stolen when all of these inquires started trying to pull my credit. 

I have attached where I tried to return their call, the XXXX page of the site and where that link takes you. I have also attached the end of the application and terms of service. As seen at the end, providing your SSN is optional. Why would any consumer think this would be a hard inquiry if SSN is optional. Their terms are also vague enough it is deceptive on whether or not it is a soft or hard inquiry. 


Looking at their XXXX  page, many consumers are having this exact complaint with them.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation