Consumer complaint received 2025-12-26 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Repossession — Company communicating payment assistance or payment extension options
Company: SCHOOLSFIRST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
i had a auto loan with SchoolsFirst FCU my payments were in good standing no issues but then they closed my account with them. immediately after they closed my account i started having problems making my loan payments. i was told i would be able to make the payments all the same but that was not the case. i had access to my account through the app but no longer had the ability to pay my loan payment instead my only option was to pay the loan amount off in full. before all this occurred i had just left the state of XXXX  and moved to XXXX  so my only means of getting in contact with them is through the phone. i called them and shared with them my issues with paying my loan which i was then told the loan had to be paid in full. i continued having issues resolving the issue but was finally told that my only option was to call in and manually make a payment through the phone. i attempted to do so many times but i was met with constantly being put on hold or transferred to different departments with more being put on hold in between. each time i would try and get in contact the process would take anywhere from a hour and a half to 3 almost 4 hours before i have to give up and try a different day because i work full time and have another side jobs in order to be able to pay my bills so its hard to find the time to go through that process. the car was then later repossessed even though i had every months payment in my account ready to pay my only problem was not being able to reach them and actually make it. so i went through the repo recovery process and paid and additional XXXX dollars on top of what was needed to get my account into good standing. my car was considerably damaged in the process of the repossession and was bounced around from tow company to auction yard both saying they are not responsible for the damages so i have to pay those costs out of pocket. but after recovering the vehicle i was told again and i asked to be 100 % sure is this ( paying through phone ) my only option to make a payment to my loan which i was told multiple times yes. fast forward a few months later the same issues persisted i was not able to reach them and make my payments and they came the day before XXXX to repossess the vehicle now when i call them to do the recovery process they are demanding i pay the full loan amount or else i permanently lose my vehicle but now this time they are making it to be entirely my fault saying i had multiple options to make a payment through phone through mail and through my current financial institute. i expressed to them the last repossession they made it clear my only option was through the phone had i known about these other options there would never have been any issues with my auto loan payments and there would have never been any issues and i was requesting they work with me to recover my vehicle but denied me and stated my only option was to pay the loan in full. i do not have that kind of money laying around otherwise i wouldn't even have a loan and my credit took a hit as a result of moving to XXXX  and dealing with SchoolsFirst FCU and a repossession that if handled better would never have happened. i had the funds and the means to pay my loan but just was not getting any cooperation from their end which has now financially crippled me even more due to their inability and failures. i don't feel this is right to do to people especially those who truly are trying to make their payments and it is time that i make a complaint on the credit union i used to love up until the day they closed my account.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation