Consumer complaint received 2024-12-04 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Managing the loan or lease — Problem with additional products or services purchased with the loan
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I have called on multiple occasions to gain some assistance from Ally on my auto loan through them. I believe that my loan origination falls in scope to predatory lending practices as the dealership who I purchased the vehicle from required that I obtain what should have been optional warranty products, to obtain the loan. As it was described to be my only option to obtain this loan, I followed suit and thus, negotiated the loan at an interest rate and payment that were completely unreasonable. Now, just over XXXX  years later, I am facing financial hardship that is causing a detriment to my credit profile due to the payment associated with this loan. On one occasion, I called Ally and asked about possibly renegotiating my loan or seeing about a reduced interest rate that would make the loan easier for me to pay. At which point, the call center individual told me that I must work with the dealership as Ally is the 3rd party lender here. Which as the sole lienholder of my loan, that is false information. Here we are just over a year or so after that call and again, I called Ally asking for assistance. They put me in a call center with an individual that I could not understand ( unfortunate language barrier ) who proceeded to only give me 2 options : XXXX. To pull XXXX my loan payment out of my account ( which if I can't afford the loan now, how can I afford to give them XXXX the payment?! ) - this in itself I feel is unfair practice as it's an option that is unreasonable or unattainable for any normal person. the second option XXXX. Was to complete a questionnaire asking for a reduced payment. Again, an unfair practice as the options given to me were to continue at the same interest rate, extend my loan term in doing so, and even still ; no guarantee that the " system '' will allow it. I asked for option XXXX as it seemed to be the lesser of the evils. Again, the language barrier caused the call center representative to be unable to understand me and made the process so difficult that I requested a possible American call center with a like-language individual who can help me through the process. The call center rep immediately responded in a hostile manner and put me on hold to transfer me, came back and said " our American call center is currently closed '' and instantly hung up the phone on me. The call was at XXXX XXXX on XXXX  XX/XX/year> and was a complete and total lie/false claim. 

Ally Financial conducts unfair, deceptive, and predatory lending and it appears to be so common that there are multiple threads online from any number of forums, describing how Ally is impossible to get in contact with, work with, and unreasonable on their business practices. As a consumer of credit products, I am entitled under law, to certain options that will allow me to have open communication and service that will accommodate me throughout my loan term. Having excessive and unnecessary means to get in contact with the company, unreasonable hostility and communication in doing so, and an inability to provide reasonable options for credit assistance make Ally a terrible organization to obtain a loan through. Ally should absolutely be held accountable by the CFPB and other regulatory bodies throughout the federal and state level as their business practices are intentionally designed to make their customers feel trapped in their loans and no reasonable barriers of entry to communication and resolution.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation