Consumer complaint received 2026-02-09 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Problem with additional add-on products or services purchased with the loan
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
On XXXX XXXX XXXX, we attempted to purchase a vehicle using Capital One Auto Navigator. We had a customer prequalification showing an APR range around 8.69 % for 72 months with a {$3000.00} down payment. We went to the dealership expecting our Auto Navigator prequalification to be used. 

Instead, the dealership created and submitted a separate dealer-generated prequalification through Capital One. Capital One later confirmed that a dealer-generated prequalification is different from the customer Auto Navigator prequalification.

The contract that Capital One funded showed an APR of 14.99 %, which did not align with the Auto Navigator approval range. When we questioned this, the dealership stated the APR came from Capital One and that Capital One would correct it if anything was incorrect. Because the APR and terms did not appear accurate, we contacted Capital One before signing any revised contract. A Capital One escalation representative advised us not to sign until Capital One reviewed the revised contract, specifically because the APR did not appear consistent and Capital Ones system showed multiple prequalifications.

In addition to the APR issue, the original contract contained approximately {$8600.00} in add-on packages that we explicitly declined before purchase. These add-ons increased the financed amount from approximately {$22000.00} to approximately {$31000.00}. We discovered this within days and attempted to resolve it immediately. Capital One escalations became involved and the matter was treated as a formal complaint. 

Throughout this process, Capital One provided inconsistent and misleading guidance. We requested an unwind/cancellation of the funded loan due to material misrepresentation and were told multiple times that Capital One could not unwind a fully funded auto loan. This is inconsistent with our prior experience with Capital One unwinding a funded auto loan in the past, and inconsistent with later actions Capital One participated in. 

Capital Ones Executive Response Team ( Presidents Office ) later advised that the dealership could cancel the original contract and submit a corrected contract. We were physically present at the dealership with the General Manager while the dealership called Capital One, reversed the original contract funding by phone, and submitted the corrected contract. This was done live with Capital One on the phone. 

After the original contract was canceled and the corrected contract was submitted, Capital One denied the corrected contract. This caused a major disruption and we nearly lost the vehicle. Due to Capital Ones denial after cancellation, we were forced to secure financing through another bank to avoid losing the vehicle. 

Despite the original contract being canceled and funds being reversed, the Capital One account remained visible on our end and continued showing as active with payments becoming past due. This created serious risk of incorrect negative credit reporting and additional financial harm. 

We are requesting that Capital One : Provide written confirmation that the original loan/account is canceled/closed with a {$0.00} balance, Confirm in writing that no past due payments will be reported to the credit bureaus for this canceled contract, Correct and remove any negative credit reporting already submitted related to this canceled loan, Provide written clarification of what occurred with the APR discrepancy, the dual prequalification issue ( dealer vs customer Auto Navigator ), the cancellation, and the denial of the corrected contract, and Provide goodwill compensation for the significant disruption, misinformation, time loss, and stress caused by Capital Ones mishandling of this complaint and the resulting credit reporting risk. 

This complaint is not against the dealership. The dealership ultimately cooperated by reversing the original funding and attempting to submit a corrected contract. The harm and failure occurred due to Capital Ones inconsistent guidance, denial after cancellation, and incorrect account status/past due display.

Capital Ones actions have created a risk of inaccurate furnishing of information to credit bureaus in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). Additionally, the inconsistent and misleading guidance provided during the complaint process, followed by denial after cancellation and incorrect past-due account status, appears to constitute unfair and deceptive practices ( UDAAP ).

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief