Consumer complaint received 2025-07-26 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Struggling to pay your loan — Denied request to lower payments
Company: Exeter Finance, LLC.
State: AE

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern, My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I am a military spouse currently living overseas in XXXX under the Status of Forces Agreement ( SOFA ). I am writing to formally file a complaint against Exeter Finance LLC for unfair, predatory, and unethical lending and collection practices that have caused me significant financial and emotional hardship. 

In XXXX of XXXX, I financed a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX through Exeter. The original amount for the loan was {$20000.00} which far exceeded the vehicle 's value at the time. We brought the vehicle with us to XXXX where the vehicle suffered catastrophic engine failure. We learned that my vehicle was XXXX of millions of XXXX vehicles affected by XXXX 's class action settlement regarding faulty XXXX XXXX engines. Because of the vehicle 's overseas status, XXXX XXXX is refusing to honor the settlement, therefore the vehicle can not be repaired and is not drivable. 

Additionally, I have fallen on financial hardship due to unemployment and relocation as part of my husbands military assignment overseas, I contacted Exeter to request assistance. At first, I requested relief under the Civil Service Relief Act due to my husband 's active duty status and was denied by Exeter because of a legal loophole. Subsequently, I have tried to negotiate a settlement with Exeter in good faith and was told that they do not offer settlements. At the time of writing, the vehicle is non-functional, and I am unable to use or repair it yet Exeter insists on maintaining the full balance, which is close to {$15000.00}. To be clear, I have paid {$16000.00} towards the original loan amount of {$20000.00} ( far exceeding the vehicle 's value at any point ) -- but most of that went to their predatory interest rate. 

In addition to the above, Exeter has : - Refused to offer a hardship resolution or early settlement, despite full knowledge of my overseas status and military dependency - Provided inconsistent and contradictory information over multiple calls, creating confusion and obstructing resolution ( for example, I have been told that I could settle for {$1500.00}, then told that was a " mistake '', asked to write a letter with " Intent to Settle '' which has since had no response, made multiple phone calls ( recorded ) which I have been hung up on, had the names of manager 's withheld who I was working with so that I had no way to contact them again, and have been told multiple times that I could settle and then that I could not settle, and have been told that they do not have a settlement department only to then be told that they do have a settlement department, but only once the loan has been " charged off. '' - Continued to assess high-interest charges and report negatively to credit bureaus, despite the vehicle being effectively unusable and despite my sincere and multiple attempts to come to a resolution with them even before any missed payments. 
- Communicated in a manner that borders on harassment, with veiled threats of legal action despite my clear hardship and military status and refusal to provide me with names of who I was speaking to and refusing to transfer my phone calls to relevant parties. 
- Refusal to honor Civil Service Relief Act due to a technicality ( the vehicle was purchased after my husband 's XXXX XXXX status but before we were married ; most companies I have worked with honor SCRA interest rate cap at 6 % in good faith as long as the debt originated prior to our marriage ). 

As a consumer with limited rights overseas, I feel Exeter is taking advantage of my status and intentionally delaying any possible resolution in hopes of prolonging interest accrual or forcing an eventual judgment.

I believe Exeter Finance is violating th
e spirit of fair lending and debt collection laws, including those enforced under the Consumer Financial Protection Act and Virginia state financial regulations. They are knowingly exploiting borrowers, not only those who are trying to resolve their debt responsibly but virtually any and everyone who takes out a loan with them as their interest rates are predatory, borderline usurious, and have hidden finances charges that are hidden within the sale price of which is not known to the purchaser and consumer.

I am requesting that : - A formal investigation be opened into Exeters lending and settlement practices as their high interest and predatory loans border on violating usury laws.

- Exeter be required to offer a reasonable settlement in line with industry norms for auto loans - The account be flagged to prevent escalation or legal action while this complaint is under review I am more than willing to cooperate with an investigation and provide supporting documentation upon request. I believe that consumers especially those tied to the military community deserve to be treated with dignity and fairness. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  AE XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation