Consumer complaint received 2026-01-02 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan — 
Company: ACIMA CREDIT, LLC
State: LA

Complaint narrative:
Just a few weeks into XX/XX/year>, I began looking for an all-new XXXXXX/XX/XXXX living room set for my house. I found the XXXX of my dreams at a store called XXXX XXXX in XXXXXX/XX/XXXXLouisiana at the time it was a well-known RENT-TO-OWN franchise throughout the greater XXXX XXXX area ( this particular store is no longer in business ). After spending a good deal of time testing out the different pieces, I made the decision to purchase the furniture. I told the salesperson, however, that I was going to wait until my next paycheck so I could use cash ; I ended the conversation about applying for a credit card before it could even start ( not interested ). 
As I started walking towards the exit at the front of the store, XXXX XXXX manager handed me a promotional brochure on a company I was not familiar with the businesss name was ACIMA. He briefly explained how purchasing home furniture/appliances from XXXX XXXX through ACIMA worked and, after speaking with an ACIMA representative while at XX/XX/XXXXXXXX I decided to take advantage of their ( ACIMAs ) XXXXday same as cash option. Doing so would allow for the immediate purchase of the XXXX living room set at the agreed upon cash option price of {$1200.00} ; the beginning of the lease is clearly listed as XX/XX/year> and the leasing number is XX/XX/XXXXXXXX ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX). However, because I was adamant about waiting for my next paycheck, ACIMA approved and accepted my XX/XX/year> payment date ( ExhibitXX/XX/XXXX ). 
When a consumer enters into any type/kind of purchase agreement with ACIMA, providing valid checking account information is required ; this way, payments can be automated every month for a predetermined amount that has been authorized by the consumer. Most respectable businesses, regardless of industry, will adhere to their own standards and guidelines when it comes to making such transactions, but ACIMA does not fit into the respectable businesses category. For example, Exhibit XX/XX/XXXXclearly illustrates ACIMAs cash price for LEASE NO XX/XX/XXXXXXXX is {$1200.00} yet when ACIMA processed the payment, they only drafted {$1100.00} ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX). This is XXXX of ACIMAs infamous gray areas because what the company fails to mention ( in the chat exhibit provided ) is the {$55.00} fee it charges at the very beginning of the process ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX ). When added to {$1100.00}, the total amount paid to ACIMA by XX/XX/year> was {$1200.00} XXXX DOLLARS more than the contracted/agreed upon amount. 
It is important to mention that the payment to ACIMA on XX/XX/year> ( in the amount of {$1100.00} ) was not an automatic draft. I physically dialed their phone number and spoke with an ACIMA representative who took my payment information over the phone. She gave me a confirmation number, told me to enjoy the rest of my day, and said thank you for doing business with ACIMA. The emailed receipt submitted as Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX was the last direct correspondence I received from ACIMA until the middle of XX/XX/year>. As a side note, there were no other charges ( or attempted charges ) from ACIMA notated in my XXXX and/or XX/XX/year> banking statements. 
XXXX very long and stressful months passed with XXXX wreaking havoc all over the world. Our way of life was being turned upside-down by this novel XXXX and out of the blue I received an email from ACIMA stating they had successfully processed a payment from my checking account in the amount of {$110.00} ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX ). I thought surely this was a simple mistake, so I went to ACIMAs website to chat with a representative ; while holding in queue their automated chatbot let it be known the due date of my next payment to ACIMA was scheduled for XX/XX/year> in the amount of {$110.00} ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX ). The longer I sat on hold waiting for a representative, the more I researched ACIMA ; unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed the company is essentially a predatory lender with extremely deceptive business practices. 
Further proof is clearly illustrated by ACIMA representative XXXX during our online chat on Wednesday, XX/XX/year> ( ExhibitXX/XX/XXXXXXXX ). To begin with, XXXX misstates that my XXXX-day same as cash option was {$1200.00} before tax ; my lease contract with ACIMA shows this amount was {$1200.00} and there is no tax when a customer is paying ACIMAs cash price ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXXXXXX ). Her second error was failing to mention the {$55.00} fee ACIMA collects prior to the purchase/delivery of leased items which was discussed in the paragraphs above ; my debt with ACIMA had been paid in full at {$1200.00} ( actually {$1200.00} ). Then, she mentions a remaining lease payment of {$110.00} that failed to go through my checking account on XX/XX/year> ; this transaction was : XXXX ) not necessary since my lease purchase had been completed the day before, XXXX ) never mentioned or authorized, and XXXX ) not evident on any of my banking statements as a returned charge/check. 
Once the ACIMA representative XXXX began her speech about the failed payment, I already knew where the conversation was heading ; I have read about similar schemes to defraud their customers in the hundreds upon hundreds of complaints on ACIMA withXX/XX/XXXX. In my case, ACIMA erred by falsely claiming a final payment of {$110.00} was due the DAY AFTER I paid my agreed upon price in full ; if I called and requested to pay off the amount owed, there would be no final payment the next day. ACIMA, if there was a discrepancy or balance remaining, should have contacted me for authorization to run the additional charge and, at the very least, should have notified me of the charge not going through successfully! 
ACIMA broke the terms and conditions of their own lease option contract by attempting to submit additional charges following a confirmed pay-off. Despite there being no evidence of returned checks/charges in any banking documents, ACIMA fraudulently utilized these fake charges to claim breech of contract on my behalf ; in XXXX words , because the last payment on XX/XX/year> failed, it did not complete the lease ( ExhibitXX/XX/XXXX ). Again, ACIMA is in breech of contract because even if I did owe a final payment and that payment did not clear my account, I was only XX/XX/XXXXdays into my XXXXdays same as cash lease option ; I still had XX/XX/XXXX days to pay their fictitious balance. And lastly, ACIMA can not just change the terms of a contract/lease purchase agreement without having all new paperwork drawn-up and signed by both parties the fact ACIMA altered my documents XXXX a XX/XX/XXXXday same as cash option to a XX/XX/XXXXmonth lease purchase option based on a failed payment that was unnecessary as well as unauthorized ( all within a XXXX weeks time period ) is absolutely insane. 
In just a few weeks, it will week XXXX years since that faithful day when I walked into the XXXX XXXX and got introduced to ACIMA, the bane to my existence. Imagine my surprise when I received the attached email from some collection agency on behalf of ACIMA ( Exhibit XX/XX/XXXX ). I will not be bullied into paying a bill I do not owe and this company says I owe {$1600.00}. PLEASE HELP MAKE THEM GO AWAY! 

* * Exhibits are in the attached file

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation