Consumer complaint received 2025-11-14 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
Last week, I went to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX car dealership. After leaving the dealership and deciding I wanted the car, to hold the car, I had to give them $ XXXX refundable deposit. Since I had to give the dealership $ XXXX anyway, I told them to keep it and apply it towards the purchase of the vehicle. I applied for an auto loan with Navy Federal Credit Union on XXXX. I applied through the app. One of the first questions it asked me is " how much will I need financed? '' I put the total of {$24000.00} because that's the amount I needed financed. It then asked if I was putting a down payment and I answered yes with the amount of $ XXXX. Navy Federal approved me for the loan and sent me a check for {$23000.00}. 

The dealership reached out to me the week of XXXX and notified me that they were short $ XXXX. I reached out to Navy Federal through the chat box in the app on XXXX and conversated for a couple of days where the agent had no interest in helping me and was actually quite rude and indifferent to my situation. I asked multiple time for this issue to be escalated and as of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX EST, there was still no escalation or any response at all even after sending multiple chats on XXXX. The rep even suggested that when the application asked the amount of financing I need, I should've put on the application that I needed financing in the amount of {$25000.00} with a $ XXXX down payment. But that would be inaccurate and is extremely confusing. I didn't need financing for that amount. I needed financing in the amount of {$24000.00} and I have paperwork to prove it. 

The dealership reached out to me again to follow up on XXXX to let me know we needed to get this done sooner rather than later before the transaction is unwound by XXXX XXXX due to not receiving all of the funds due for the car. Me and the dealership sales rep, hopped on a three way call with Navy Federal to see what we could do about the situation. This rep was also extremely rude and hateful. She was so rude even the dealership rep said to me that he had never dealt with anyone like her and he spends a lot of his time speaking to bank reps. 

She was unwilling to escalate the call, and was very rude and hateful. I've requested a loan adjustment and they say they can't but she's not a loan officer.

I told the Navy Fed rep, I can see the logic. I applied for {$24000.00} and said I was putting down $ XXXX, so they cut me a check for {$23000.00}. But then they need to fix how their application works/is worded. The loan application asked me what amount I need financed and I told them the amount. It's not my fault they cut me a check for an amount that was different from the amount I said needed financed. Why ask me what I need financed if they're going to cut me a check for a different amount? 

The Navy Fed rep said the only thing I could do was apply for a new loan. I was open to the idea if they could use my credit inquiry from last week and they said they have no way to control that. They wouldn't know until the loan officer runs it again. So I would have to hurt my credit again because of Navy Federals negligence. The dealership sales rep even raised a good point that I didn't think of. He said " if Navy Federal does not receive the down payment, why are they questioning it especially when it can change the requested loan amount. It doesn't make any sense for them to know about the down payment if they are not collecting the money. Imagine you just paid XXXX the $ XXXX without having the three way call today. They would never have known how much you put down, and they still would've approved the loan. '' So to prevent my car from being repoed, I put the extra $ XXXX on a credit card because Navy Federal wrote me a check for a different amount than what I said needed financing.

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