Consumer complaint received 2025-09-17 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Managing the loan or lease — Billing problem
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I have had this loan since XX/XX/XXXX. In XXXX I called Ally to see if they could assist me with ensuring my loan does not fall behind because my employer had just changed our payment cycle that was going to cause me to fall behind and accrue late fees with my loan each month. I advised I could obtain a letter from my HR that would confirm this. They had stated that because it was a new loan, there were no options for me. Since then, I have made the payment and paid the late fee amount with each loan payment I made. 

Beginning of the year I called Ally again. I noticed that the late fees were accumulating under the balance on the app and was over {$200.00}. The lady was so rude and did not speak well XXXX, that I ended up ending the call and continued to make payments in the manner I had. In XXXX I broke my payment up in half trying to figure out a way to get ahead of it. It did not work but in XXXX my payment in my app said was due, {$550.00}. I paid that. I thought I had caught it up. The late fees that had accumulated were also gone from the app. In XX/XX/XXXX, thinking it was fixed I paid my normal payment of {$670.00}, as that is what my app said was due. XXXX though, here we go again showing all that money of late fees accumulated again and now I had a late fee again. So I paid {$700.00}, as I did anytime I had a late payment ( it has never been XXXX  days late, it is just late like my pay cycle with work makes it ). This late payment has been a thing since I first notified them and asked for help. XXXX is showing {$870.00} due. Regular payment is {$670.00} and late charges total are {$230.00}. 

When I called to enquire why my payment was {$870.00}. They stated that because even though I was including the late fee with my payment, because technically I had a past due amount, they would apply the late fee to the loan value instead of the late charges. Therefor making it look like I am paying extra money every month which is what caused the {$870.00}. They also referenced my payments in XXXX stating that because I split them like that, it did not help me but hurt me. At no time, and no where on the app or in my documents is list listed that this is their practice. I called on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to a young woman at their American office XXXX ext XXXX who said that I could change the payment date and maybe that would help. I said great. I didn't realize I could do that as I had been calling since XXXX of last year and this has never been an option. Because of the past due balance by a couple weeks because that is what I am every month due to the cycle change, she said I need to make that payment and to only make the {$670.00} ( even though the app shows {$870.00} due ) and then after it clears my bank to call back in and I should be able to move the payment. I called today. 

I was transferred to their offshore office. I needed to move it from the XXXX which is on my app to the XXXX at the earliest. The first person I spoke to tried to put it through for me and it would not go through. I asked for a supervisor or member of leadership because this makes XXXX sense on why I would not be eligible to do this. I get a XXXX Account XXXX and she goes through everything with me. She says that I can't because they changed the date in XXXX of last year. I didn't recall this. I called to ask for an extension but not to actually change the date every month. That is what I thought I was granted. I had moved to another state and the help was needed. I went through all my emails, tried to access documents on the app and there are none. This is why she is saying I can't. She said that I can only request a total of 21 days over the life of the loan movement of date. She said because they granted me a 15 day extension in XXXX of last year that they could only move my payment by 6 days. I argued this because I was not aware that the extension meant it was a change. As long as I can remember the due date on my app of the payment is the XXXX of every month. I mentioned this to her because she stated that they could move it 6 days and then there is a 10 day grace period that I would not be charged a late fee. Which even if they did that, which even offering that or suggesting it is a horrible practice, I am off by XXXX day because according to Ally XXXX XXXX my payment is due on the XXXX of every month. When I told her that my app says it is due on the XXXX so I should have until the XXXX then if I utilized those 10 days. She argued and said that no, that is not my due date, my due date is the XXXX and the date I am referencing is the contract date. It is not though, it is clear and I have a photo it is the XXXX. 

The issues that I am having in summary are as follows : 1. They are forcing a due date of the XXXX of every month, even though according to my documents on my app it is the XXXX. 
2. They are applying my late fee I have been paying this entire time to the loan instead of applying the paid amount to the loan and the fee to the late fees. So the late fees are accumulating as if I have never made any late fee payments.

3. They are stating that I requested a date change when I requested the payment extension, which is not the case. I thought I was being extended because I was a loyal customer.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation