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Citifinancial Auto Complaint - Citifinancial Auto = Nightmare
Complaint
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA -- If you have the option to finance or refinance your car loan, PLEASE think twice about going with Citifinancial Auto. They've been nothing but a nightmare to me. Here's the email I wrote to them on Thursday March 13th 2008:
Hello,
My name is Tim Soto and I'm a (fairly) new Citi Financial Auto customer. I have a complex situation and I'm in desperate need of assistance because I've spent too much personal time and energy trying to fix it. There's a lot that's gone on but I'll try to break it down to make it less confusing...
1. Early February my E-Loan car payment account was transferred over to a Citi account without me knowing.
2. I never received a packet in the mail letting me know that I'm a new Citi customer so I had no idea what my account number was (a coworker of mine also had an E-Loan account switched over and he received a packet in the mail a few days after the transfer).
3. I called and spoke with a woman who told me I had a payment due right away for $269.60. I explained that I was upset because I didn't receive anything letting me know my account information and she apologized but that I'd have to pay the $15 fee for over-the-phone payment. She assured me that I would be credited back the $15 on my next bill (which would mean I'd owe $254.60)
4. I called and spoke with another rep and explained that I still had not received a packet in the mail and they assured me that one was on it's way. I also asked for my account number and he gave it to me.
5. I tried to set up an online account but kept getting an error message after filling out my personal information. I emailed about the situation and received a reply from Tanisha [snip]. She explained that the username/password has to be set up with specific characters (which is not stated ANYWHERE on your site for some reason). Once I followed the strict guidelines I was finally able to create an account.
6. It showed a payment on 3/3/08 so I figured everything was fine. I checked back the next day and then it said it was "reversed" and had a payment due date of 3/2/08 for the total of $254.70. I did not receive an email or phone call about it being reversed so I was very confused. I waited a few days for an answer and then ended up emailing Tanisha [snip] because I didn't want to have a late fee, or worse (I didn't want to make a payment and then have it kick the direct debit back in and ultimately make me pay double). I emailed her on 3/6/08 and did not receive a reply so I emailed her again on 3/11/08 - still no reply.
7. It's extremely hard for me to call Citi Financial because I'm PST time and when I get off work you guys are closed. I do Technical Support and am on the phones throughout the day so I'm unable to call during my work hours. Email is the best option for me but I've received very little help through it.
8. Someone named "Mrs. Thomas" called and left a message for me today and I called back within 10 minutes. I spoke with "Samson" in Customer Support and she was extremely rude and not helpful at all. I tried to explain the situation to her but she didn't want to listen and told me that I could make the payment over the phone but would be charged $15 (again) - this obviously isn't acceptable to me, especially seeing as I already set up direct debit through the website. She did mention that I shouldn't have been charged the $15 the first time because "E-Loan customers don't have to pay any fee's over the phone". Seems like she just contradicted herself there.
9. I called back and spoke with another Customer Support rep (who was MUCH nicer) but told me that there's a late fee on my account and that I'd have to pay $10 for the late fee and another $15 for paying over the phone. So the payment is going to be $25 MORE now?! I thanked her for her time and asked if I could speak with a supervisor. I was on hold for about 10-15 minutes and then the phone started to ring. I expected to talk with a supervisor but instead got a voicemail for someone named Alicia.
10. I tried my best to explain everything in the voicemail to Alicia and then had to hang up (the recording said I only had 15 more seconds to leave the rest of my message). I'm waiting for Alicia to call me back but I'm worried she won't (just my luck). If anyone could PLEASE reply back to this email and/or call my cell phone 951.907.8087.
I just want to pay the $254.70 that I owe and then let the direct debit $269 payments go through every month thereafter. I really don't think this is too much to ask and I'd really appreciate some help.
Please don't reply back telling me to call in about this situation because I've already called and explained it to about 5 different people. If you could forward this to a supervisor (or if you could forward this to "Alicia" in Customer Support - unlikely, I know) I'd greatly appreciate it.
I've been doing a lot of research on Citifinancial Auto and it looks like a TON of people are having problems with them too. At this point I'm not really sure what to do. It's Saturday March 15th and I've yet to receive a call or email from anyone at their company. I'm almost ready to give them a call and just pay the extra $25 and get it over with. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot!
Hello,
My name is Tim Soto and I'm a (fairly) new Citi Financial Auto customer. I have a complex situation and I'm in desperate need of assistance because I've spent too much personal time and energy trying to fix it. There's a lot that's gone on but I'll try to break it down to make it less confusing...
1. Early February my E-Loan car payment account was transferred over to a Citi account without me knowing.
2. I never received a packet in the mail letting me know that I'm a new Citi customer so I had no idea what my account number was (a coworker of mine also had an E-Loan account switched over and he received a packet in the mail a few days after the transfer).
3. I called and spoke with a woman who told me I had a payment due right away for $269.60. I explained that I was upset because I didn't receive anything letting me know my account information and she apologized but that I'd have to pay the $15 fee for over-the-phone payment. She assured me that I would be credited back the $15 on my next bill (which would mean I'd owe $254.60)
4. I called and spoke with another rep and explained that I still had not received a packet in the mail and they assured me that one was on it's way. I also asked for my account number and he gave it to me.
5. I tried to set up an online account but kept getting an error message after filling out my personal information. I emailed about the situation and received a reply from Tanisha [snip]. She explained that the username/password has to be set up with specific characters (which is not stated ANYWHERE on your site for some reason). Once I followed the strict guidelines I was finally able to create an account.
6. It showed a payment on 3/3/08 so I figured everything was fine. I checked back the next day and then it said it was "reversed" and had a payment due date of 3/2/08 for the total of $254.70. I did not receive an email or phone call about it being reversed so I was very confused. I waited a few days for an answer and then ended up emailing Tanisha [snip] because I didn't want to have a late fee, or worse (I didn't want to make a payment and then have it kick the direct debit back in and ultimately make me pay double). I emailed her on 3/6/08 and did not receive a reply so I emailed her again on 3/11/08 - still no reply.
7. It's extremely hard for me to call Citi Financial because I'm PST time and when I get off work you guys are closed. I do Technical Support and am on the phones throughout the day so I'm unable to call during my work hours. Email is the best option for me but I've received very little help through it.
8. Someone named "Mrs. Thomas" called and left a message for me today and I called back within 10 minutes. I spoke with "Samson" in Customer Support and she was extremely rude and not helpful at all. I tried to explain the situation to her but she didn't want to listen and told me that I could make the payment over the phone but would be charged $15 (again) - this obviously isn't acceptable to me, especially seeing as I already set up direct debit through the website. She did mention that I shouldn't have been charged the $15 the first time because "E-Loan customers don't have to pay any fee's over the phone". Seems like she just contradicted herself there.
9. I called back and spoke with another Customer Support rep (who was MUCH nicer) but told me that there's a late fee on my account and that I'd have to pay $10 for the late fee and another $15 for paying over the phone. So the payment is going to be $25 MORE now?! I thanked her for her time and asked if I could speak with a supervisor. I was on hold for about 10-15 minutes and then the phone started to ring. I expected to talk with a supervisor but instead got a voicemail for someone named Alicia.
10. I tried my best to explain everything in the voicemail to Alicia and then had to hang up (the recording said I only had 15 more seconds to leave the rest of my message). I'm waiting for Alicia to call me back but I'm worried she won't (just my luck). If anyone could PLEASE reply back to this email and/or call my cell phone 951.907.8087.
I just want to pay the $254.70 that I owe and then let the direct debit $269 payments go through every month thereafter. I really don't think this is too much to ask and I'd really appreciate some help.
Please don't reply back telling me to call in about this situation because I've already called and explained it to about 5 different people. If you could forward this to a supervisor (or if you could forward this to "Alicia" in Customer Support - unlikely, I know) I'd greatly appreciate it.
I've been doing a lot of research on Citifinancial Auto and it looks like a TON of people are having problems with them too. At this point I'm not really sure what to do. It's Saturday March 15th and I've yet to receive a call or email from anyone at their company. I'm almost ready to give them a call and just pay the extra $25 and get it over with. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot!
Comments:
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2008-03-15:
You had better stop that auto-debit. That is going to come back to haunt you big time. NEVER let any company have access to your checking account. They will take any amount anytime they wish. You think you trouble now...you ain't seen nuthin' yet.
When you get this straightened out YOU make the payment through your banks web site 5 days before it's due. YOU control when and how much.
When you get this straightened out YOU make the payment through your banks web site 5 days before it's due. YOU control when and how much.
Posted by sandlizzard on 2008-03-15:
I don't think Citifinancial-auto would deduct any monies from your account. But the customer service is terrible. They are on auto-pilot to collect money. The supervisors are just as bad. Good luck
Posted by shaftscaliber on 2008-03-17:
Hey tnchuck100...
I'd rather not have it auto-debit but with them it's the ONLY way to pay (that I'm aware of) without them charging you a $10-$15 "processing" fee. I was just on their website and if you use the "pay now with your debit/credit card" link, it's broken...awesome huh?
And yeah sandlizzard, the customer service is horrible and the supervisors are just as bad. The few times they've called me back, it was always for money only. They've still yet to give a bill through email or regular mail (which I can't comprehend). I can't believe they're even in business!
I'm going to call them today and let them know that I'm recording all the calls now. If this continues on their part I'm going to take legal action (yeah I'm that upset now).
Thanks for the replies guys!
I'd rather not have it auto-debit but with them it's the ONLY way to pay (that I'm aware of) without them charging you a $10-$15 "processing" fee. I was just on their website and if you use the "pay now with your debit/credit card" link, it's broken...awesome huh?
And yeah sandlizzard, the customer service is horrible and the supervisors are just as bad. The few times they've called me back, it was always for money only. They've still yet to give a bill through email or regular mail (which I can't comprehend). I can't believe they're even in business!
I'm going to call them today and let them know that I'm recording all the calls now. If this continues on their part I'm going to take legal action (yeah I'm that upset now).
Thanks for the replies guys!
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2008-03-17:
I have never heard of mandatory auto-debit for any company. They may be trying to convince of that. If I were you I would look into what they are doing to you much more closely.
Do not pay through their website. They may well charge for that. Pay though your banks website. It works just like you wrote them a check and mailed it. Mark my words, if you don't fix this situation it will cost you further down the road.
Do not pay through their website. They may well charge for that. Pay though your banks website. It works just like you wrote them a check and mailed it. Mark my words, if you don't fix this situation it will cost you further down the road.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2008-03-17:
Auto-Debit is for the customer's convenience...not a mandatory policy. What if someone didn't have a checking account and used Money-orders instead?
Posted by shaftscaliber on 2008-03-17:
Here are their payment options:
By Mail (which I'm afraid to do because knowing them they'll probably say they didn't receive it or say wait to deposit it until after it's labelled late) - and not to mention I've NEVER received any bill from them in the mail (ridiculous!)
By Direct Debit or ACH (which I signed up for but didn't seem to work if you read my review above)
Check or Debit card by phone (which incurs a $15 payment over the phone fee - no thanks!)
Western Union Quick Collect (which costs $12.95 to process and you need to bring your payment in CASH to a Western Union bank - sounds like a huge pain!)
MoneyGram ExpressPayment ($8.95 processing fee and you must bring your payment in CASH to the location)
By Mail (which I'm afraid to do because knowing them they'll probably say they didn't receive it or say wait to deposit it until after it's labelled late) - and not to mention I've NEVER received any bill from them in the mail (ridiculous!)
By Direct Debit or ACH (which I signed up for but didn't seem to work if you read my review above)
Check or Debit card by phone (which incurs a $15 payment over the phone fee - no thanks!)
Western Union Quick Collect (which costs $12.95 to process and you need to bring your payment in CASH to a Western Union bank - sounds like a huge pain!)
MoneyGram ExpressPayment ($8.95 processing fee and you must bring your payment in CASH to the location)
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2008-03-17:
You seem to keep avoiding what I am telling you about using your bank's website to make the payment. It works just like mailing. And it leaves a trail.
If your bank doesn't support this you have not said that.
If your bank doesn't support this you have not said that.
Posted by TallCarl on 2008-03-17:
Tim, sounds like you and I are dealing with the same lack of customer service issues at Citifinancial Auto. TNCHUCK100 had a good idea; I make payments thru my bank now (since Citifinancial Auto has messed up my acct.and restrict payments online, even though it is their error. If you bank has a relationship with them,U can make payments that will show in just a few days. Good luck - we should all start a Class Action against Citifinancial, I think we could win.
Posted by shaftscaliber on 2008-03-17:
Hey tnchuck100 - sorry I wasn't trying to avoid comments about using my bank to pay for it. I was replying to DebtorBasher's comment (sorry!) Yeah, think I'll start doing that, thanks!
I called them and spoke with a very nice person named Amanda - she was helpful and said that she'd do her best to make sure they get in touch with me about my situation.
Right before I called I figured I'd say screw it and just pay their stupid fee's. I ended up paying $25 more than I should have but if it helps me end this nightmare I'm all for it.
Really appreciate all the help guys!!!
I called them and spoke with a very nice person named Amanda - she was helpful and said that she'd do her best to make sure they get in touch with me about my situation.
Right before I called I figured I'd say screw it and just pay their stupid fee's. I ended up paying $25 more than I should have but if it helps me end this nightmare I'm all for it.
Really appreciate all the help guys!!!
Posted by angies3cents on 2008-04-02:
Hi shaftscaliber! I agree with you 100%. Due to some unexpected medical issues, I became late on one of my payments. I began receiving numerous calls daily from the collectors however was unable to speak with anyone due to medical issues. When I was able to call someone, I was told I should have planned for this unforeseen event and I must be a crazy to think someone would believe I was unable to pick up a phone and make a call while I was in the hospital. I was also called a liar. My whole purpose for the call was to see about clearing up my late payment and getting my account back on track. The representative that I spoke with said he was unwilling to work with me until I made a payment. I, again, explained that I was unable to make a payment that very day due to not working for over a month. I, again, was called a liar because the collector had been leaving me voice mail messages at my job for several days, therefore he assumed (im guessing) that I WAS working because I have voice mail set up??? I then told the representative that I wasnt calling to argue, I was only calling to make arrangements to clear up my account. I was then told by the representative that he couldnt do anything for me, or provide any info until I am able to make a payment. I asked to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor told me I would need to make a payment immediately or my vehicle would be repossessed. Can someone please help me???!!! What can I do? I dont understand why they call 5-10 times a day, only to ask for a payment, not to actually help get the account cleared up? Any advice???
Posted by shaftscaliber on 2008-04-02:
A user emailed me asking for suggestions cause the same thing is happening to them so I emailed them with the following information below:
Luckily for me it had a fairly happy ending. I emailed every email address on their website stating that I'm extremely fed up and that I'm going to take legal action if it doesn't get resolved. I also called and said screw it and paid the car payment before it became 30 days late (I was worried it was going to affect my credit score...or worse, have them impound my car).
I talked to a very nice and friendly lady (which was a shock...I though they were all a-holes there heh) who told me that they already have a case open for my account (so I know they got the threatening email) and that they would be getting in touch with me shortly.
They never got in touch with me, but they did lower this months car payment by $40 (they owed me $60 all together I believe).
My advice would be just to send them an email explaining everything (step by step) like I did. Hopefully they'll fix the problem for you. Goodluck!!!
Luckily for me it had a fairly happy ending. I emailed every email address on their website stating that I'm extremely fed up and that I'm going to take legal action if it doesn't get resolved. I also called and said screw it and paid the car payment before it became 30 days late (I was worried it was going to affect my credit score...or worse, have them impound my car).
I talked to a very nice and friendly lady (which was a shock...I though they were all a-holes there heh) who told me that they already have a case open for my account (so I know they got the threatening email) and that they would be getting in touch with me shortly.
They never got in touch with me, but they did lower this months car payment by $40 (they owed me $60 all together I believe).
My advice would be just to send them an email explaining everything (step by step) like I did. Hopefully they'll fix the problem for you. Goodluck!!!
Posted by patty186 on 2008-04-04:
This EXACT same thing happened to me withE-Loan and Citi around the same time. It took me two hours on the phone with 9 diffrent departments and people to get the credits. I would not hang up until I received the credits. I recently paid the loan off in full so I would not have to deal with these idiots any longer. My check cleared my bank for the pay off on 3/31, they will not send me my title until 4/8 because it is "company policy" I even offered to dive to one of thier offices to take cash with me to get this finished, they said no, no cash payments. RUn from Citi as FAST as you can!!!!!
Posted by TallCarl on 2008-04-15:
here's an update to MY issue with Citifinancial Auto, and how I finally got it resolved. Maybe it will give you an idea. Good luck.
(copy and paste) http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=33012#comments
(copy and paste) http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=33012#comments
Posted by Ghost of Doc J on 2008-04-15:
Thanks for following up with us on your M3C complaint about Citifinancial Auto. It's always appreciated when someone takes time to give us follow up! Best of luck in the future!
Posted by Deet on 2009-03-10:
I pay online from my Bank account program - easy and convenient.
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