On October 12 we purchased living room furniture from Rooms To Go in Grapevine, TX. Shortly after our purchase, my husband at the time and I unexpectedly separated and started divorce proceedings. We were a two-income family with outstanding good credit, which allowed us to financially afford the purchase of this furniture. I was left with a mortgage, a car payment and other debts that amounted to more than my monthly income. In order to keep my good credit rating, I gave the furniture to dependable friends who were financially able to afford it, with a mutual agreement that they would make all payments due on this account, with the understanding that the first payment would be on April 1.
Several months passed and I received a past due notice and immediately contacted my friends. After speaking with him, we came to the conclusion that he had inadvertently dropped the payments off at a store where he thought the furniture had been purchased. The people at the desk accepted his check, and he thought the payments had been applied to the account. I explained to him that I did not purchase the furniture from that store and that the payment was to go to CitiFinancial Retail Services, and that we needed to get the loan current. He apologized and asked for CitiFinancial's telephone number and said he would call and get everything corrected.
Shortly thereafter he called me with an update on the situation. On September 23 he spoke with CitiFinancial's representative Latoya at 800-552-2343, ext. 4649. He explained to her about our mutual agreement about the furniture and the payments, and that he mistakenly dropped off payments at the furniture store. Latoya informed him that if he made a payment in the amount of $585.00, that would make the account current to date. She also informed him the payments are due on the 25th of each month, with the next payment due on October 24. She went on to say she would put his name on the account and CitiFinancial would be dealing with him in the future if necessary, and not me. On September 24 he made the over-the-phone payment, confirmation #510SER5099762. We were both relieved knowing I no longer needed to concern myself with this loan.
I received a call from my friend, and he stated he thought the loan was or should be paid in full, and he had called CitiFinancial to get a payoff amount and they would not speak with him, only with me. I told him I thought he was on the loan, and he stated that is what CitiFinancial representative Latoya had told him and now it was a different story. I told him I would call and get the payoff and get back with him. Much to our surprise, the payoff amount was $3487.94, and the original loan was $3458.77. We have copies of all the canceled checks, and they were paid on or before the due date of the 25th of each month.
On November 6, I spoke with CitiFinancial collections representative Brittany and explained the entire situation and the discrepancy. Knowing I did not have all the information and had been out of the loop for some time regarding the payment history, I felt uneasy trying to discuss the account to any degree. She agreed and suggested that I fax a letter of authorization to CitiFinancial stating they have my approval to speak with my friend regarding the account. She went on to mention that fraud was flagged on the account. Not knowing what this was in reference to, she transferred me to CitiFinancial customer service representative Sonney to assist me further. Once again I explained to Sonney about the account and asked why fraud was flagged on it. She stated fraud was not mentioned anywhere on the account and said I had misunderstood, and went on to inform me I was behind on payments. She also informed me Texas laws would not allow them to speak to anyone regarding this account, only myself or my ex. I again told her that CitiFinancial rep Latoya did speak with my friend.
I received call after call, numerous times each day, from the collections department. I spoke with CitiFinancial collections rep Alonzo, Rep ID# 114, and informed him there is a major discrepancy with this account and that I did not wish to go through the entire routine of explaining the problem. I suggested he read the notes in front of him on the computer and he would know what the problem was. I will say Alonzo was very polite, apologized to me and went on to say he wished he could be of help. He suggested I fax a letter to the Dispute Department explaining everything in its entirety, and maybe that would be resolved. With that said, I felt maybe there would be a light at the end of this never-ending nightmare.
I faxed the CitiFinancial Dispute Department a letter on November 17 going over every detail. On November 27 I received a letter from them stating: "Payment should be mailed at least 7 days before your payment due date to allow for sufficient mailing time. If a larger payment is made during a billing cycle, it does not affect your obligation to make a minimum payment on the next monthly statement.
We have reviewed your request to credit the late fees that have been assessed to your account and have determined that the late fees are valid and, therefore, cannot be adjusted. In accordance with your account agreement, your account will be billed a late fee if the required minimum payment is not received on or before the payment due date.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact a Cus Svc Rep toll free at 800-643-5607... Sincerely Dispute Dept."
They are trying to collect double the original loan amount with bogus finance and late charges. The payments were made on time according to CitiFinancial representative Latoya. She obviously made a major mistake, and because of her mistake, CitiFinancial is responsible, not me. To sum it all up, CitiFinancial is taking terrible financial advantage of me and others as well.
I welcome any suggestions or help that may be available.
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