We bought a 2000 Mercury Cougar in June. My credit wasn't that bad, but after getting a loan through AmeriCredit my credit was never the same. My payments were never late until my husband became ill and couldn't work for a long time. Needless to say I though AmeriCredit was working with me during our hardship at the time. I made my payments, sometimes they were late, but never over a month maybe a week or two. I was told if I paid a certain amount we could get our payment deferred which never happened. They conveniently lost my payments. I had to send copies of cancelled checks with their bank information on the back and they still claimed the check was never received.
I talked to several representatives for over a year regarding the lost money that always showed our payments being a month behind and they always charged the late fees even though this mishap was being investigated. I was working with one of their own representatives at the time who assured me we were finally going to get this resolved. We were told not to worry about the late fees since this was being investigated. This did not stop the anoying collection calls all hours of the day even at my place of work. Theatening calls from their collection department.
They had it in their history that there was a problem with missing money.in the mean time since my husband was not working my daughter took over the payments. Again the payments were made on time, but the late fees added up to about 3 months of payments that were nevertaken off the account and the lost payment misteriously disappeared from our checking account to and AmeriCredit account. To our surprise they reposessed the car on New Years Day 2003. All our efforts to resolve this matter was totally destroyed without warning and they towed the car away on a Holiday.
Of course AmeriCredit was not answering the phone and the next day when we finally got a hold of them they said sorry they weren't aware the car was being reposessed, but there was nothing they could do unless we paid over $1200 plus the repo fees to get it back they gave us a certain date this needed to be done. We decided it was easier to let them take the car and be rid of it. Then they tried to overcharge us for the car after they already sold it for more than what was owed on it. Per our lawyers advise we had to file Bankruptcy Chapter 7 to stop the harrassing calls and rude collection tactics. They still tried to get payment through the bankruptcy court when they were them main reason we had to file bankruptcy. They ruined our credit and forced us into bankruptcy.
I called a lawyer in AZ and was told by that lawyer that it seems to be a common practice of AmeriCredit to force people into bankruptcy and reposess their vehicles. This was to big a company for us to fight, so through the bankruptcy we were able to get out of the harrassmen and threats. However, it did destroy our credit how many people want that headache, but that is what we were reduced to.
Humility, headaches, mental anguish, destroying our family, fighting over lies told by the collection people to my husband stating I never made the payments when they were calling about late fees and a missing payment that was actually cashed and proved over and over and over again with the copies of the cancelled check and showing it actually came out of my bank account to boot. What more did they want my 1st born. Well they did screw my 3rd born out of her on time payments by reposessing the car. If there is a class action suite I have the documented backup and names and phone #'s and faxes needed to back up my statements. If it is possible to get my money back for every late fee I did pay and my credit repaired that would be great. Count me in if you get the class action suit going. I am originally from New Kensingtion, PA, but now I'm angry in Illinois.
Geralyn
MT ZION, Illinois
U.S.A.
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