I always used to make my car payments by check using a deposit slip that was sent to my house with each statement. That way, I could a) have a receipt from the bank and b) the check would show up on my online banking.
However, after the first few months, Westlake stopped sending me statements. I called them MULTIPLE times about this and I still didn't receive my statements.
Finally, they told me that I needed to make a payment over the phone to avoid it being late. So I gave them my checking account information, the check number, etc.
Three to four weeks went by and I didn't hear from them. I saw the transaction on my account, so I assumed everything was fine. Then I got a call saying that my account was past due because my last payment came back as "non-sufficient funds".
I gave them both confirmation numbers. One from when I placed the call, and another from a letter I received from them saying that the payment had been processed. I was told that neither of these numbers proved anything. So then I sent them a bank statement showing the transaction on my account. They STILL said it wasn't good proof! I was told that because the account number at the top only shows the last 4 digits that it wasn't acceptable.
The customer service person (I don't recall his name) explained to me "Whether you made the payment or not, it doesn't matter. You need to come up with proof or with more money"
I fought this for several more weeks, until I got a call from a repossession company threatening to take my car. So I made the payment again and cut my losses, but I thought it was a very traumatizing experience. I will NEVER finance anything through them again and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
0 comments