Citi-Financial is HORRIBLE!!!

kc5deb · August 19, 2005

These half-witted morons can bite what my back pockets cover...

My ex and I bought a car for her when we were still married, and of course, I ended up driving the car. I hated it, she loved it, so, she HAD to have it. A few weeks later, I was driving the 4 banger honda accord because "she didn't like driving a stick shift in town"...

So, I get tired of driving the car, and find someone to take over payments. Well, we did, and then we divorced, and I got the car in the divorce...

The girl who took over the car payments has been great and has never missed a payment (I was very particular who I let do it so it would turn out that way).

Well, a few months ago, she got hail damage on it, and the insurance cut a check for 1400 bucks. The car is barely worth 500 bucks according to KBB, and she only owes 2000 on it, so, the sensical thing is to pay that money towards the vehicle instead of paying 1400 bucks to repair a 500 dollar car, and then she only has a few more months worth of payments.

I call the finance company, Citi-financial, and they tell me to send the check to their department and they'll endorse it, and send it back to me. I would then cash it, and make a few months payments, then put the rest towards principal. So, I send the check to them. I call a few days later to make sure they got it, and they tell me "Well, we can't send it back to you, but, we'll make 3 months payments, and put the rest towards principal." Cool, saves me an extra step, right?

WRONG...

I get a call the next week saying that they can't do that; they have to put it all towards principal, and I owe them the July payment. Great... Ok, I have already told the girl that her next payment won't be until October, and she pays on some other bills she has due, just as I would've if I didn't have a monthly car payment. So, I figure I'll pay the payment come that upcoming payday, and she tells me she'll send me the check to cover it.

So, I call that payday, and am told "Oh, your next payment isn't due until October"..

I call the girl back, and tell her not to send the check, but to keep the money and continue to pay her other bills.

I THEN get a call yesterday informing me by the finance company that the July bill is nearly 30 days due, and if not payed by today, it'll go against my credit. The did exactly what I wanted them to do, and then turned around and pulled the money BACK out, and applied it all towards principal, and are now about to put my account in a negative state.

I call in before the department closes to make the phone payment since she had already sent the check before I could call and tell her not to, AGAIN. I call them, and my account has been sent to the collections department, and I have to call them. I call that department, and THEY'VE BEEN CLOSED FOR OVER AN HOUR....

I call back and FINALLY get in contact with a customer rep that will take my payment. She then asks why I had a check go back to the bank, and that's when I just lost it... Turns out, they dinged my account negative because their finance department showed the insurance check as returned because they took the money out of their system to re-apply it all to principal. After about 20 minutes of me chewing on their a$$, they took my account out of negative status.

AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, they asked me when I would be making my August payment..... My response??? "5 minutes before the account goes into a 30 days past due status", and hung up the phone....

Anyone who ever even considers going with Citi-Financial or any of their other companies needs to beware that they're nothing more than confused money hungry idiots who need a good beating.

Elwood 2000 · August 19, 2005

I have never delt with them, but they send me at least on credit card app. per day in the mail, EVERY DAY!! I just shred them.

Sorry for your bad luck with them.

SnakeEyeSS · August 21, 2005

I moved into my new house 7 weks ago, I've gotten around 10 of the exact same credit card apps......more than one a week. so dumb....

any3way I did my home mortgage through ABM-AMRO.....do everything through an automated system that works great. set up for the auto payement, you can include extra principal into th4 auto payemnt.....I recommened them so far!

vhato · August 21, 2005

kc5deb,

I can't believe you were told they would apply your check to the monthly payments. There is no way possible fro them to do that. Any money they receive passed the current payment and before the next will ALWAYS be applied to principal, reducing your term and total interest. That is how it works with all financial institutions and it turns out to be cheaper for you in the long run.

So I would say the issue isn't with how Citi-Financial handled the situation because they are right, but why the Customer Service Representative gave you false information?

Wingnut · August 22, 2005

I moved into my new house 7 weks ago, I've gotten around 10 of the exact same credit card apps......more than one a week. so dumb....

any3way I did my home mortgage through ABM-AMRO.....do everything through an automated system that works great. set up for the auto payement, you can include extra principal into th4 auto payemnt.....I recommened them so far!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't get me started on ABM-AMRO. I've been trying to get about two grand out of them for a year and a half now.

kc5deb · August 22, 2005

kc5deb,
I can't believe you were told they would apply your check to the monthly payments. There is no way possible fro them to do that. Any money they receive passed the current payment and before the next will ALWAYS be applied to principal, reducing your term and total interest. That is how it works with all financial institutions and it turns out to be cheaper for you in the long run.

So I would say the issue isn't with how Citi-Financial handled the situation because they are right, but why the Customer Service Representative gave you false information?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I completely agree. I'm not mad over the fact that it's their policy not to apply the check towards the payments, but, over the fact that they told me they could, and then actually did it. Then, turned around and tried to screw up my credit because of their mistake they made twice.