Action 9

Action 9 investigates complaints against car loan company

An Osceola County man claims a major auto lender kept draining his bank account after his loan was paid off and he can't get a title for the van he owns.
Les Hill bought his Hyundai Sante Fe new in 2008 and it was financed by Santander Consumer USA.
According to Hill, Santander kept withdrawing payments after his loan was paid off.
“They know they have my money and they’re not responding,” Hill said.
He claims Santander owes him at least $1,000 and he can't even get the title to a car he now owns outright.
“They're not giving me any answers. I don’t know how I should get my title,” Hill said.
Santander Consumer USA is a big lender for local new car dealerships when customers have credit issues.
Since last year, Action 9 tried to help 10 other consumers who complained Santander did not credit their accounts for payments made.
Lee Dawkins showed Action 9 statements, where he paid back more than $22,000 but still owed $20,000 on a $21,000 loan.
“I'm into my third year and it's not even close,” said Dawkins.
Santander Consumer USA has more than 1,800 complaints at the Better Business Bureau, but it's rated A-plus because it responds. Since Action 9’s investigation first began, Santander was accused of illegal repossessions against men and women in the service.
The company settled the complaint, agreeing to pay more than $9 million to consumers hurt by the practice and change its repo policies.
Santander reviewed all the consumer complaints Action 9 sent and many were resolved. The company said it's now reviewing Les Hill's account.
“I'm not getting what I asked for,” Hill said.
A St. Cloud woman told Action 9 her recent new car payments were mishandled by Santander.
After Action 9 contacted the lender, she said her account is now current for the first time in six months.

Cox Media Group

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