Challenge Financial Services Inc

First of all I do apologize for any inconvenience the typographical error, may have caused on the prior complaint response; the correct contact phone is [redacted].  
Challenge Financial Services signed off releasing the lien on the [redacted] Title and was mailed to Mr. [redacted] December 21st, 2015 along with the paid contract and his account has been closed.
[redacted]
Compliance Manager
[redacted] Ext. [redacted]
Challenge Financial Services

Borrower loan was acquired by Challenge Financial Services (CFS)
August 29, 2013 and first communication with borrower was 9-9-2013. Due Date
Change...

requested and paperwork was mailed to given address. Borrower was
informed that this request in writing and signed by the borrower is required by
law as a due date change alters the original due date of the contract.
9-16-2013 borrower called that no paper work was received paper work was once
again mailed to given address. Borrower called in 10-8-2013 borrower called in
that due date change paper work was faxed in, but did not know to what number. Borrower
was informed no paper work was received. Borrower got hostile and terminated
call. 10-12-2013 CFS representative called customer to inform her no paper work
had been received and inform customer again that it is required by law before
CFS can make the change. 10-22-2013 customer has been non-responsive to calls
for 10 days. CFS sent customer letter informing her that an agent would be sent
to the given address to retrieve due date change paper work. 10-25-2013
customer called in to inform CFS that he unemployment check had not been
received. Due to no signed paper work for due date change customers account was
technically 23 days past due. 10-30-2013 customer called CFS to confirm that two
payments were made at Wells Fargo Bank to CFS account and that she would
forward due date change paperwork. 11-21-2013 customer called in and was told
that due date change paperwork was never received. Customer was rude, abrasive
and terminated call. 12-12-2013 the borrower was once again contacted by CFS
that there was no paper work. 12-23-2013 the borrower was contacted by CFS and
informed that the due date paper work was finally received.  1-29-2014 CFS contacted borrower to inform her
that her January payment at Wells Fargo was not received in the CFS account.
CFS requested a copy of the payment receipt to track the payment for the
borrower, but the borrower did not have it. It was suggested the borrower go
back to the branch and speak to the manager to track the payment. Same day borrower
called from the branch CFS supervisor spoke to the branch manager who initiated
an investigation. CFS placed customers account on hold pending the outcome. 1-31-2013
Wells Fargo credited the CFS account for the borrowers payment. As of today the
borrower account is paid current with no outstanding fees.
CFS abides by all sales and finance contract laws as set
forth by the State of California. CFS does exercise best practices abiding to
the letter of these laws as was displayed by our need to have the signed due
date change paper work. The customer’s contract is a typical Simple Interest
Sales and Finance contract with no hidden fees as purported in the complaint.
The borrowers account was subject to late fees due to the failure to properly
submit the due date change request paper work. CFS made multiple attempts to
assist the borrower to obtain the necessary paper work. At no time did CFS
representatives engage in disrespectful behavior or abusive language or
terminate any calls with the borrower. Any such observed behavior would be
grounds for immediate behavior. There was never a recover agent dispatched on
this account. A field agent contracted by CFS did make contact with the
borrower when CFS lost communications with the borrower, but CFS did send the
borrower a letter (letter of 10-22-2013) at the given address days before the
agents arrival. As stated the borrowers due date change was made when the paper
work was received 12-23-2013 and the borrowers last payment was made on time.

The business illegally pulled payments from my bank without authorizing that it was me plus they posted those payments to an account that I did not have I do not have an account with this business and when I brought it to their attention I was treated with disrespect and was accused of things

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Problem: I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com against this business recently and they indicated that they would close my account and consider it paid in full, which it is in every legal way. The original complaint involved their attempt to overcharge me outside of the bounds of the contractual payments as indicated on our contract. The business response showed the name [redacted] and identified her as the Compliance Manager for this company. It gave her phone number as [redacted] ext [redacted]. The problem is that this is a bogus phone number. It rings at first then goes to a busy signal. When I accepted their response I said that as long as they removed the lien from my vehicle I would consider the complaint closed. This has not been done. I spoke to the [redacted] MVD rep and they showed that Challenge still has their lien in force. This lien release procedure is done electronically so there should be no time lag involved between closing an account and releasing the lien. Their response was obviously a scam and they did not intend to follow through. Desired Outcome: Release the lien on my vehicle. My loan is paid in full and I want to title it in my name. No other response is acceptable. I have already had a false answer to my original complaint so no more messages from this company will suffice. Release the lien.
Regards,
[redacted]

I have attached a copy of what I receive every month.  The car note was paid on time.  I sent a copy of this very payment to [redacted], yet to this day she fails to update my account.  To make matters even worse she has put my account on even more past due.  I...

paid my July car note, I sent a cashier check with certified mail, she called me on the following Monday telling me I didn't make the payment, I made her aware that the payment was on the mail.  In fact payment was received on 23rd July at 1:51 pm.  On the 27th of July I receive 2 outstanding payments note, one for June and one for July.    I paid both car notes on time.  I asked the name of her supervisor, she wont provide that to me , she is unwilling to disclose the reason why she has not update my account, and she will not disclose my pay off amount.  She has stopped making contact with me and I really want to close my loan.  I am low income, I am a full time student, I pay all my bills in timely fashion.  I pay my taxes just as the next person, it is my right to know why I cannot have my account updated and my loan pay off amount.   Any help on this matter will be appreciated.  I don't have the financial capabilities to hire a lawyer and to be honest I shouldn't hire one.  I am not asking anything that it is not writhing my basic rights. 
Best Regards,
 
[redacted]

Ms. [redacted],
 
                             Challenge Finanacial has reviewed your complaint of May 1st 2014. I would like to extend...

our sincere apologies for any inconvieance or discomfort your recent experience with our employees may have caused you.
Management takes these type complaints very seriously and appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. Please be aware that we have reviewed your file with the employee mentioned and corrective action has been taken to avoid this from re-occurring. Challenge Financial strives to provide the highest level of customer service and should anything of this nature happen again please feel free to contact me directly.
Thank you for being a valued customer
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Business Relations Manager

Complaint Case #:[redacted]
Consumer: [redacted]
Revdex.com,
Ms. [redacted] states on her current complaint that she sent
2-payments to be posted on her account. At that time it was explained to her we
would not advance the account but would posted towards her principal. This is
to her benefit, as this being a simple interest loan; she would be paying less
interest towards the principal. I have reviewed her account and at no time did
she have a problem with any of this until recently.  Additionally, in several occasions she has
been offered to have her ledger be either faxed or emailed to her so she can review
every payment made and how they had been posted. We have attempted to help Ms.
[redacted] by giving her an extension (deferment) so her account would be current.
Her account is in no way locked and if she wants to make a payment through out
automated system she is more than able to do so.
If Ms. [redacted] would like to contact me directly she can do
so at 602-347-6080 extension [redacted].
I have attached the previous complaint response.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Branch Manager
Challenge Financial Services
First and foremost I would like to let you know Challenge
Financial Services takes all complaints very seriously. Ms. [redacted] states in
her claim she made a payment through bill pay and that we told her we do not
accept it. What was explained to her was that her due date is on the 5th
of the month and that bill pay usually takes about 5-7 days to send the payment
to us. The main concern was the fact that a late fee would be assessed. We
received Ms. [redacted]’s payment on 02/18/14 and it showed the payment had been
submitted on 02/10/14. Unfortunately, we have no control of Ms. [redacted]’s bank
and when and how they will submit her payment. I have also reviewed her account
and we have never had any issues with Ms. [redacted] so I don’t understand why she
would feel she was being harassed. The telephone numbers given to us by her
have been changed or disconnected so we were trying to get in touch with her to
verify the payment was made and to update her new information. I apologize for
any misunderstandings with my employees.
I have flagged Ms. [redacted]’s account to ensure no future
calls are made to her. If she needs to communicate with us she can feel free to
call me directly. I am the Branch Manager and my direct number is 6[redacted] extension [redacted] or at my cell phone [redacted]. I have also submitted for a due
date change free of charge to the 15th of the month. So her next due
date will be 03/15/2014. .
I apologize for any misunderstanding and I make a pledge to
try to meet her customer service needs in the future. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Branch Manager
Challenge Financial Services

We apologize that the Mr[redacted] did not receive his
statement for May Our system indicates that a statement was generated and
mailed out as in the pastChallenge Financial sends out statements to all of
its customers every monthIt should be noted however that
statements are a
convenience to our customers and are not required by law
Mr[redacted] does have a current balance $due to previous
unpaid late charges and interest accrued due to previous late payments over the
life of his loanChallenge Financial is willing to accept a discounted payment
of $as payment in full on Mr[redacted]'s accountWe will also cover any
convenience fee if Mr[redacted] wishes to pay via any of the Challenge Financial
automated systems
Challenge Financial Services is a customer service company
that strives to provide the best customer service possible

Challenge financial customer service agents are rude and disrespectful. They call you and harass you over a payment that was 5 dollars short. They called and told me they would put me in jail if I didn't pay the 5 dollars and when I told them I would pay the 5 dollars next month with my new car payment they told me no and they would come and pick up the car. They break all kinds of laws and they even threatened to come to my house and fight me. This company takes advantage of people who can't get financed anywhere else. I have made my car payments every month and since I had a 5 dollar past due payment so now they are threatening to take my car and harassing my wife.

Management takes these types of complaints very seriously; Challenge Financial Services strives to provide the highest level of customer service. 
size="3">I have received a phone call from you on October 24th in which we reviewed your account and cleared up the confusion about your due date which is the 9th of each month  I offered to assist you with a change to your due date however you have opted retain this same due date.  We also discussed the fact that we have not made any attempts to reach you at your work since we did not have your updated employment information. I appreciate you brining this to our attention and the opportunity to speak with you to settle this complaint.
 
[redacted]
Compliance Manager
Challenge Financial Services
Ext [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Problem: I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com against this business recently and they indicated that they would close my account and consider it paid in full, which it is in every legal way. The original complaint involved their attempt to overcharge me outside of the bounds of the contractual payments as indicated on our contract. The business response showed the name [redacted] and identified her as the Compliance Manager for this company. It gave her phone number as [redacted] ext [redacted]. The problem is that this is a bogus phone number. It rings at first then goes to a busy signal. When I accepted their response I said that as long as they removed the lien from my vehicle I would consider the complaint closed. This has not been done. I spoke to the [redacted] MVD rep and they showed that Challenge still has their lien in force. This lien release procedure is done electronically so there should be no time lag involved between closing an account and releasing the lien. Their response was obviously a scam and they did not intend to follow through.
 
Desired Outcome: Release the lien on my vehicle. My loan is paid in full and I want to title it in my name. No other response is acceptable. I have already had a false answer to my original complaint so no more messages from this company will suffice. Release the lien.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
CFS needs to learn a little bit of honesty:
1) No one has called me nor left a message  and if by calling me you are referring to the call from the unknown number well...It sais it all doesn't it!  You need to learn a little bit of business practice! 
2) I CALLED [redacted] and gave them a ear full to were they sent you the payment on that very Friday.  The same payment copy I sent to your company a long time ago!  Sorry I don't pay twice for the same thing! I find it laughable that a Finance company does not have 193.75 to update an account that was NEVER PAST DUE.  Petty ** I say! 
3)  I have a drawer full of your late fees, and notice that were going to submit "my late" payment to the credit bureau, I can scan and send copies! 
4) Nothing has been explained to me, and all the complains I have submitted via your web-site WERE NOT addressed,  that's is the very reason why I submitted a complain with Revdex.com. 
5) Who is your supervisor that looked at my loan, does he have a name?  And based on what I should take his word for good?   Who is he to me?  NO ONE! further more and who are you!
6) I don't have a reminder to call you, and I wont put one either!  All I want is to pay my loan and go by my busy day, and for your company to STOP wasting my time.
7) You may want to update my account again, your company received my July Check on 7/23/2012 at 1:52 pm as supposed to 7/31/14. :)
The only reason why you are answering the previous email is because of the phone conversation a few days ago, where I was told by [redacted] that I like to complain, this is AMERICA and it's called freedom of speech! 
From now own, since none of you have shown any integrity nor honesty, I would like to limit to a zero any  verbal conversation, as it gets nowhere!
As per [redacted], my opinion of them is not a nice one, them too are useless, don't answer their phone, nor messages left on their machine, the good think is they are local!
Question!  why am I dealing with the Orange, CA office when there is one in Chula Vista?
Your company not once has represented me with them...and I quote "they will continue to harass you until they get the payment". 
Below is what I want:
I want my loan amortization schedule,  sent to my home address. 
I want a copy of my Contract, sent to my home address.
if that is too much stamps...I'll send you the $ 6.00 to cover the priority mail fees!
 
Have a great day,
[redacted]

Challenge Financial Services takes all complaints very seriously and strive to answer all complaints fairly and expeditiously. We have reviewed Mr. [redacted]'s account and found that there have been late charges early in the account. We would also like to clarify that Challenge Financial Services does...

not hold any payments. Please be advised that we have waived all late charges in good faith and that the Mr. [redacted]'s account is now closed. Please feel free to contact me personally if you have any other questions.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
 Challenge Financial Services
 [redacted]
 [redacted] ext [redacted]

First we apologize to Ms. [redacted] for the delay in providing her vehicle title. In her case we were acting as the loan servicer on behalf of the auto dealer where she purchased the vehicle ([redacted]). Under this arrangement [redacted] retained legal ownership and control of the vehicle title....

Upon paying off a vehicle, our policy is to wait 30 days to ensure a final payment is properly settled before informing the dealership to provide the title to the customer. In this case, our records show that we did inform the dealer several times to provide title to the customer (on April 17, May 1, and May 11). We also spoke with the customer on April 27 and May 11 informing her that the dealer had possession of title and she would have to contact the dealer. Unfortunately, the dealer was not responsive to our requests or the customer. Finally, on June 12th our Vice President for Dealer Relations contacted the dealer and was told the title would be sent next day to the customer. We also contacted the customer and informed them the title was in route. Our understanding is that the customer is now in possession of the title and considers the issue resolved.  If this is not the case I welcome the customer to contact me directly at the number below.In order to avoid this issue in the future, we have decided to change our title policy for Loan Servicing accounts. We are reducing the waiting period to 15 days and will have our Vice President of Dealer Relations get involved immediately if we have dealer that is non-responsive to our request to provide the customer with their title.[redacted]Challenge Financial Loan Servicing[redacted]

First we sincerely apologize for any
unprofessional treatment this customer received from Challenge
Financial employees. There is never an excuse to treat customers
unprofessionally and we have reprimanded the employees involved with
this account. 
In response to [redacted] reporting, it...

appears all
our reporting on this account has been accurate. The customers report is out of date.  We stopped reporting to [redacted] in April 2014
due to the previous complaint the customer lodged (Revdex.com Complaint
#[redacted]). It is our policy to stop all credit reporting when a
customer disputes the status of their account to avoid reporting
errors. This avoided the customer receiving a Repossession and
Charge-off report that would have been accurate, but would have
severely damaged their credit. This current compliant is the first
time we have been made aware that the customer had a dispute with
their credit report. At the customer's option we can begin reporting
on their credit again but that would likely hurt the customer's
credit. Alternatively we can remove their credit report completely,
but the customer must contact us so we know how to proceed. 
On the repossession of the customer's
vehicle, it is important to understand Challenge provided loan
servicing on this account, which means the Dealer (SD Mission Auto
Sales) that sold the vehicle and originated the loan retained
ownership (lienholder status), and paid Challenge to administrate the
loan. In this case, Challenge had no involvement in the decision,
ordering, or carrying out of the Repossession. We were unable to
furnish documents or information regarding the repossession because
we had no access to that information. Our staff noted in our system
at the time that they informed the customer that they needed to
contact the dealer in regards to the repossession, but clearly we did
not sufficiently communicate and convey that fact. 
We apologize once again that the
customer had a bad experience with Challenge Financial. We will use
this as an opportunity to improve in both our professionalism and clear communication skills. I welcome speaking with the customer at
anytime to ensure we bring this issue to an agreeable conclusion.
 
[redacted]
Challenge Financial
[redacted]
[redacted]

I have reviewed your complaint and I...

would like to extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience or discomfort your recent experience with our employees may have caused you.  Management takes these types of complaints very seriously and appreciates you bringing this matter to our attention.  Challenge Financial Services strives to provide the highest level of customer service.   I have also reviewed your account with you on the phone and have explained that on or about May 2016 the payment on your account was short by $82.83, and that the $8 our representative had requested was to save the account from moving into a 30 day delinquent status.   As of the date of this response, your account remains due for the June 26th payment, and you have made a commitment to make the payment on July 22nd.  I have forwarded your account to the
Branch Manager in our Phoenix office, [redacted].  [redacted] will gladly assist you with your account in the future.
 
Sincerely,
 
[redacted]
Compliance Manager
[redacted] Ext. [redacted]

Had a great experience with Challenge Financial, the customer service was awesome, staff is friendly and very helpful! I was always able to speak with someone regarding any concerns and in any personal situation that affected your payment, they were willing to work with you!

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

I have reviewed your complaint and I would like to convey that Management takes these types of complaints very seriously and appreciates you bringing this matter to our attention. Challenge Financial Services strives to provide the highest level of customer service.  I have also reviewed Ms....

[redacted]’s account; this debt arises from a motor vehicle contract that was entered into by Ms. [redacted] on 2/11/15 for a 2006 GMC Yukon.   Challenge Financial Services added a 6 month insurance policy added to the account on 10/17/16 effective until 4/17/17 due to the lack of proof of insurance. We received a policy effective 2/27/17 from USAA Insurance, and have cancelled the remaining policy terms, the account has been credited the amount of $115.00.   On 3/3/17 we received a notice Ms. [redacted] reported the vehicle as stolen, and we also confirmed thatMs. [redacted] recovered the vehicle from the impound yard the same day.  Ms. [redacted] had filed a claim with USAA and the vehicle was deemed a total loss by her insurance company. On 4/12/17 USAA issued a check to Challenge Financial Servicers as the lien holder in the amount of $7,077.14 and has been applied to the account leaving a remaining balance of $1,507.41. On 4/14/17 Challenge Financial Services filed a GAP claim for the remaining balance of $1,507.41.

We apologize that Mr. [redacted] did not
have a positive experience with Challenge Financial. After reading
the complaint, it appears Mr [redacted]'s concerns fall into two areas.
First, he feels he was treated unprofessionally by our staff.
Second, he takes issue with...

the handling of his repossession and more
specifically his access to personal items that were in the vehicle at
time of repossession. Each issue is discussed in detail below. We
hope this response will address Mr. [redacted]'s concerns. I am available any time to work with Mr. [redacted] if he would like to
further discuss his complaint.
On the first topic of treatment by our
staff, we work hard to foster a culture that complies with all
aspects of the FDPCA and furthermore treats all our customers with
professionalism. Complaints like Mr. [redacted]'s are rare and this is
the first one we have seen regarding threatening behavior. To address
this issue. I have counseled all our staff members that interacted
with Mr. [redacted]. We did a formal review of the FDPCA regulation and
reinforced that all customers are to be treated with respect and
professional in all situations. This counseling was documented in
each staff members permanent record.
On the second topic of handling of the
vehicle repossession, it is first important to explain that Mr.
[redacted]'s account is only serviced by Challenge Financial on behalf
of the lienholder, SD Mission Auto Sales, the dealer that sold Mr.
[redacted] the vehicle. This means Challenge is responsible for
administering the loan (i.e. Sending statements, taking payments,
contacting customers, etc.). The dealer retains legal ownership of
the vehicle and decides when a vehicle is repossessed. In this case
the dealer also placed the order for repossession, and maintained
custody of the vehicle after repossession. Challenge did not make
the decision to repossess the vehicle, and Challenge did not have
custody of the vehicle at any time. That being said, the timing of
the repossession does seem appropriate because the customer was 52
days past due at the time of the repossession (on or about 4/4/14),
and had broken two promises to pay on 3/7/14 and 3/27/14.
As to the customer's personal items, we
did explain to the customer when he called our offices on 4/4/14 that
we did not have custody of the vehicle and that he needed to contact
the dealer for the location of the vehicle and his personal items.
We then followed up with the dealer on the customer's behalf, and
confirmed that the vehicle was at the dealership.  We asked the dealer to contact the customer to tell them where the vehicle was and to
coordinate picking up personal items.  It is our understanding that the dealer did contact the customer.  As of today, 4/16/14 it is our
understanding that the customer has not made arrangements with the
dealer to pick up any personal items.  If the Mr. [redacted] is having
difficulty working with the dealer we are happy to contact the dealer
on his behalf, but ultimately this is an issue that must be worked
out between the dealer and Mr. [redacted]. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Challenge Financial