Recovery Zone, Inc.

The agency applies fees in a misinformed, and unruly manner. They do not inform the person of potential fees, until payment needs to be made.My car was repossessed. There was no issue with the repossession, it was my own fault, and I understand there would be charges to get it back. The tow truck driver and I had a cordial interaction. I gave him my keys, and I retrieved items in the vehicle that would be needed within the next week. I was NOT told that there would be a storage fee for any/all personal belongings inside the vehicle at that time. I was told (4 days later by an associate for my car loan) that there would be fee's associated with storing my car/possessions. At this time though, those fees were unable to be removed. There was no disputing the charges through the loan company. Two things here:One. Why was there no information given to me at the time that my car was repossessed, that any/all of my personal belongings in the car would be charged to store? IF I knew this, I would have taken FIVE MINUTES to retrieve everything to negate this fee. I believe this is a ghost charge, meant to add up the fees and profit of the business and it's meant to be 'hidden' from the individual, which in most cases... that's a shady business practice. This information MUST be relayed to the person, so they have a CHOICE of leaving the belongings in the car, and paying the fee, or taking things out, and not paying it. I had zero choice. I had no knowledge, and the tow truck driver did not inform me about this whatsoever. After calling today, the representative that I spoke with also told me that the two truck driver would not know this information, even if asked. So where does that leave the person whose car is being repossessed? Out of luck & misinformed. Two:My car was taken away on a Thursday. Is this by design? The loan center to resolve the situation (and pay the bill) is open Monday - Friday. That gives me about 36 hours to resolve my bill (all the while doing it on a busy schedule, which is partly the reason for the repossession in the first place), before the weekend storage fee of [redacted] is placed on the car. [redacted] per day car storage). How can a weekend charge be given, if the chance to resolve the bill is not capable since their business hours are M-F? It doesn't make sense that a repossession can take place on a Thursday, not allowing enough time to resolve the situation. Some additional information:I was initially charged a key fee, which I was told by my loan agent that I did not have to pay (since I willingly gave a spare key to the driver at the time of repossession). I believe this is another 'ghost fee' that is tacked on to trick the consumer into thinking they owe more than they really do. Luckily my agent notified the establishment and they removed the fee. I was also charged an administration fee, which was also removed through my loan agent. When I called the establishment, they only gave me two $ figures. The total amount, and the amount per day I was being charged to store my car. They could not break down the pricing, and they could not tell me how much of the total amount was for what charges. I believe this is to discourage the consumer, and possibly confuse them into just paying the amount without trying to justify what the payment refers to. I honestly believe that an establishment like this purposely deceives the consumers through deception and misinformation. This information NEEDS to be relayed to the individual. If the person wants to leave their belongings in the vehicle knowing that there will be a fee... then it's on them. But without knowing that there will be one, how is one to prevent it from happening? Desired SettlementI cannot pay the [redacted] bill to retrieve my car today. It will be paid by Friday at the latest. (I understand that I will have a [redacted] additional fee per day added, until I retrieve my car).I HAVE to pay the fees, even the ones that I do NOT agree with for my car, otherwise while disputing, I will not have transportation, AND additional storage fees will continue to stack onto the already erroneous amount that is completely unjustified. Because of this, I am seeking a refund of [redacted] which is the amount I am being charged to store my 'personal belongings', which that fee was NOT informed to me, nor was I given the opportunity to negate that fee by using 5 minutes of my time to remove my belongings from the car. If I had the opportunity, I would have done this.

failure to validate information given the first time when calledOn October 9, 2013 I called the recovery zone to make arrangements to obtain the 2010 Toyota corolla back that had been repossessed. I spoke to a young man the first time and was told that it would be 150.00 plus the 35.00 storage fee which is in the amount of 185.00. I called back after speaking with [redacted] and spoke to another man who refused to identify himself and he told me that it would be 335.00 in order to obtain the vehicle. My husband and I travelled to Springfield where the company is located. I signed multiple papers and when asked for copies they refused to give them to me saying the [redacted] would send me copies. We then obtained the vehicle and checked to make sure everything was still in place and when going thru car noticed that a android phone charger was missing from the console of the car as it was in there the night the car was repossessed. We also noticed that they had been smoking in the car as well due to a foul odor of smoke.Desired SettlementWe are requesting that the phone charger that went missing be replaced as well as being reimbursed for the odor of cigarette smoke in the car as my husband and I are both non-smokers. The amount of the phone charger is 35.00 and to clean the vehicle it has to be professionally done to get odor out.Business Response This customer called numerous times asking for our fees. We explained to her that we are unable to provide fees as we do not deal directly with her lien holder. We work for a forwarding company who deals with her lien holder and we take direction from said forwarding company. The fees she was quoted were our standard fees, subject to change once we hear from the forwarding company. This was explained to the customer with each phone call. All of our staff identify themselves when answering the phone. Certainly we would have provided a name if asked. Any document a signed by a customer is submitted to the forwarding agent. If a customer asks for a copy, the copy is provided. Included in these documents is a release of liability, which this customer did sign. It does provide for addressing any concerns. None were raised at the time of signing. No mention was made of a missing phone charger or a smell in the vehicle. The first we have heard of these complaints were from the Revdex.com. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)When I spoke to the recovery Zone they did not provide me with the correct information regarding standard fees. When I called my lien Holder they specifically stated that the cap amount was 150.00 and no higher. I asked for copies of all the documents and they told me I would receive them in the mail from the [redacted]. It has been over a month now and I still have not received anything. The phone charger I didn't notice til I got back to my residence and the smell as well. I certainly am not making this up as my husband was there and heard me ask for copies of all the documents. The Gentleman who I dealt with I thought was very rude and not friendly at all. I again am requesting copies of all the papers I signed within 14 days of this response. Thank you for your consideration. [redacted]