What is the name of your state? California
A funny story, really.
About 5+ years ago, I was very behind in my Auto Loan payments to GMAC. I contacted them to find that they had issued orders to repossess the vehicle, and not wanting that made arrangements to wire the full amount to them first thing the following morning. At 6am that very next morning, I was awakened by a tow-truck driver hooking my truck up to haul it off. As it was too early to contact GMAC, and after the driver told me that I was probably told that so I would let my guard down and make it easier for them to locate the vehicle, I jumped at his seemingly gracious offer to allow me to get my possessions out of the truck before handing over the keys. When I did get ahold of GMAC that day, I was told that I shouldn’t have surrendered the truck, and that the amount I owed increased by $500 now that it had been repo’d. Sigh. That same afternoon, a friend called to inform me my truck was at a nearby strip mall parked in a Handicapped space with no Handicapped stickers or card displayed. I grabbed my spare set of keys and hurried over to find it as described. I hopped in and drove it over to another friends, happy to have re-acquired it and not to have been cited for illegal parking in a handicapped spot. The owner of the tow yard had apparently been shopping a good part of the day with my truck, and it contained many bags from various stores, her purse (!), and she even had an open alcoholic beverage in the cup holder! The next morning I awoke to calls from her threatening to have me arrested for Grand Theft if I did not tell her where to find the vehicle. Ignoring this, I called GMAC to report the truck was still in my possession, and made an appt. to drive the vehicle to Burbank the next day to re-affirm the loan (I was that behind!), as well as immediately wiring them the full amount due sans any repo. fee per their instructions. I appeared at the appt. the next day, me re-signing my loan papers, and them verifying the VIN and taking photo’s of the truck. Confident I was in good standing, I met with the yard owner to return her property and get my set of keys back, and never heard about the event again as I made payments out of the coupon book I had been issued. Fast-fwd. 2 years, and I make the final payment on my loan. After a few months of no word, I call GMAC to see about obtaining my pink slip, only to discover that they showed $500 still due for fees/penalties. The repo! The yard had billed GMAC, who payed them, and now was holding my pink slip until I payed them for it. When I asked that they provide me with documentation as to who signed for the vehicle if the tow yard had, in fact, secured it, they stated that they couldn’t be expected to have access to records from so long ago. No explanation was offered as to why I was never notified of this fee being levied at the time it was, nor could they offer explanation as to how I appeared in Burbank with the vehicle despite the tow companies’ claim to have had the vehicle at that time. They refuse to even tell me the name of the company (if I had the info, I had since purged it thinking it resolved) or entertain the idea that they were billed for a service that was not executed as represented by the tow yard. After talking with various people, I am not sure what venue is appropriate to resolve the issue and get me the pink slip on a vehicle I have paid for, and am also very curious if I should be forthcoming with the truth in its entirety as I have been above, or deny the repossession altogether forcing GMAC to prove (which they or the tow yard can’t) that it was repo’d, held at their yard, and released to whomever. It seems more to me like GMAC should never have made payment to the tow yard knowing that they didn’t require it of me to re-affirm the loan. Any help/suggestions/input?
A funny story, really.
About 5+ years ago, I was very behind in my Auto Loan payments to GMAC. I contacted them to find that they had issued orders to repossess the vehicle, and not wanting that made arrangements to wire the full amount to them first thing the following morning. At 6am that very next morning, I was awakened by a tow-truck driver hooking my truck up to haul it off. As it was too early to contact GMAC, and after the driver told me that I was probably told that so I would let my guard down and make it easier for them to locate the vehicle, I jumped at his seemingly gracious offer to allow me to get my possessions out of the truck before handing over the keys. When I did get ahold of GMAC that day, I was told that I shouldn’t have surrendered the truck, and that the amount I owed increased by $500 now that it had been repo’d. Sigh. That same afternoon, a friend called to inform me my truck was at a nearby strip mall parked in a Handicapped space with no Handicapped stickers or card displayed. I grabbed my spare set of keys and hurried over to find it as described. I hopped in and drove it over to another friends, happy to have re-acquired it and not to have been cited for illegal parking in a handicapped spot. The owner of the tow yard had apparently been shopping a good part of the day with my truck, and it contained many bags from various stores, her purse (!), and she even had an open alcoholic beverage in the cup holder! The next morning I awoke to calls from her threatening to have me arrested for Grand Theft if I did not tell her where to find the vehicle. Ignoring this, I called GMAC to report the truck was still in my possession, and made an appt. to drive the vehicle to Burbank the next day to re-affirm the loan (I was that behind!), as well as immediately wiring them the full amount due sans any repo. fee per their instructions. I appeared at the appt. the next day, me re-signing my loan papers, and them verifying the VIN and taking photo’s of the truck. Confident I was in good standing, I met with the yard owner to return her property and get my set of keys back, and never heard about the event again as I made payments out of the coupon book I had been issued. Fast-fwd. 2 years, and I make the final payment on my loan. After a few months of no word, I call GMAC to see about obtaining my pink slip, only to discover that they showed $500 still due for fees/penalties. The repo! The yard had billed GMAC, who payed them, and now was holding my pink slip until I payed them for it. When I asked that they provide me with documentation as to who signed for the vehicle if the tow yard had, in fact, secured it, they stated that they couldn’t be expected to have access to records from so long ago. No explanation was offered as to why I was never notified of this fee being levied at the time it was, nor could they offer explanation as to how I appeared in Burbank with the vehicle despite the tow companies’ claim to have had the vehicle at that time. They refuse to even tell me the name of the company (if I had the info, I had since purged it thinking it resolved) or entertain the idea that they were billed for a service that was not executed as represented by the tow yard. After talking with various people, I am not sure what venue is appropriate to resolve the issue and get me the pink slip on a vehicle I have paid for, and am also very curious if I should be forthcoming with the truth in its entirety as I have been above, or deny the repossession altogether forcing GMAC to prove (which they or the tow yard can’t) that it was repo’d, held at their yard, and released to whomever. It seems more to me like GMAC should never have made payment to the tow yard knowing that they didn’t require it of me to re-affirm the loan. Any help/suggestions/input?