visuelz

If they towed it from the back, they really fucked up your car. Do you have pictures of that happening?

Also, there may be 6 miles extra because the front wheel was rolling but that doesn't explain the gas part. Someone was messing with your car if you were losing gas.

davidspalding

I'd have a dealer inspect the car for any structural or mechanical damage, right away. Before you drive it around a bit. If the repo dudes did any damage to the car (which lessens the value of the property the bank has a lien on),....

That they might've driven it around, or even siphoned gas out, doesn't surprise me. Look at it from their POV. The bank told them to repo a car, they did. Very, very rarely are these repos mistakes.

NightRider

Just checked on this thread and saw this...F John Edwards! Not my type of guy...

In a way lawsuits help define loopholes and possibly lead to amending poorly stated laws, but things are getting ridiculous nowadays. The McDonalds coffee thing is just one example, who would have thought coffee would be hot?

Simba do you mean you pay for things outright or you pay cash for monthly payments? All though banks and financial institutions can screw up, at least with checks and receipts and such there are paper trails...

Slightly more on topic, any recent updates by the OP?

EDIT: Yes definitely check anything potentially wrong with the car right away. The more it is driven the more chance people have to say it "wasn't their fault".

davidspalding

Not to de-value your other points, but the FACTS of that case clearly show that a) the coffee was hotter than scalding temperature (above safe limits), b) the corporation was grossly negligent in actually encouraging their restaurants to keep the coffee at temperatures above the safe limit, but c) after the woman had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her, and her daughter asked ONLY for compensation to cover the hospital bills, the corporation offered a pittance, and thought they were being generous.

Can't recall the link, but a law firm has a couple of essays on the case, and why it's a great example of a consumer safety civil suit showing corporate malfeasance. The scalding hot coffee (not potable) melted the cup ... and that was the company keeping coffee at 160° by policy, despite hundreds of scalding complaints and injuries every year, for a several years.

Why I'm posting: it really ticks me off when I hear statements like how stupid that lady was, how greedy the family was (they weren't, the huge award was set by the judge), how ridiculous the suit was.

nbtx

I pay cash too, except for a couple of houses I had to finance. Cars were what I could afford at the time and some were pretty shabby, but I made them run. Not part of the "I want it all and I want it now" generation, and I've never had a house repoed either.

Ravenseoul

Kinda off the topic, my friend here in hawaii had his honda stolen in the middle of the night by a tow truck. The police found it completely stripped 2 weeks later. Tow trucks are scary.

bradykp

mostly what i wanted to say is above, but i want to expand a bit.

as far as what some people are responding with, yes, it's a crappy situation, but it was probably just a computer glitch. shit happens, get over it. i'm an IT auditor, so i understand how these things occur. does that mean the bank shouldn't compensate you? no.

as far as your credit. don't bother with freecreditreport.....you have to sign up for it and if you don't cancel, they charge you.

go to the government's website: annualcreditreport.com you can technically get one from each bureau, or you can stagger them throughout the year. in this case, i'd get one from each and use that to speak to the bank. ask them to fix it. tell them if they don't do this quickly, you would have no problem writing your local paper, and national papers (like USA Today and NYTimes and Wall Street Journal). also, tell them you'll write consumer reports, money magazine, kiplinger's, smart money, etc.

this will get them going.


if they don't react....write money magazine. they actually do a column every month on customers who don't get responses from a company. and they act as an intermediary then do a story on it in the magazine. it's pretty good.


it should be relatively easy to fix. it sucks yes, but call, speak to a manager, or corporate customer service, and they will do something. don't expect a huge payout for this. and don't waste the court's time with a lawsuit. that's just retarded

visuelz

I disagree with what bradykp says just because it's not your fault that you got your car towed. The bank made a mistake and they have to pay for that mistake. I work as an IT too and I know mistakes do happen but somebody has to be responsible for this and it's not going to be the consumer. Call your credit card company; they are required to give you a credit report once a year.

hyunk24a2

well just to update yall on this, the lady from bb&t bank (the bitch on the phone, not the nice lady who helped us) did fix the issue with my moms credit so nothing was negatively affected so im glad about that. we also spoke with a lawyer and for the cost of a lawyer and the time it would take for everything to finish, it would not be worth the trouble so we decided to just not deal with it. afterall the important thing is that my car is back and seems like it hasnt been messed up from the tow being put on incorrectly . i took it to my friends body shop and they couldnt see anything physically damaged so i guess im in the clear (knock on wood) .



the only thing that i wish they would have done is sent out a formal written apology or at least a phone call to tell us everything was ok. i had to call and leave 3 messages before i got a voicemail from her. oh well :/

INSPIRE 32V

iTrader: (1)

^ good thing u got your car but change your bank ASAP

nj2pa2nc

as far as coffee being too hot-who would believe the coffee was so hot-even with milk in it, that it would cause burns so severe they required skin grafts. no lawsuit but this did happen to my daughter. the coffee shop where she purchased her morning coffee did not put the lid on tight enough,

1Louder

I'm glad things worked out for your car, but I would still write a letter to the corporate office. If nothing else, you can draw their attention to it (and a good company will care), and also let them know how you were treated (and use her name). It may produce nothing more for you (other than a possible apology), but you can stir things up so maybe they'll fix whatever error caused this. It also lets them know something happend and how badly they handled it. Odds are this was all contained with the 2 people you dealt with and no one else knows.

UNEVAKNO

I caught this one kind of late. I am in law enforcement and this is my 2 cents. First of all dont ever assume your car is being repoed. I live in the DC area and a man was fatally shot in cold blood in front of his house for running out and approaching a tow truck driver that was stealing his car. So your 1st resort if you suspect foul play would be to call 911 give a tag, tow company, driver ID, direction of travel or any description you have. Then call the bank that finances the vehicle. Thats good you called a lawyer and if the car is under your mom let her handle it. I agree with everybody else " LET EM FRY " !!!! Dont let them get away with that w/o compensation. But dont refinance that might cost you money and lengthen your loan term.

acutsx

definitely file a lawsuit ...teach these people a lesson!

GSI

I would give the local tv news channel a call. Let the bank know that this is going to happend and see how they change there tone. The TV stations love these type of stories.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

This sounds like somebody who has a hard time taking responsibility for ones actions, in my opinion. I don't think there are any acceptable excuses in this situation. A mistake happened, yes. Should the responsible party own up to it? YES.

I completely agree with visuelz. This was NOT the consumer's fault. They made all payments on time and can obtain proof of payments. This was the fault of the bank, and for the bank to brush this situation off is pitiful. A mistaken repo is not a "get over it" situation. I'm sure it was a computer error (oh too familiar...I work in IT also ), but the bank handles the money, and for them to error with that is unacceptable. I know it happens, and it is unavoidable (because we as humans are nowhere near perfect), but the party at fault (the bank) should be held accountable and responsible and at least offer some form of apology and/or compensation (nothing major and beyond reason).

All in all, I'm glad to hear that the situation is turning out to be OK.

I also agree with gsi00154, call the local news station. Most have a consumer affairs segment and can definitely help you out. It'll at least get the word out about your problem, what institutions were involved, and who to NOT do business with.

And yes, refinance with another bank ASAP.

davidspalding

Wow, I hope she wasn't hurt too bad. There's a coffeeshop owner near my apt. (NC-55) who serves his lattes too hot, and I've asked him a few times to tell me what temperature he's frothing the milk to. Maybe for Xmas I'll buy him a frothing thermometer.

davidspalding

Superb points. In this day of cheap camera phones, I often tell people, "just snap a few pictures. IANAL, but photos, properly time-date stamped on your memory card, could be compelling evidence.

Don't use threats. "Call the bank and tell them you're talking to news stations" is just extortion. Just call the news stations and see if they're interested in talking to you. Let the bank's agent(s) for service figure out that "sooner is better than later" for settling with you. The longer they dawdle and keep you at bay, the stronger their position.

The older I get, the less tolerant I become of this kind of attitude. "Shit happens, get over it" is the facile balm that completely disregards the inconvenience and expense that the victim has had to endure. Easy to say when your day to day life is unscathed. Not so easy when your car is "legally stolen" right in front of you, or a close relative or friend is victimized. A fellow I know is fond of saying, "life's tough, wear a cup." I'd relish the opportunity (though not wish it upon him) to visit him in a hospital following a car crash, or serious physical assault, or some other greivous tragedy, and repeat, "life's tough, wear a cup? Is that what you say to others?"

bradykp

right, a lawsuit will ensure that computer glitches disappear for all.

UNEVAKNO

There are some situations were I totally agree that "Shit happens"the "Get over it " theory applies but if you have to "just get over it" and move on you better learn something from it so you wont allow it to happen again if possible.

As far as the"life's tough, wear a cup" theory ..........Ok my cup is always on (meaning I stay prepared for just about anything ) and who or whatever plans to test my cup better make sure they have their cup on too because kicking (meaning lawsuit, jail, compensation, black eye, etc.) is a 2 way street.

davidspalding

bradykp

sure, the bank made a mistake. and yeah, they have to fix it. that doesn't require a lawyer to be involved. if the OP calls corporate and handles it through them, he can do it civilly without having to use the lawyer threat. the bank will be happy to help, and it's something he can take care of himself.

if he has trouble, there are plenty of consumer advocates that would help, and he doesn't need to sue them.

bradykp

did you miss the part of my post that says:

"does that mean the bank shouldn't compensate you? no."

taking responsibility is exactly what i was talking about. there's just no need for a lawyer. plenty of roads to take without one. i would contact BBB as well as the state consumer advocacy group. then there is always publications like Money Magazine and others.

I'm just so tired of hearing people cry "lawyer" every time something happens. it's just stupid sometimes

bradykp

acting like a computer mishap is a tragedy is just stupid. the OP was inconvenienced big time, but honestly, how badly did this hurt anyone? is it something that cannot be fixed by reasonable people having a conversation? i'm sure if the OP gets in touch with the appropriate people at the corporate HQ of the bank, they'd be happy to take care of him. if it takes some subtle hints about the OP's desire to let local news and publications know about his inconvenience, then that's all it should take. i know people who are in much worse situations than having their luxury car town away.

davidspalding

I agreed with your first two of three last posts, but you lost me with "acting like a computer mishap is a tragedy is just stupid." Who said it's a tragedy? You're arguing against caricatured grief and angst where I don't think there is any. Likewise, arguing this is just a "computer mishap" is obtuse -- computer glitches result in botched billing or overcharges, but I think foreclosure on property is more than a glitch.

I think you need to walk a mile in the OP's shoes here. Have YOU ever had your car repo'ed? It's disturbing. I can presume the OP was very upset. It wasn't an "oopsie daisie, we charged you a late fee when your payment was 5 days earlier than the deadline" (which I've had to resolve a few times, using incidentally the steps you recommend) ... in this case, the OP had his car repossessed. There's a question as to whether the repo man towed it wrong, incurring damage. There were probably at LEAST a few incidental expenses the OP incurred as a result of losing his primary mode of transport (rental car, cabs, missed work).

You ask "how badly did this hurt anyone?" Good question, let's listen for the answer. The bank has some "'splaining to do, Lucy," and -- as you said -- talking to the right corporate officer, or the BBB, or if necessary, consumer advocate reporters, is hopefully all he (or his mom) need to do.

JayRoam

that's great that they say they took care of the derogatory report on your mom's credit, but follow up on it. I work for a large financial institution, and these erroneous late reports can make the difference of whether you get a loan or not. Many times, the bank will only adjust their own records, but often fail to fix the error with all 3 credit bureaus.

Make them pull a credit report for your mom, and make sure there's no recent derogatory marks from that bank.

NightRider

With 3 major credit bureaus each offering 1 free credit report a year, you should be able to check your credit report for free 3 times a year. The OP definitely needs to find a better bank, I am 15 days late on my car payment right now, but because I have had multiple loans over several year with this bank, they are a bit more lenient than your average bank might be. They know I am good for the money. Regardless, if any additional expenses were incurred due to an error that was no fault of your own, you should be entitled to financial remedies. If there is no reprimanding of your current financial institution, at the least (as said before) find a different bank.

conan777

Man that is huge! I would be extremely irritated with your bank. What a pain