Complaint Review: Sony Financial Services LLC

Sony Financial Services (SFS): your worst nightmare in the consumer credit industry. If anyone else operated their business this way they would be penniless and on the street.

I purchased a notebook computer from Sony on February 6, 2002 and opted to finance the purchase through SFS with a 180 day "same-as-cash" feature. At that time their representative indicated the needed documents would be forthcoming.

Today is January 22, 2003. Yesterday I receive my FIRST correspondence from SFS - a bill for five months of payments deemed past due and filled with dire words, including, "Sony Financial Services has exhausted all effort to have the account referenced above brought current. Your account is now over 90 days delinquent...." Exhausted all effort, exhausted all effort......

My complaints are so numerous I do not know where to start. My bank paid on a check written by me to SFS for over $1,500 on October 16, 2002 for the purchase. I was only able to make the payment after numerous calls, pleading with SFS to forward an invoice, a bill, a payment agreement - ANYTHING - to provide me with the ability to remit payment. These pleas occurred over a period of several weeks as I knew the 180 day period was coming to an end. The "Customer Service" rep gave my an "event number" (not an account number, mind you) and an address and said it would be processed. Guess what? No record of payment on the year-late bill. I only have my cancelled check. They have my money.

I never received a bill, was never provided with an account number, absolutely nothing concerning my account until yesterday, when I was proclaimed a deadbeat. Of course, they have had my money for months, but the bill showed no record of payment, included penalties AND increased the balance due by over $250 from the original amount (of course, who knows, since I received no documentation from them).

Upon calling the "Customer Service" people this morning I found out that those people do not have any account information on their computer screens! (Kinda tells you about Sony engineering)Here I am calling a financial services firm to discuss my account and their reps have no account information in front of them. The rep said he would forward my situation to their "billing" people, but had no telephone number available so I could contact them myself. He had no power to designate the account as "in dispute". In short, the rep could do nothing but indicate he would forward the info.

With their previous track record, I assume the billing people will never receive the info, will not contact me and will continue to destriy my credit.

They are very good at assigning an "event number" each time I contact them. What is that? How about an account number? How about finding the record of my payment and crediting my account? How about equipping your reps to actually deal with customer problems. I am beside myself over this.

I will file a complaint with the Attorneys General in my home state of Oklahoma,in New Jersey and New York (home of Sony Corporation of America, an incompetent litle outfit masquerading as a well run enterprise). I will also write to Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman of Sony America and Jeffery Dorn, President of SFS (I'd love to see his business plan!)

The saddest part of all this is that I am in a debt recovery program to get all unsecured debt off my balance sheet, as I have abused the use of credit for too long and wish to change my life. This episode underscores the futility of using credit.

This company must be held to account for their inaction and disregard for their customers. I urge anyone considering doing business with them to look elsewhere.

Mark
Edmond, Oklahoma
U.S.A.