WFS Financial charged for insurance not needed and never refunded it to us. Ripoff! Stockton, Santa Rosa CA Internet
We purchased a 95 Buick Century Wagon using WFS financing when we lived in California. Again and again, WFS sent us notices claiming that they had received notices of cancellation of our insurance, and that they had added charges to our account for their in-house insurance. Time and time again we had AAA fax them the insurance information.
Funny how in all that time, the lender for our other car, which was insured under the exact same policy, never claimed that they had received any notices of cancellation. Despite the fact that they made promises to my husband to the effect that they would get it cleared up and that it was an in-house mistake, we never received any papers reflecting a credit to our account for the wrongful charges, nor have we ever received a refund check. The only refund check we received from WFS was for $7 and change after we finally traded the car in on a van last year that check was marked refund of overpayment. But that doesn't come anywhere near to refunding the hundreds if not thousands of dollars we were overcharged for insurance we didn't need and didn't authorize, not to mention all the interest we paid on those overcharges.
Cj
Tallahassee, Florida
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
C
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Regarding WFS insurance additions
#3Consumer Suggestion
Mon, February 07, 2005
WFS is not a large corporation in fact it is an "s" corporation of an larger entity cll Westcorp financial Inc. WFS was started as a way to continue doing business when it was shuct dow as Western financial Savings Bank. Although stin in business in Irvine located on Alton way it is slowly trying to return as a banking entity.
This company is structure to be self contained ans sustanied. The insurance that was added to your account was added by a company that is owned in part or completely by WFS/WESTLAKE financial sevice of which they are all tie together.
The insurance is simply one way WFS keeps you paying them.
Solution: You must go to the Department of Insurance in you state and file a formal complaint against them. WFS violates insurance laws/codes, howerver the codes as state specific, but nationally supported, additionally WFS can be brought to account for the violations.
Under insurance code which is uniform threw out the Country WFS can be made to AT-LEAST take the charges off your account. You must then, once that is accomplished file a consumer complaint with you local regulatory agency for your state and have them make WFS give you a full accountancy with regards to you account. Better yet hire a lawyer or take them to small claims court, but get them before a judge. Most importanly you must be documented WELL and ORGANIZED so that anyone can see what is taking place.
In most states as well as country wide you are entitled to see how you monies have been applied during and throughout the loan.
WFS does this in an effort to create illegitmate fees and charges. When they add insurance to your account they by law now are permitted to take the moneis you pay on your account for you contracted car loan and then apply those funds to the insurnace that they have illegally added, which is illegal if in fact you already have insurance on the vehicle.
It is a long and draw out process but if you do not address the issue you will be paying them 2,3 times what you owe them.
GET-Busy
Chuck
Keith
Duluth,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Contact Numbers
#3Consumer Suggestion
Mon, December 13, 2004
I just got a loan with this company, and then found this web site so I'm, fortunately, pre-warned on what to expect. I've already had one call (no message left, of course), and I only signed the loan papers seven days ago! Anyway, I called back... The individual I spoke with said she needed my insurance information immediately, but then said that it sometimes takes up to 48 hours to get the faxes processed! Is it just me, or is there a distinct lack of organization here?
Oh, and if anyone's interested, the WFS Insurance Department direct number is 1-800-368-6805, and their fax number is 1-412-604-6581.