Complaint Review: Fifth Third Bank - Nationwide

I'm intentionally leaving out exact details to avoid retribution from this company. I've got a credit score over 700+ and have never had major credit issues. Yes, the occasional late charge but nothing major no delinquencies. I bought a vehicle and financed through the dealer and Fifth Third Bank was the financing bank.

I assumed I'd get some paperwork in the mail and waited to get a letter with financing details. About 30days after I bought my truck I begin receiving random phone calls from blocked numbers or numbers that are absolutely odd. I don't answer calls from places I don't recognize or with weird numbers. The numbers calling also did not leave a message so I assumed it was spam or junk. Well, after around 30days I hadn't received anything and I get a a little weirded out so I call the dealership and get the name of the bank and call them directly.

the first 53 rep said they can't talk to me I need to talk to the collections department and the 'standard' agents wont talk to me. I get immediately transferred to a guy named "Todd". This happened almost a year ago but I'll never forget how he spoke to me. He immediately tells me I'm delinquent on my account and I immediately say I didn't get any paper work and say okay I'll make a payment today. I asked him what exactly was the grace period for payment like most normal banks as it seems really soon to be in collections. Todd says there is NO grace period and payment is due immediately on your account again repeating I owe a payment. I said okay the payment is $500 or so right and tell him one moment, let me get you my account information. He immediately responses, oh, no your payment is $500 payment isn't that (what was financed) with you being SO late you owe a late charge ($35), you owe a payment fee of ($35) and with your current payment you owe two payments.Todd says if I don't pay over $1200 in the next 2 days he's going to have my vehicle repossessed and report me to crediting agencies.

I immediately freak out and give in to anything he says, like I said before I've *NEVER* had issues like this before and immediately thought of my credit history that I've worked so hard to maintain. He also made the situation very personal not just 'gonna repossess' but made me feel like a piece of **** for an obvious mistake. Well, he sets up the next 3 payments to autodraft out of my account but after 3 months I have to make a payment via the 'paperwork' they supposedly sent. I asked him why I can't just set it to auto draft indefinitely and he says I can't do that and the only way to do that is to setup drafting with a voided check that has to be mailed in. Seriously this is 2013, what bank requires this stupidity anymore? You also can not make payments online without a 53 bank account. Well there are no 53 banks where I live so how exactly am I supposed to do that? So three months go by and I get another call from 'collections' to let me know I'm "late" and this time they tell me they can setup 3payments for another 35dollar charge. This continues for the rest of the year because I didn't have time to get them a voided check (I don't even have checks and haven't in YEARS). Finally I was on the third or fourth go round of this and decide to refinance the car. I see I didn't get autodrafted and start getting odd phone calls from blocked #s or unknown # or strange non-real #s. It's another collections agent. I tell the agent what is going on and he starts in with that I owe $1200 and late fees and payment fees I said I've refinanced the car you're getting a pay off within 7-10business days. He notes in the account that I've called in and again asks for a payment. I said you're getting a payment with 7-10days for the entire balance, he then hangs up on me abruptly.

I call back the main number and get a REAL 53 bank rep. I tell her the above story and she immediately says she understands that they get complaints like this *ALL* the time. I asked her, what is the grace period, she says 15days and I asked how long am I into my grace period, I'm NOT EVEN OUT OF THE GRACE PERIOD YET! I told her I wasn't mad at her but the other department is totally out of control and the sole reason I refinanced was to stop this harassment. She comps my charges and apologize and I tell her a dozen times I'm not mad at her but I've *never* been treated like this. She puts me down for 'no call' and recommends I call in the next 5-10days to make sure they get payment, I agree and disconnect. I could tell she cared and felt bad for me. Well after last night I get another call today, and again I get to listen to the guy I talked to yesterday tell me I owe 1200+. I tell him hey man you hung up on me last night I told you I refinanced and the other rep took me off the call list. He checks a few things then verifies some information then tries to be nice and disconnects.

I will NEVER use this bank again. EVER. DO NOT FINANCE OR USE THIS BANK.