Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company issues car loans financed and present harassment and abuse intimidation tactics to customers and threatening to repose cars from customers before due date of monthly payment.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/18/2025

  First Help Financial ("FHF") has thoroughly reviewed the complaint filed by **** Carlos ****** Mr. ***** called *** on 10/29/2024 to cancel a payment that was scheduled for 10/30/2024 and rescheduled that payment for 11/8/2024. This payment was processed on 11/8/2024 but returned as ***. *** sent a Notice of Default on 11/19/2024 and attempted to contact Mr. ***** on 11/20/2024 and 11/27/2024 regarding the past due payment. Mr. ***** later scheduled a payment for 12/12/2024 that covered the October 2024 installment. *** sent another Notice of Default to Mr. ***** on 12/19/2024. *** attempted to contact Mr. ***** on 12/19/2024, 12/20/2024, 12/31/2024, 1/3/2025 and 1/9/2025. Mr. ***** contacted *** on 1/10/2025 and stated he was unemployed and would pay on 1/24/2025. *** explained to Mr. ***** that the vehicle was eligible for repossession as of 1/9/2025 due to nonpayment. Mr. ***** requested more time to be able to make a payment. *** told Mr. ***** that *** would delay repossession efforts until 1/15/2025, allowing Mr. ***** until 1/14/2025 to make a payment. Mr. ***** agreed and inquired about voluntarily surrendering the vehicle. Mr. ***** agreed to make a payment by 1/14/2025. No payment was made by Mr. ***** by 1/14/2025 as previously promised. On 1/16/2025 Mr. ***** called FHF. *** advised Mr. ***** of the account delinquency and was at risk of being assigned for repossession due to nonpayment. Mr. ***** stated he could make a partial payment that day (1/16/2025) and the rest of the November installment on 1/18/2025. This payment was made with the December payment still being owed and January installment coming due. *** notified Mr. ***** of this. Mr. ***** recurring payment was scheduled to process on 1/30/2025, but this payment returned as ***. FHF mailed another Notice of Default on 2/5/2025. *** spoke with Mr. ***** on 2/5/2025 and advised the account was due for the December 2024 and January 2025 installments. *** spoke with Mr. ***** on 2/11/2025, 2/19/2025, 2/20/2025 and 2/27/2025. In each of these conversations Mr. ***** was advised of the status of his account and Mr. ***** stated he would make a payment. On 2/27/2025 no payment was made and Mr. ******* account was assigned for repossession. Mr. ***** called FHF on 2/28/2025 to see what he needed to do to prevent repossession. *** informed Mr. ***** he needed to make at least one payment. Mr. ***** stated he would try to get the money to make a payment. *** has been in regular contact with Mr. ***** and provided state required regulatory notices prior to assigning his account for repossession. There has been no threat or unjustified repossession attempt made by ***. Contrary, in each contact made with Mr. ***** FHF has openly communicated the account status with Mr. ***** and informed him of what legal remedies FHF may take due to nonpayment by Mr. ****** Mr. ******* allegation regarding *** threatening to repossess prior to the payment due dates is unsubstantiated and demonstrated above by the lack of payment by Mr. ****** If Mr. ***** has further questions regarding this we encourage him to contact FHF directly at ************** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 01/08 I called First Financial Help to obtain a 10 day payoff as I was refinancing. I sent the check on the same day for a 10 day payoff, called them to let them know a check was on the way to payoff the loan as I was refinancing, no further information was provided at the moment. Then on 01/21 I received a call to let me know that they did not received the check and I needed to send a new one. I contacted the bank and a new check was sent and a stop payment placed on the previous check. I spoke to a *** in *** and she told me that they were waiting for the new check, 2 days later they applied both checks to the loan and called me to let me know the check had no sufficient funds because this check had already being cancelled. The whole time the had the first check and never applied to the loan until they received the second one. Now they are charging me $175 extra and blaming me for absolutely everything when they have recorded all my calls through the month and applied the payoff successfully on 01/29/25. No customer service, deviate all responsibility back to me. No ethic or professionalism to help the customer.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/18/2025

  First Help Financial ("***") has reviewed and thoroughly investigated the complaint filed by ********* *********. A ten-day payoff was obtained on 1/8/2025 through the *** automated system, with a payoff amount of $32,810.47 which was valid through 1/18/2025. Ms. ********* contacted *** on 1/8/2025, the same day the payoff amount was obtained, and stated she was refinancing her loan and that the payoff check was already sent. Ms. ********* requested that her scheduled payment be cancelled. On 1/21/2025 *** contacted Ms. ********* regarding a past due payment. Ms. ********* stated she thought *** had received the payoff check. *** explained to Ms. ********* that the payoff check had not been received and encouraged Ms. ********* to contact the financial institution she refinanced with to follow up on the status of the payoff to ***. On 1/25/2025 Ms. ********* contacted *** to follow up on the payoff check. *** explained to Ms. ********* that the payoff check still had not been received by ***. *** received a payoff check in the amount of $32,810.47 on 1/27/2025 but this check returned due to Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF). On 1/29/2025 *** received a payoff check in the amount of $32,810.47. This payoff amount was only valid through 1/18/2025 as the payoff was quoted on 1/8/2025. The remaining balance that was due after the payoff check was applied is due to additional interest accrual since the payoff was quoted through 1/18/2025 but payoff was not received until 1/29/2025. If Ms. ********* has additional questions regarding this we encourage her to contact *** directly at *************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/04/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am not liable for this debt with FIRST HELP FINANCIAL account #******************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/10/2024

  First Help Financial ("FHF") has thoroughly reviewed the complaint filed by ***** ****. After investigating it was confirmed that ***** **** purchased a vehicle from ********* Chevrolet on 8/1/2024. The Retail Installment Sales Contract ("RISC") was assigned to *** from El Dorado Chevrolet. *** received a payment from Ms. **** on 8/31/2024 but that payment later returned as Non-Sufficient Funds ("NSF) on 9/6/2024. *** received another payment from Ms. **** on 9/30/2024 but that payment also returned as *** on 10/3/2024. *** attempted to contact Ms. **** multiple times due to these payments returning as *** and the delinquency on the account, but never was able to contact Ms. **** nor did Ms. **** return the calls from FHF. A Notice of Default and Right to Cure was sent to Ms. **** on 9/18/2024. Due to not being able to contact Ms. **** and not hearing from Ms. **** or receiving payments to cure the account delinquency the account was assigned for repossession on 10/10/2024 and the vehicle was secured by the repossession agency on 10/11/2024. On 10/11/2024 Ms. **** called FHF after the vehicle was repossessed. *** explained how Ms. **** could reinstate the account and re-take possession of the vehicle. Ms. **** added a third party to the call who wanted to make a partial payment towards the past due balance on the account, but that payment was declined. *** never heard from Ms. **** again nor did FHF receive payment to cure the delinquency. *** sent a Notice of Intent to Sell to Ms. **** on 10/14/2024 which explained that if payment was not made to cure the delinquency by 11/4/2024 FHF would proceed with selling the vehicle. During this time *** did not hear from Ms. ****. The vehicle was then sold at auction on 11/21/2024. Since this date *** has received several indirect credit disputes from various credit reporting agencies which *** has and will respond to those disputes directly to the credit reporting agency who sent the dispute to ***. If Ms. **** has questions regarding this we encourage her to reach out to FHF directly at *************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We had a vehicle repossessed The morning we left for our family vacation. When we contacted them, they said they had no idea who repossessed the car or where it was so while in the airport we called and found what repossession company had our car. The Same day we promptly paid $1207 .00 , which made the loan current and played the repossession fees. They release the vehicle and when we sent someone to pick the car up, the yard would not release it. We then paid the car off for another $1097 and were instructed to get a notarise statement as to who was going to be picking the car up which included our information and the friend of the family. Which its clearly stated that he was acting and authorised on our behalf us being 1400 miles away. both photo IDs , Ours and who we were authorising to act on our behalf to recover our vehicle that was 100% paid for! We did everything that we were told and they still refuse to release the vehicle. We even told them to go back and listen to their recorded conversations informing us what was necessary to do which clearly showed that we did exactly as we were told. These people completely destroyed our Once a year family vacation, including incurring the expense of multiple **** movements We even contacted law-enforcement (Being the sole owner of the vehicle) refused to get involved stating it was a civil matter. It is now 7 days and they are still holding our car against our will!! The legal fees are not worth what the settlement would be if we go to court however I believe that everyone should know the poor business practice that this company operates at. If this keeps one person from financing with this company, it is worth my efforts of leaving a Complaint!! It is a disgrace that a company with this many bad reviews and complaints is allowed to continue in business. They should be held accountable , at no expense to us, for their horrendous business practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/10/2024

  First Help Financial ("FHF") has thoroughly investigated the complaint filed by ******* ********** After investigating it was discovered that a partial payment was made for the September 2024 installment and no payment was made for the October ******************* November 2024 installment. *** attempted to contact Ms. ********* regarding the delinquent payments multiple times during this time (September 2024 - November 2024) to cure the delinquency. *** also sent the state required default notice on 10/30/2024 notifying Ms. ********* of the delinquency on the account and the possibility of repossession if the delinquency was not timely cured. During this time *** did not receive any communication from Ms. ********** Due to the lack of communication from Ms. ********* and the ongoing delinquency, the account was placed for repossession on 11/25/2024 and the collateral was secured on 11/26/2024. On 11/26/2024 a third party by the name of **** ***** called *** regarding making payment to reinstate the account and retrieve the vehicle. *** obtained authorization from Ms. ********* to discuss the account with Mr. ****** Once *** received the invoice from the repossession agency regarding the repossession expense, payment was made on 11/27/2024 to cure the delinquency. FHF communicated to Ms. ********* what documentation would be required in order for FHF to release the vehicle. Ms. ********* requested that Mr. ***** be able to retrieve the vehicle due to being out of town. This required additional documentation for *** to provide to the repossession agency, which was communicated to Ms. ********** *** received this necessary and required documentation from Ms. ********* on 12/2/2024 and the vehicle was released by the ******************* and picked up by the third party (******* *******) authorized by Ms. ********* that same day (12/2/2024). If Ms. ********* has questions regarding this we encourage her to reach out to FHF directly at ************** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This financial company took repossession of my vehicle on Monday November 18th at night, I contacted them on the next day and I was told to send them my insurance information, 5 new references and proof of address I did that as soon as i could. On November 19th I call again and I was told to call back because they were waiting on the agency that picked up the car to send them the invoice, after that they will tell me the total I had to pay so they can release my vehicle. I've been calling them everyday since then more than once per day and until today November 21st they say they don't have that report yet even though I called the **** agency and they told me they already sent the invoice and they don't know why the financial company is telling me they're still waiting on that. I call first help financial again, and they keep telling me they don't have it. I am willing to resolve this paying the fees I'm responsible for, but the more they take to resolve this, the more I will have to pay wich I think that's why they're taking so long.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/03/2024

  First Help Financial ("FHF") has thoroughly investigated the complaint filed by ****** ******. On 11/19/2024 Mr. ******** vehicle was repossessed due to non-payment. Mr. ****** called FHF on 11/19/2024 after the vehicle was repossessed to inquire how he could get his vehicle back.FHF explained what would be needed from Mr. ****** including payment to bring the account current and to cover repossession expenses as well as additional documentation needed. *** received the additional documentation from Mr. ****** on 11/21/2024. As of 11/21/2024 *** had not yet received the invoice from the repossession agency to be able to provide Mr. ****** with the repo expense that needed to be paid. This invoice from the repossession agency was received on 11/22/2024. *** provided the repo expense to Mr. ****** on 11/22/2024 and payment was made on the account to bring the account current. *** sent authorization to the repossession agency to release the vehicle to Mr. ****** on 11/22/2024. Mr. ****** then requested that a 3rd party be able to retrieve the vehicle. *** communicated to Mr. ****** that an additional notarized authorization was needed for *** to provide to the repossession agency. *** received this 3rd party authorization letter from Mr. ****** on 11/22/2024, but due to being received late in the day on 11/22/2024 the repossession agency was already closed. The authorization release for the 3rd party to be able to retrieve the vehicle was provided to the repossession agency on 11/25/2024 and the vehicle was retrieved by Mr. ******** authorized party on 11/25/2024. If Mr. ****** has any further questions regarding this we request that he contact FHF directly at *************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am not liable for this debt with FIRST HELP FINANCIAL **** I don't have a contract with the collection trying to collect and report this information to my credit report, nor have they provided original contract as requested.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2024

  After thorough review of the complaint from ****** *******, First Help Financial (FHF) has confirmed an open account for ****** ******* **** with FHF. This account is for a vehicle purchased from ******************************** in November 2023. The address and phone number Mr. ******* included on the complaint match the phone number and address in ***'s account records. *** also has a copy of a New York state identification card in the name of ****** ***** ******* **** which also lists the same address FHF has on file and the address listed on Mr. ********* complaint. If Mr. ******* would like to discuss this further we would ask that he contact First Help Financial directly at *************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My bank card was charge by First Help Financial and I am not a customer of theirs. I called them and they confirmed that I am not a customer of theirs and I asked them to refund/release the charge on my account. They told me to speak with my bank. After a discussion between my bank and First Help Financial - it was deemed a fraudulent charge. The charge still went through on my account. They have provided nothing and refused to answer why this has happened or what account it was charged to.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2024

  First Help Financial, LLC ("FHF") received a call on 9/19/2024 from a representative at ******* stating a payment was made to *** with a card that belongs to Ms. ********* ***** The ******* representative asked for *** to provide some documentation to remove the hold on the debit card payment. Due to privacy reasons *** was not able to provide the information ******* was requesting. However, a representative of *** contacted Ms. **** on 9/19/2024 and informed her to file a dispute with her bank and through that process the funds used for the payment to *** would be returned to Ms. ***** If Ms. ********* **** has additional questions regarding this we encourage her to contact FHF at **************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am not not liable for this debt first help financial I do not have a contract with the collection agency *********** they did not provide me with the the original contract as requested

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2024

  First Help Financial, LLC ("FHF") has reviewed the complaint filed by ******* ******** *** takes these allegations very seriously. We have located an account in our system for an individual with the same name with a similar address but slightly different than *** ******* provided on the complaint. In doing our due diligence to fully investigate the complaint, *** has called *** ******* on the phone number provided on the complaint three times since we received the complaint. On one of those occasions we spoke with somebody claiming to be *** ********* wife who said she would give the message to *** ******* to have him call us back. The other two calls *** made to *** ******* were not answered but a voicemail was left. *** has not received a return call from *** ******** *** would like to get some additional information to confirm if the account we have is in fact for *** ******* or not. *** recommends that *** ******* contact FHF directly at ************* to further discuss this complaint and provide additional information to allow *** to complete the investigation. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/22/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  my car was repossessed and i paid ALL FEES prior to being provided the information to be able to get my car from the tow company. first help is stating that i owe an additional fee of 550 due to a key recopy fee when i already had my original TWO keys from the dealership. no one advised/nor did i consent to a rekey fee because i still have both original keys provided by the dealership. i requested a supervisor SEVERAL times on several different phone calls which i was advised no one is ever available. once speaking to the supervisor ******* she hung up on me and stated they advised me on may 4th about a rekey fee. which was SEVERAL months after i already received my car back. This is absolutely the worst company to get your car financed with. This is fraud. i didnt need a new key. I came to the tow company with BOTH keys that i still have to this date !

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2024

  First Help Financial, LLC (FHF) took possession of the vehicle on 4/29/2024 due to non-payment. In a call with ****************** on 5/7/2024 FHF explained to ****************** what is needed from him to be able to regain possession of the vehicle. FHF explained to ****************** in this call that the repo agency may charge for a key fee if a copy of the key for the vehicle is made. The Illinois Collateral Recovery Act requires licensed repo agencies to clear, erase, delete or otherwise eliminate personal information collected or stored in a vehicle after repossession. For the repo agent to be able to comply with the Illinois Collateral Recovery Act a key must be made since the repo agent didnt receive the keys from ****************** at time of the vehicle recovery. FHF incurred the key copy expense. A portion of the payment ****************** made on 7/17/2024 covered the key fee incurred and paid by FHF. This is industry standard to cover out of pocket expenses. As part of the reinstatement process, FHF deferred the May installment. Since ****************** retook possession of the vehicle two payments he has made have returned leaving the account currently 58 days past due.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to formally complain about an auto loan from your institution. In June, I financed a used vehicle for $41,528.10 with an annual interest rate of *****% and a term of 72 months, with monthly payments of $958.70. This amount included a required insurance premium of $4,744.I made all payments up until May [Year]. However, I suffered a total loss of the vehicle in an accident at the end of May. The insurance paid $33,264.70 in August, making the total amount paid $40,934.When I contacted FHF about the remaining balance, I was told I owe $6,653.84 and that a guarantee is pending. I assumed this guarantee was the insurance policy with a term of 72 months or ******* miles, which is still valid.Despite this, FHF reported my debt to credit bureaus, and I was informed that FHF does not offer payment arrangements or refinancing. I proposed a lump-sum payment of $3,500, which was rejected, and I was told I must continue paying the remaining balance.I am facing severe financial hardship due to the loss of my job and my spouses surgeries. My main complaints are:- Excessive Interest Rate: The *****% rate exceeds New Yorks legal limit of 16% for consumer loans.- Lack of Resolution: FHFs refusal to negotiate a fair solution demonstrates a lack of empathy for my situation.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2024

  First Help Financial, LLC (FHF) received a call from State Farm Insurance on 6/14/2023 that Ms. ******** vehicle, of which FHF is the lienholder, was involved in an accident and was deemed a total loss. FHF provided State Farm Insurance with the account balance. State Farm Insurance stated the amount they would be paying would not cover the full balance. ****************** contacted FHF on 6/15/2023 stating she could not afford to continue paying FHF for the deficiency balance that would be left after the insurance check is received and applied to the account balance. ****************** had made a payment on her account on 6/14/2023 but that payment returned as an NSF payment on 6/20/2023. FHF received the insurance proceed check from State Farm Insurance on 8/28/2023. FHF cancelled a warranty ****************** purchased at time of the vehicle purchase and received a pro-rated refund which was applied to the account, reducing the deficiency balance owed. The deficiency balance left on the account is the responsibility of ****************** according to the Retail Installment Contract she entered into with the purchase of the vehicle.