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:10/25/2024

  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.

  Paid fully for our car to be given back and got to the place, after their phone number did not work, and were told they only accept appointments that have to be made online, on a website we have to watch a 20 minute video on just to make the appointment. They do not do same day appointments and then charge per day so that you are charged more than what you were originally expected to pay. So what should have been an easy process then becomes an incredibly difficult process to further punish people. The man working refused to give his name and talked to us horribly throughout the entire process. He also spoke horribly to the person in front of us.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2024

  *******.  Having a vehicle repossessed is an emotional charged event and one we take seriously and in no way wish to make harder on anyone.  That being said, we disagree with your statement. 
  
  1. Your vehicle was repossessed early morning on 10/24.  Keep in mind, many other people's vehicles had also been repossessed earlier on the 24th, 23rd, 22nd and so on.  Every vehicle owner has the ability/right to retrieve personal property or, if approved by their lienholder, redeem their vehicle (including personal property) once a release has been sent to us. As such, vehicles are continually being repossessed, people are continually making appointments to redeem their property and/or vehicles.  Our calendar is on-line, open and available 24x7 and is FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED provided.  The only requirement to book an appointment is that we have a valid release on file at the time the appointment is booked, otherwise it would be canceled so others who do have releases can schedule.
  

  2. No we DO NOT make same day appointments for the shear fact that each day throughout the work week is BOOKED at LEAST ONE DAY in advance and can be TWO (this is very, very rare) days during especially peak times. You DID NOT make arrangements with your bank to satisfy their requirements until some time on 10/25 and your release DID NOT come to us until the afternoon of 10/25.  The appointment schedule for Friday 10/25 was already booked early in the day as of Thursday 10/24, so yes, you would have had to schedule for Monday 10/28 since we are closed on weekends.  Our employee also explained to you that in the event of a cancellation, we do reach out to people on the next days appointment list to see if they can come in early.  No business can be expected to have a full day of appointments scheduled in advance and then accommodate an unknown number of individual(s) who just "show up".  Can you imagine the chaos? Why even schedule in the first place? Do you feel a free for all would work better?   Please try to understand the entirety of the issue from a 360 degree perspective instead of the narrow lens of what's best for you personally.

  3. The 3-4 minute video (not 20 minutes) on our website that you mention in your complaint, EXPLAINS this process and sets the proper expectations.  If you had followed the instructions in the video instead of doing what YOU wanted to do, this would be a non issue.
  
  4. You took it upon yourself to show up at our offices WITHOUT an appointment telling our employee at the window "the bank said we could come today".   It is a well known industry fact that vehicle/property redemption is a SCHEDULED PROCESS and not up to the banks but the agents as independent business owners. Showing up without an appointment is akin to showing up at a booked restaurant on a Friday night, without a reservation, and expecting to be seated right then, right there and then complaining on Social Media or the BBB that you didn't get a table.
  

  5. As the GM, I was in the office the day you were here. I sit behind a cubicle that is within clear earshot of the window every debtor conducts business through when they come to our facility.  I listened to the way YOU BERATED our employee because they wouldn't do what you wanted them to do, when you wanted them to do it. That employee had other people, who had their cars repossessed just like you did, all of whom had booked appointments with us well BEFORE you did.  Our employee in fact greeted you with kindness and maintained a professional demeanor throughout the tongue lashing you repeatedly dished out. I understand repossession is not "fun" and its something we have never taken lightly BUT you had NO RIGHT to speak to our employee the way you did and at no time our employee stoop to the condescending and unprofessional behavior that you felt was appropriate. *******, you owe our employee an apology!
  

  As repossession agents, most people do not understand that agents DO NOT have access to the same information as your lienholder and this is primarily due to Federal Privacy laws put in place to protect YOU the consumer. This means, we do NOT actually know why your vehicle was repossessed (payments, insurance lapse, cross collateralization issue...other).  Whether you realize it or not, every step of this process has been in YOUR hands, not Recovery America's. We didn't arbitrarily decide to "tow your car" nor did we "hold your car" nor did we "keep it longer" or do anything to "charge you more than you should".  The fact is that by the time you rectified matters with your finance company (Friday 10/25) our schedule was already fully booked as of Thursday 10/24. Worse, instead of following the process (a process that's been place for over 15 years), or the video instructions (which you clearly watched and then ignored) or listen to the advice/instructions given to you by our employee,  you decided to do things "YOUR WAY" and on "YOUR TIMELINE" and then attempted to BULLY OUR STAFF into serving you AHEAD of other good people who had already booked those time slots.  The fact is that YOU took upon yourself to make demands of our company and our staff by screaming and yelling fully expecting us to acquiesce to your demands.  I am unapologetic that you didn't follow the instructions in the video and unapologetic that we didn't do what you wanted when you wanted us to do it.  As you go forward in the future, hopefully whatever the triggering event was your finance company that ultimately initiated the repossession of your vehicle, is something that you avoid in the future and will in turn negate you having to go through the process again. Remember, you are in control and it is up to you (just like it is for the rest of us) to avoid any of the lawful events that can/do trigger a repossession.
  

  Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  
  

  I did not BERATE anyone, I simply walked in and asked the process, he then started telling me that our financial institution would have told us the process. They did not. They gave us a number to call that did not work. They did not instruct us to make an appointment and I would hardly consider it “common knowledge” considering this is not something everyone goes through regularly. This was my first experience and I was doing as I was instructed. The man immediately started yelling that he didn’t have to speak to me and I said it was unnecessary to treat me poorly considering I was doing exactly as I was told. 
  

  
  We paid our financial institution $543 to go to the company to get our car back and the man at the window said, verbatim, “I know we get paid from them, but it takes like two months so we charge now too” completely admitting to double charging. Not to mention they charge 75/day for days they don’t allow you to pick up your vehicle. If they allowed pick up on the weekends, then it would make sense to charge those day but they do not. The man was absolutely horrible the entire time we were there and not just to us, it is how he spoke to absolutely every person. 
  

  
  We spoke with the financial institution and they confirmed they pay the place directly and should not have owed more upon pickup since they get billed and we already paid that. 
  

   

  Also, the entire email was rather unprofessional and heated for no reason. They provided no documentation and everyone was rude that we had to interact with.  We came in with a question because we couldn’t find the information with the number we were provided and the employee immediately belittled us like we should have known the process, just like in this email. It is not “common knowledge” of how these processes work and it should be clearly explained in a calm manner. A working phone number for a business is also great to have when that and the name is all that we were provided with, we had to get the address from yelp. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ****
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2024

  *******
  
  We have reviewed every aspect of your account thoroughly. Everything regarding your account was completed precisely, properly and professionally. Not only did we act within industry standard policy and procedure but we met or exceeded all contractual requirements we have with your lienholder.  I disagree with you, but your behavior at our facility was abominable and not only did I witness it but so did several other employees and our employee handled a very difficult situation with professionalism. I am sorry you feel differently, but we will just have to agree to disagree.  Unfortunately, there is nothing else we can do for you at this time. 
  
  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  Your employee said I couldn’t be there because I wasn’t on the release(l was just so you’re aware) and I left as soon as he asked me to. I asked for his name and said I would be reporting you. At no time was I out of line. Again, it’s not common knowledge when we were told to call and that we could pick it up and then were immediately treated poorly for not knowing we needed an appointment. I have also checked with others that have had this situation in other areas and they all said they did not have the same issues so I would not say it’s an industry standard just because you do it. 
  

  
  The fact that the business is all cash and you does not provide any sort of invoice seems very unprofessional and in no way an industry standard for anything that I have ever dealt with,  I have always been provided an invoice upon request. 
  

  The employee was horribly rude the moment we spoke to him, we didn’t even get a sentence in before he was belittling us for being there. He also treated the lady that was there before us the same way, and treating people that way the day we went back. 
  

  we went in asking questions and he had no explanation for anything aside from saying “we don’t get paid from the financial institution for like two months so we charge you cash today” 

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ****
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2024

  We have provided our response. We consider the matter closed.  No further action will be taken.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 had gotten towed. I had made an appointment to pick up my car today 4/9/24. I was told by the bank that i didn’t have to pay anything when I went to get my car and that no money transaction was supposed to take place between the 2 parties. I received a call from someone from recovery America and he was rude and make a comment about whoever made the appointment will be surprised when they get to recovery America and find out they have to pay.. After I spoke with the male who called me being rude I then called the bank and ** ********** *******. I then told them the conversation that I had had with the male from recovery America and was told by both that on my release form it started that there was no other fee I had to pay and my car should be released to me without any other charges. Went I made it to get my car the man told me it was him that called me and wanted to go back and forth with me about that call. The man was requesting a payment and I explained that on the release paperwork it says to release my car without payment from me. The man was rude, disrespectful and the things that he was saying to me was very unprofessional. I sent a feedback and haven’t heard anything from anyone and I’ve sent to emails and no response. I would like to to speak with management. Regardless whether my car got towed or not I didn’t deserve to be spoken too the way I was spoken too and I definitely shouldn’t have been disrespected. I know that the calls should be recorded and there is a camera at the office I went too inside and out that can be watched and listened too. I would like a call from upper management to discuss further.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 vehicle was repossessed. Not their problem. They did their job. I did my job by following the 3 simple steps according to their website. I have confirmed that my release paperwork has been sent 3 times by the third party management company. I scheduled an appointment for today, 08/29/23 at 1:50 PM. I got a text that said this was not a confirmation. I was told that somebody would reach out at least 3 attempts to confirm appointment. As of now, my appointment is still scheduled. The only issue I have is that I don't have the location that they are supposed to call me with. How can I pick up my vehicle without an address to pick up the vehicle?

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2023

  This customer had their car repossessed.  He did schedule an appointment for 8/29/23.  The system sends out an acknowledgement, which is the file Mr ****** attached to this complaint.  We are unable to send out confirmations until all release paperwork had been received. Mr ******** release paperwork contained clerical errors that would have legally precluded us from releasing his vehicle. Errors like these are not Recovery America's responsibility to correct. Standard business policy is to cancel the appointment and redirect the customer to their lender so the necessary corrections can be completed. Having no knowledge of this BBB complaint at the time, our office staff was able to get the  necessary corrections completed on behalf of Mr ******, saving him time and aggravation of having to reschedule.  Mr ****** redeemed his vehicle on 8/29 due the efforts of our staff.  As evident by this complaint, no good deed ever goes unpunished. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********* and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  I had a nice conversation with the business when I got there. They explained why the confirmation for appointments goes out so late. I had no issues with redeeming my vehicle. All in all, with the circumstances, the business did a phenomenal job.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/08/2023

  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.

  The phone number is a joke! The website is a joke! No one responds!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2023

  Hi, *******

   

  Your vehicle was repossessed we provide two self-service options both of which are clearly and explicitly explained on our website via both a short easy to watch video and in writing after watching the video.  We provide this information to customers in an effort to help them understand the process and plan accordingly.  Vehicle and Property redemptions follow three easy steps, which are each clearly outlined.  The redemption process is set up to be 100% "self-service" and the self-scheduling tool accessible for your convenience at any time day or night 24x7. As explained in the video and on our website, we do NOT offer phone support for scheduling.  We do not allow "escalations" "one off requests" or "special requests" all of which are aimed to circumvent or prioritize your needs over other customers who have scheduled and followed the process correctly.  This process is set up to maximize efficiency by treating EVEYRONE the same with full emphasis on the fact that everyone's vehicle and property is urgent and its timely return is given the highest priority by our staff.  I assure you, when you schedule, we will prioritize your appointment in the same way we are everyone else.
  
  Your frustration is due to your attempt to intentionally circumvent established process and procedure, thereby placing an emphasis on your needs over and above everyone else.  We cannot allow this to happen and we require every customer to have an appointment and those appointments are self-scheduled on a first come first served basis by each customer - there are no exceptions. 
  
  

  Just to be absolutely thorough, prior to replying here, we did verify all systems are working properly and you should have no problem scheduling as required.  
  
  

  Thank you!
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *******

  I will make in bold what is incorrect with this response.... 

  Your vehicle was repossessed we provide two self-service options both of which are clearly and explicitly explained on our website via both a short easy to watch video and in writing after watching the video.  - WRONG THE WEBSITE COMES UP WITH AN ERROR 400 AND THEN BLAME ME FOR THEIR WEBSITE

  We provide this information to customers in an effort to help them understand the process and plan accordingly.  Vehicle and Property redemptions follow three easy steps, which are each clearly outlined.  - WRONG.. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE ON THIS SELF SERVICE WEBSITE THAT IS STATES THAT.?  NOTHING IS OUTLINED... PHONE, WEBSITE, ETC. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF YOUR BBB RESPONSE BELOW.

  The redemption process is set up to be 100% "self-service" and the self-scheduling tool accessible for your convenience at any time day or night 24x7. As explained in the video and on our website, we do NOT offer phone support for scheduling.  We do not allow "escalations" "one off requests" or "special requests" all of which are aimed to circumvent or prioritize your needs over other customers who have scheduled and followed the process correctly.  This process is set up to maximize efficiency by treating EVEYRONE the same with full emphasis on the fact that everyone's vehicle and property is urgent and its timely return is given the highest priority by our staff.  I assure you, when you schedule, we will prioritize your appointment in the same way we are everyone else. 

  WRONG.... WITH REPLYING ABOUT ONE OFFS' - I NEVER MENTIONED THAT.  EXPLAIN THIS- I AM HARD OF HEARING, THERE IS NO WAY THAT A DEAF PERSON WOULD BE ABLE TO HEAR YOUR "SO CALL INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR VIDEO".  

  WHEN I SCHEDULE A BLANK TEXT WITH UNCONFIRMED COMES BACK.  ITS NOT LISTED ON WEBSITE, NOT LISTED IN PHONE, SURELY WAS NOT PROVIDED UNTIL I WAS RUDELY TOLD "YOU WILL GET A CALL THE NIGHT BEFORE" OR RUDELY STATED THAT "SOMEONE WILL CALL YOU" - 
  
  Your frustration is due to your attempt to intentionally circumvent established process and procedure, thereby placing an emphasis on your needs over and above everyone else.  We cannot allow this to happen and we require every customer to have an appointment and those appointments are self-scheduled on a first come first served basis by each customer - there are no exceptions. - THIS HERE IS INCORRECT - I NEVER MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT PUTTING MY EMPHASIS ON ANYONE ACTUALLY "VERBALLY I WAS TOLD BY YOU, BECAUSE PAR CALLED BECAUSE I GOT HUNG UP ON WHEN NO ONE EVEN KNEW WHO WAS CALLING.  THEY SAID YOUR CAR WAS JUST BROUGHT YESTERDAY, "HOW DID YOU KNOW, WITHOUT ANY VERIFYING OF WHO I WAS? 
  
  
  Just to be absolutely thorough, prior to replying here, we did verify all systems are working properly and you should have no problem scheduling as required.  - YOU BLAMED YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM ON ME AND HUNG UP ON ME.  

  I KNOW PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES, BUT ALSO THE SELF SUFFICIENCY OF YOUR SYSTEM NEEDS LOOKED AT, ALSO YOU DO NOT NEED TO ACCUSE ANYONE OF ANYTHING THEY DIDNT ASK, AND ALSO YOU DIDN'T EVEN ASK MY NAME OR VEHICLE - TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT.  NO ONE LIKES GOING THRU HARD TIMES.  THINGS NEED TO BE EVALUATE ON YOUR END.  YOU SAID YOU WILL GET A CALL AT 6, AND YET STILL NO CALL.  THANK YOU FOR MISINFORMATION AGAIN. 

  
  
  
  Thank you!
  

   

  Business Response

  Date: 03/10/2023

  ****** ******* made an on-line appointment and successfully redeemed her vehicle yesterday. 

  The feedback from our staff was ****** arrived on site approximately 20-30 minutes EARLY.  ****** was rude, condescending and unprofessional to other customers and also our staff. ****** attempted multiple times to step in front of other customers who had appointments, rudely refused to listen to our staff's direction, causing unnecessary delays and created a hostile environment for everyone.   

  Each customer is attended to in a private secure manner and several openly remarked to our staff how difficult ****** was to deal with and they actually felt bad for our staff members for having to put up with her verbal abuse.  Our staff reported that ****** did not appear to have any difficulty hearing and no problem speaking very loudly.  We appreciate ******** feedback and will take her comments under advisement as we are always looking to improve. At this time, we are not receiving other complaints and we get feedback that the process works smoothly and is well explained via the video and other information available on our website.
  
  We consider this matter closed and will not comment further.