Capital One Auto Financing: No, Hassle Finance!
Written: Jan 29 '07 (Updated Jan 30 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: They're fast initially.
Cons: Customer Service is about as useless as a poop-flavored lollipop.
The Bottom Line: Stay as far as from as humanly possible. I'd recommend pawning the deed to your house over signing up with these guys.
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| Alkaiser's Full Review: Capital One Auto Finance |
I've just gotten off the phone after having one of the most frustrating phone conversations in my entire life. You know those commercials where David Spade is just yelling "No!" at people? I'm pretty sure he's their main customer serivce rep. Allow me to englighten you.
I go apply for a loan online. I get a thing back that says I'm approved, but I need to prove that I live at my the place I'm renting. The only forms of ID they accept are utility bills, or an itemized credit card bill.
So, I call up. I tell the woman on the phone that I don't have any of those items. I ask if I can send something else, since I have everything else under the sun. Passport, Driver's License, cell phone bill, the works.
She says, I can send in a check that shows my address on it.
Awesome. LIAR!
This is just the first of their customer non-service reps who are excellent at making sure they get you off the phone without giving you any assistance.
I fax in my check, and a paycheck stub. I call back after I receive an email that reiterates that they can only accept things I don't have as proof of residence.
Customer non-Service rep #2 tells me that he doesn't even know why they told me to send in a check, because there's no way they would accept that as proof. He tell me that he'll send a request over to the Exceptions Department and that they'll call me back in 2 hours, and if I haven't heard anything by then, not to worry, since they were in on Sunday and would definitely be able to help me then. I ask for a manager. He says that I can ask one to call me back but it'll be 48 hours.
He also tells me that my situation isn't unique and that there are a vast array of peoplpe under the sun who don't have the documents they need: people who live in corporate housing, people serving in the military, renters like myself, etc., etc. Of course, they've decided to do jack about fixing it.
Anyway, I decide to wait at the house in case I need to fax more info, because the guy told me they would be calling back.
LIAR.
I call back in two hours. Customer Service rep tells me that the Exception Department ISN'T IN ON WEEKENDS, and wouldn't be back until Monday. So I've been sitting around for *2 HOURS* for absofrigginlutely nothing.
He cant explain why none of the stuff I have isn't valid, only that they can't use it. Tell me that he's informed the Exceptions department that I'm faxing that stuff in, and that they usually take an itemized bank statement with a driver's license, because they can just call the bank.
This guy was actually, as far as I can tell, not a liar. The last part is up for debate.
So I fax the stuff in on Monday. Get the same email letter. Your stuff is invalid.
I call up, the guy tells me that it's a standard form reply, and to call back in a couple hours.
I wait 2 1/2 hours. No call. I then call again, and get the same song and dance. Your docs don't prove you live there. Eventually, I get to a "manager". She starts telling me that they don't have any credit record for me. The credit card I JUST paid off, apparently doesn't exist on their version of my credit report. (If I had know that, I would have just ignored that! Fantastic...None of this stuff shows up anywhere on my crdit report! Knowing is half the battle, ladies and gentlemen...)
So I start asking her what I can provide. I've got a W-2, I've got paychecks from my prior job and this one, my driver's license, auto insurance, health insurance, cell phone bill, AAA membership, title to my car, auto registration, medical bills, parking tickets, all of it.
She tells me that unless I get a letter from MBNA (who is now owned by B of A.) that states that I paid off this account recently, that I can't get helped.
I ask, "That's all I need?"
She says, "And you is has to be on your credit report."
So, I say, "So, basically the letter's useless, because I can't call up and say, 'Hey, credit bureau. I totally paid off this credit card. Why don't you note that on your little report of yours?'"
Then after going through these circles 5 times, she realizes, "Oh, yeah, it is useless. Can you get the people you rent from to put you on a utility bill?"
I tell her that this is freaking ridiculous, and I hang up on her.
Then I go to LendingTree to get a quote from other vendors. Capital One is one of them. I get a call. Immediately.
"Hi, we'd like to talk to you about your application."
"What's to talk about? You already denied it, because I apparently don't live anywhere. Are you someone who can do something, or am I just wasting my workday?"
"Well, let me see if I can talk to the Exceptions department for you."
"Already done that song & dance. I'm not holding."
"How about I see if I can take care of this, and then call you back."
"Fine."
$10 says I never hear from 'em again.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Alkaiser
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Clayton Chan
Location: Irvine, CA
Reviews written: 655
Trusted by: 344 members
About Me:
Broke the 700 pound mark on my leg lifts.
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