Christopher came to his parents’ rescue, forking over $12,000 to Toyota to retrieve their repossessed ride. Toyota insisted it get the funds immediately, but days after Christopher’s check cleared it told him his parents might have to wait another week to get the car back. On top of that, the family is responsible for towing fees, which grow by the day.

He writes:

Toyota makes some nice vehicles, but their customer support/billing/payment department is incompetent and unsympathetic.

About a week and a half ago my parent’s car was repossessed due to late payment. We were given two options: pay the remaining loan balance or let it go to auction. I decided to write my parents a check.

Because Toyota needed a money order or bank check, I decided on the bank check. We were told that the vehicle would be released to us after payment was received. In order to expedite the process, I sent them the bank check, along with the name of the account and account number, in an overnight FedEx package. This was July 26th.

On July 27th, the check (over $12,000) was received by Toyota and deposited on the same day (according to the endorsement) and the actual funds were paid out on the 28th. Just to recap, they received the funds.

We called Toyota today to check on the status. We were told that the transaction was not yet processed and it may take 5-7 business days. How does a company demand payment ASAP but doesn’t extend the same courtesy to its customers by processing payments faster? And until tha paperwork is complete, they will not inform the towing company to release our vehicle. And just as a big F-U, we’re responsible for the towing company expenses, which is conveniently charged on a per day basis. I just want to get the car back for my parents. Just felt like ranting.

If you’ve reclaimed a car that has been through the repo circus, how did your experience compare to Christopher’s?

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