Michael hammond
Houma,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, November 22, 2011
Of course employees of Titlemax are going to respond and show just how unprofessional they are calling customers saps and bad credit. They know they con and manipulate people into getting these loans knowing that they cannot pay for them. They lie on the applications they fill out and process them with fraudulent information. I got a $4018 loan from them without even having a job. I was from another state and they used a fraudulent address in their own town where I didn't even live and said it would be fine. I lived in another state over 6 hours away(which I advised them) and was in town visiting relatives when I got a flyer on my car and stopped in to see what they were about. Yes I had bad credit and had lost my job because of this recession and needed a loan and they gave me one for $4018 with no job or income. What people don't know is that interest is calculated on a monthly basis, not an annual basis. It's MPR not APR and its over 120%. You will pay more than double of what you borrowed more than you would pay a loan shark which would be double. Only a small amount goes to the principal because this is a pawn, not a loan. The first statement of the voluntary payback guide you are given states: "Your pawn transaction is not a loan and is only for a 30-day period. If you renew your pawn at the end of 30 days, you will have to pay the fee amount shown on your contract." Of the $447 a month payment, only $45 went to the principal and the fee is $401.40(which is also your monthly interest) and payoff would be $4419.40. So for a two year title pawn for $4018, you pay a pawn fee or monthly interest of $401.40(10% MPR or 120% APR) interest for one year is $4816.80 which is just the fee and not taken off of the principal) So just the interest/fee for the 24 month period is $9633.60 + the original $4018 borrowed which totals: $13651.60 if you don't have any late fees. Late fees are calculated by taking the amount of monthly interest/fee and dividing it by 30 days which is $13.38 a day which is tacked onto your monthly payment for any days late. Now I have paid on this loan for six months at $447 a month, a total of $2682 and my payoff is still more than I borrowed, $4114.12. Your pawn may have been done on the first of the month, and you are told it will be due on the 1st each month, but actually it is due in 30 days and late fees start accumulating on the 31st day and they start harrassing you with phone calls three days before your payment is due asking when you're making your payment. They not only call you, but they call every phone number of every relative you have listed as your references including your place of employment with lies saying that you made arrangements to come into their office when they know it is impossible to drive over 400 miles to their office and no arrangements were made and leaving messages that you broke your word by not appearing in their office. They call morning, noon, and night. So I was a few weeks late on my payment of $447 and they refused to work with me when I told them I had just started a new job and it would take two weeks for me to get paid and they would get their money. What they failed to tell me was that they not only wanted the $447 payment but a late payment of $401.40 along with it, a total of $848.40 and if this is not paid then the next payment is due and an additional $401.40 per month for the 1st late payment and the next months's payment would start accumulating the $13.38 a day late fee in addition to the late fee accumulating for the last month so that you never catch up EVER. There is no way to catch up after you miss a payment.
BR549
Georgia,#3UPDATE Employee
Wed, February 16, 2011
First of all, titlemax employees are paid very well and you have quite the nerve to talk about someone like that when you are the person with no money who had to pawn their title. That makes alot of sense.
You were given a payback guide that told you what you needed to pay in order to pay off your account by a certain date, apparently you didnt follow that. So dont blame title max because you have poor money management skills and pawned your title. Get some credit and go to the bank next time.
duke0645
TunnelHill,#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, November 21, 2009
In the State of Ga. they can charge 25.00% for the first 3 months and after that the rate goes to 12.5. I suspect they never explained the amount of interest you were going to be paying. Basically you paid almost all interest during the 12 months. In order to reduce the loan you have to pay more than the interest. I don't see how you paid $9000.00 in interest in one year. By my calculations the interest should have been around $7500.00 which is high enough. I own a title pawn business and would NEVER recommend anyone to borrow $5000.00. There has to be a better way for you. The second problem is that you never understood what you were doing . It's almost as if you signed a blank contract I am sorry this happened to you as it puts a black eye on an industry that has a few bad apples.
TomC
High Ridge,#5General Comment
Sat, November 21, 2009
You people are unbelievable. You call the people working for TitleMax welfare recipients??? What exactly do you do for a living?? Did TitleMax hold a gun to your head and make you take a loan????? If you had any kind of decent credit, why didn't you go to a bank for a loan??????????????? Take a good look in the mirror before calling anyone a "Welfare Recipient" next time.