ComplaintsforSierra Central Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In December of last year, I took out a consumer loan with my branch. Its Sierra Central Credit Union to pay off credit card debt. The stipulation from them in order to prove the loan was at their office distribute the checks to creditors. On December 21, they issued check number ***** in the amount of $501.20 to pay off my Amazon account. However, instead of sending the check to ************** who holds the note, they sent it directly to ****** in ******* **********. This was a grave error because Now the check is gone. Upon learning that the check was missing and ************** had not The recipient of the check I contacted ******************* at my branch to get the situation rectified. Initially they gave me information on the tracking, etc. for the check, but that still does not take care of the fact that it was sent to the wrong place. The check was cashed or deposited at a ***** ********** and ********, ********** for Amazon. I have copies of, the check and all the information. Amazon will not help me and my bank refuses to help me and yet here I am already paid back the loan and still out the $500. This is not OK. Subsequently Ive emailed ******************* several times but she just ignores my emails. Amazon, I have talked to so many different people there in so many departments for an hour or more and nobody is helping me there. The ***** Fargo in ************************* will not work with me because I dont have an account. Where is my money! I want my money, returned to me. This is no way for a financial institution to treat their customers. Especially when the error was on their part. Its as if everybody wants me to just forget about it and go away. Please advise as soon as possible. Thank you.

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  Dear ********************,
  
  This letter is in response to the correspondence we received from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on August 24, 2024.The complaint described concerns with a cashiers check issued and mailed to Amazon by Sierra Central as part of a loan funding.
  
  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration caused by this event.Upon receipt of this correspondence, we launched a thorough investigation. As a courtesy, we have posted a credit in the amount of $501.20 to your account.While our team will continue to work with ***** Fargo to try to recover the funds, the credit to your account will stand regardless of whether the funds can be recovered.
  
  We appreciate your membership. Please contact us at ************ if you have any additional questions or concerns.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  Service Quality Manager
  Sierra Central Credit Union 

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My contract lists 5.74% APR on a loan amount of $23,739.08. However, the Loan Payment Information Form and Welcoming Letter from SCCU show 5.24% APR on the same loan amount. Discrepancies between documents have caused confusion from the start. Despite having insurance since 10/17/18, my 1st statement on 1/1/19, included a $887 charge, followed by another $4,342 charge on 4/1/19, raising the total due to $27,136.61. This increase is troubling, especially since I had already made a $2,237 payment and received two fee reversals totaling $2,698. These ************* Premium charges are questionable given my existing insurance, suggesting possible double charges that were never disclosed. By 04/20, my loan balance had dropped below the original amount, indicating that my $7,782 in payments largely covered fees rather than reducing the principal. Despite consistent $340 monthly payments from 04/20 to 04/22, the balance only decreased by $2,712.47, ending at $20,911.42. This highlights issues beyond unexplained fees and lack of transparency. Communication with SCCU is frustrating, with unprofessional responses and verbal reprimands. Despite having a dedicated representative, the treatment has been consistently poor. Late 2023, I contacted SCCU representatives at least seven times with unproductive results and documents that did not meet my needs. My loan has been mismanaged with inconsistent fees, fluctuating balances, unexplained finance charges, and account number changes. The fees were never properly disclosed, and the management has led to accusations of my payment issues, despite significant fees of $5,229 assessed early on. While my payment history has challenges, it does not excuse the mishandling of my loan or the poor treatment received. The *** fees charged initially and ongoing remain unclear. I seek your assistance to resolve these issues without the burden of an 84mth auto loan that still has 41 mths left on a significantly depreciated vehicle.

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  Dear *******************,
  
  This letter is in response to the correspondence we received from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on August 20, 2024.The complaint described concerns with your outstanding loan balance.
  
  Upon receipt of this correspondence, we launched a thorough investigation into your auto loan payment history. Over the lifetime of your loan, Sierra Central has sent you many notifications requesting that you provide proof of auto insurance listing Sierra Central as the lien holder of your vehicle. As such proof of insurance has not been supplied, per the notifications you received, there have been several instances of ******************************* (***) charges added to your loan balance. In addition to the *** charges, your loan payment history reflects several years of late payments. To date, there has been a total of $6,128 added to the balance due for force placed insurance and $662.56 for late payment fees.
  
  Our Chief Lending Officer contacted you via phone today to inform you that he has waived the $6,128 in *** charges, which brings your remaining loan balance down to $8020.89.We take matters of accounting and loan records very seriously and assure you that these charges were accurate given the terms of your loan security agreement. To request additional documentation pertaining to your auto loan or arrange payment, please contact our ************************* at ************.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  Service Quality Manager
  Sierra Central Credit Union 

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I had a car loan with Sierra Central Credit Union and paid on time every month. On February 14th of 2024 I was in a terrible accident where my truck was considered a total loss. I had full coverage Insurance through Progressive, and they processed the payoff as of 2/15/24. I had several conversations with Sierra Central ************************* regarding the payoff of my loan and the *** coverage process. I was advised by ***** VP of Regional Asset Recovery on 3/19/24 that he was not confident in the 3rd party Portfolio Gap Coverage. He stated they tend to drag their feet and claim to not receive documents that Sierra certainly submits. He advised for me to follow up in a few weeks. When I did so I learned that unfortunately ************** had passed away and was forwarded to ******************************* who stated she would be taking care of the delay with Portfolio. Around the same time, I was informed by ***** with Portfolio *** that Sierra Central had not sent the proper "Formal pay off" letter but instead sent the "payoff history" which left a difference owed on the Loan. I inquired as to what needed to be done so the difference would be paid. ***** advised Sierra Central had to send over a correction. I immediately called ******************************* who was very argumentative and said she didn't have to do anything more for my account and that I was lucky she helped me at all. I have filed a complaint with the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation as I believe Sierra Central is incorrect in that it is not their responsibility to make correction. I have no dispute for paying for the 15 days in February 2024 that I had ownership of my truck, however it is wrong and against loan laws to pay any amount owed where the truck was not in my possession nor in operating condition. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you may have for me to finally resolve this issue and return my credit to good standing.

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Please see attached response letter for ***************************. 

  Thank you, 

  *******************, Service Quality Manager

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  my car balance went from $16439.03 on 10/01/2022 to $15871.03 on 03/05/2024 with a 4.99 apr that means that in those 16 months i paid a total of $3716.96 with a monthly payment of $232.31 and in those 16 months only $568.56 went to the loan they should not be in business chances are they are doing it on other unsuspected clients most likely minorities this bank is the new welllsfargo to make it worse the only way to get loan account statements is to pay $5 per statement i had to pay $100 just to get proof of the fraud happening when they realized that i was right they offered to pay me roughly $148 to make it right but you see the problem is that in 16 months i was charged over $2000 for *** that i didn't need because i had insurance the whole time so with a payment of $232.31 $173.58 went to principal $58.73 went to interest and i would get charged $109.00 every month so only $64.58 went to the actual principle in another month they charged $327.00 just for *** how is this legal i never received a call or letter for the error or to fix this issue and online statements are not available unless they are your bank I'm assuming or you go in the branch and pay $5 per statement they offered to pay $148 when i refused and showed them proof of fraud they offered to pay me the *** amount back i only found out because my gap insurance told me about the fees i had to investigate myself and pay for proof even if they pay back the *** insurance it doesn't make up for the APR interest rate charged for the high balance on auto loan due to fees once they realized that i was right and i would call they would give me attitude and hang up on me multiple times the agent assigned to me for my case was friendly until i brought up the fees then she like every other employee i delt with gave me attitude and was a smart a** this issue happened over the phone the agents name is ******* that i delt with and phone number is ***********

  Business response

  07/09/2024

  Dear Mr. Tspia, 

  We received your complaint information through the Better Business Bureau. Upon receipt of this correspondence, we launched a thorough investigation into your account history. We sincerely apologize for the frustration caused by these events and assure you that we take matters of account accuracy very seriously. 

  Our ************************* reviewed your loan activity and confirmed that the charges added to your loan balance related to ******************************* (***), as stated in your complaint. These charges resulted from not providing adequate proof of vehicle insurance, hence the need for force-placed insurance. Based on the proof of insurance information you have submitted to Sierra Central since that time, we have been able to reverse the *** charges. At this time, the *** charges have been refunded and your loan is paid in full. All credit reporting information has been reviewed and is accurate based on your repayment schedule. 

  If you have any outstanding questions or concerns related to your closed auto loan account, please contact us at ************ for assistance. 

  Kind ***************************************** ******* Quality Manager

  Customer response

  07/09/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:Sierra central didnt attempt to let me know about the cpi I have been on the phone with them multiple times during my term with them and they never once informed me about the forced cpi insurance because the forced cpi insurance was beeing applied to my loan it caused me to pay more money towards interest they are saying that the refunded the forced cpi amount but that does not include the high interest payed for 16 months they say that they will send me paperwork on how they came up with the car balance but fail to show proof of the car loan amount they took $13990 from my insurance company and kept it all if you look at there yelp or ****** reviews you will see that I am not the only person that this has happened  to they are not showing the breakdown of the acual money owed because they are going off the loan amount that was high due to cpi insurance
  

  Business response

  07/12/2024

  Dear **************, 

  Our Asset Recovery Manager spoke with you over the phone on Wednesday, July 10th. At that time, we sent copies of all supporting documentation to your email address, per your request. For your convenience, we have attached the same supporting documentation for your review. This attachment includes copies of letters sent by SWBC to you, at your address on file, which notified you that a force-placed insurance policy would be applied if you did not supply adequate proof of auto insurance. 

  The attachment also includes the dollar amounts of the force-placed policies and the dollar amounts that have since been refunded (after you supplied adequate proof of insurance). It is important to note that refunds include the amount of any interest charges accrued related to the *** policy fees. At the time your loan was paid off, the remaining $25.83 of interest due back to you in the form of a refund for *** fees was deposited to the balance of your Sierra Central savings account. 

  As stated previously, all refunds have been processed correctly and your loan has been paid in full. If you have any additional questions or concerns about your account or the included attachment, please contact us at ************.

  Thank you, 

  *******************, Service Quality Manager

• Initial Complaint

  04/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My credit hit was done without my authorization.Please remove the credit check from my Credit History.I tried reaching over phone and email as well which was provided but no help was provided.

  Business response

  04/10/2024

  Dear ***********************,

  Thank you for reaching out regarding your concerns with a recent credit inquiry. Upon receipt of your correspondence through the BBB, we launched an investigation into the credit inquiry in question. This credit inquiry was performed through ***********, which is a rate shopping tool. If individuals progress through the *********** prompts, there does come a point that the disclosures state credit will be pulled to proceed. We understand this was not your intention and have submitted a request to Experian to have the inquiry removed. While Experian does not provide us with a specific date the inquiry will be removed, rest assured that the necessary steps have been taken to complete the removal on our part.

  We have also attached a copy of a letter you will be receiving with the inquiry removal details. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us at ************.

  Kind Regards,

  *******************, Sierra Central Credit Union Service Quality Manager

  Customer response

  04/15/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a loan with sierra central ***** union, since opening a loan with them for my travel trailer I have gotten the call to deploy to *************** with the ** army. I have filed the civil servant relief act with them but they claim they don't have to abide by the federal act.

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Member Name: ***************************
  
  Complaint ID: ********
  
  Date Filed: 10/24/2023
  
  
  
  Dear ********************,
  
  
  
  We apologize for the delay in responding to your Better Business
  Bureau (BBB) complaint. Unfortunately, there was an error with our
  contact information on file with the BBB which prevented us from
  receiving your correspondence. We sincerely apologize for this delay
  and assure you that this error has since been resolved.
  
  
  
  Regarding the issue you experienced with applying for benefits
  available through the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), we are
  very sorry for the inconvenience and frustration caused by that event.
  I understand that you desired to have your loan terms modified as a
  result of entering active duty. We sincerely appreciate and thank you
  for your service. Unfortunately, your loan is not eligible for
  modification under this program, as the loan was secured after the
  active duty ***** This was explained in a letter mailed to you in
  response to your request. If you have any questions about the status
  of your account, please contact us at ************ for assistance.
  
  
  
  We appreciate your membership and are eager to address any questions
  or concerns you may have regarding your account.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *******************
  
  Member Service Quality and Feedback Manager
  
  
  
  Sierra Central Credit Union
  
  1351 ********************
  
  *********, ** 95993
  
  **************

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This started in February 2023 I made a payment with check because I owed February and the check was returned, My payments our due on 9th of each month, I made another payment on March 8 before my March payment was due so that should of covered February payment since the check was returned, instead Sierra Central is still showing that I owe February in amount of 707 and some cents so payment I made on March is not counting and Sierra central blocked my account so I wouldnt be able to make payments online through the automated system too, After explain the situation to two Reps. ** you can see below Sierra central removed my account online, you can see history but no loan info and there not counting March 8 payment and there not even counting the payment in March so far my credit still shows current, I am not able to go in because I just had surgery and currently I have COVID so blocking my account to be unable to make payment is not right , so after today I will be pass 30 days and Sierra will report me late and this wrong

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Dear *******************************
  
  
  
  We apologize for the delay in responding to your Better Business
  Bureau (BBB) complaint. Unfortunately, there was an error with our
  contact information on file with the BBB which prevented us from
  receiving your correspondence. We sincerely apologize for this delay
  and assure you that this error has since been resolved.
  
  
  
  Regarding the issue you experienced with one of your loan payments, we
  are very sorry for the inconvenience and frustration caused by that
  event. I understand you had difficulty with sending a replacement
  payment for a payment that was returned in February 2023. We strive to
  provide the best possible member experience and are sorry to have
  missed the ***** If you have any questions about the status of your
  account, please contact us at ************ for assistance.
  
  
  
  We value your feedback and I assure you that this information will be
  shared with the appropriate individuals for improvement purposes.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *******************
  
  Member Service Quality and Feedback Manager
  

  
  

  Customer response

  12/19/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I obtained an auto loan in October of 2022. As I attempted to make the first payment I found the website for Sierra central credit and tried to set up an account so that I could make sure to pay the payment on time. I was unable to access my account and when i contacted the credit union on the phone they were not able to access it either. I was so frustrated with the whole situation and lack of customer service that I ended up setting up a payment through my ********** account and have paid the payment regularly from that point on. The problem being that I have not been able to see what my balance is or the status because I was not able to access my account. The first payment I made was $10 short because I didnt have that information. Because of this, the credit union has been charging me $16 a month for a late fee, every month since December I believe. As of today which is when they finally called me (4/6/2023) to let me know that my account was delinquent, they said I owed $82 and change and that if I didnt pay it by today that I would be charged another $16. I have called three times today to try to explain the situation but they refuse to wave the fees and say it isnt their fault. To me this is very bad business. To charge me that much when I have made every effort to pay my payments on time and have exceeded the monthly amount due ever since I found out that I had underpaid the first month. What really gets me is that businesses expect everyone to have access to the internet and there are a lot of people that dont. I asked repeated why I couldnt get a paper statement and was told that nobody does that and yet they send me a statement every month that shows I have $5 in a savings account with them.I am in the process of trying to access a loan through my own bank but in the meantime these charges keep stacking up and its just not fair.I have no paper trail to verify this other than my bank statements that show my regular payments.

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  
  We apologize for the delay in responding to your Better Business
  Bureau (BBB) complaint. Unfortunately, there was an error with our
  contact information on file with the BBB which prevented us from
  receiving your correspondence. We sincerely apologize for this delay
  and assure you that this error has since been resolved.
  
  
  
  Regarding the issue you experienced related to identifying the
  necessary loan payment amount that would correctly advance your due
  date each month, we are very sorry for the inconvenience and
  frustration caused by that event. I understand you had difficulty with
  locating and sending your regular payment amount, which resulted in
  late payment fees. We strive to provide the best possible member
  experience and are sorry to have missed the ***** I see that you no
  longer have a loan with Sierra Central but should there ever be
  something we may do to assist you in the future, please contact us at
  ************.
  
  
  
  We value your feedback and I assure you that this information will be
  shared with the appropriate individuals for improvement purposes.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *******************
  
  Member Service Quality and Feedback Manager

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This Company decided to Shut down all access to My Banking for 5 days I can't see how much is in my bank , they can't get access to My bank to check for me as well . How do I know if they are stealing from me . They said some Services would be available an they are Not available. I feel completely uneasy not knowing what I have in My Bank an what they are doing . I will be Closing all of my accounts now .

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Member Name: *************************
  
  Complaint ID: ********
  
  Date Filed: 10/8/2022
  
  
  
  Dear **************,
  
  
  
  We apologize for the delay in responding to your Better Business
  Bureau (BBB) complaint. Unfortunately, there was an error with our
  contact information on file with the BBB which prevented us from
  receiving your correspondence. We sincerely apologize for this delay
  and assure you that this error has since been resolved.
  
  
  
  In reviewing your correspondence and the date of submission, I
  understand that the issue you faced at the time related to the
  significant system upgrade Sierra Central completed in October of
  2022. We sincerely apologize for the down time required to complete
  that upgrade. We take matters of member service very seriously and
  assure you that our teams worked diligently to ensure appropriate
  communications were sent to our members prior to the weekend of the
  upgrade. We are very sorry for the down time that occurred and hope
  you have since been enjoying some of the advancements that have been
  made possible through this upgraded technology.
  
  
  
  We are always working to improve our members experience. If there is
  anything we may do to assist you at this time, please contact us at
  ************.
  
  
  
  We appreciate your membership and look forward to serving you again soon.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *******************
  
  Member Service Quality and Feedback Manager
  
  
  
  Sierra Central Credit Union
  
  1351 ********************
  
  *********, ** 95993
  
  **************
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have received a letter in mail closing my bank account I have written checks that have bounce payments returned for no good reason.. I have called and asked why it bounce they say no reason here.. every time I go into bank 3-4 tellers migrate to screen look at me several times, makes me uncomfortable , they have locked me out of my money, he says the lady at the bank said said I said something to her, she didn't like. She called me a liar and my wife who was not there to defend her self, I said your a liar, nobody can send to find out why payments are being returned and checks bouncing,, they say I don't know.. and say we will look into it, blow me off and don't call at all.. I got to call back.. just because this bank lady said I said something to her.. she called my wife a liar.. and locked me out of my account made false accusations of me.. and all this should be on video to support my claim, that I'm not lying, I clearly don't have a problem , they get made when I call over there position to get answers

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Member Name: ***************************
  
  Complaint ID: ********
  
  Date Filed: 4/26/2022
  
  
  
  Dear ********************,
  
  
  
  We apologize for the delay in responding to your Better Business
  Bureau (BBB) complaint. Unfortunately, there was an error with our
  contact information on file with the BBB which prevented us from
  receiving your correspondence. We sincerely apologize for this delay
  and assure you that this error has since been resolved.
  
  
  
  Regarding the issue you experienced related to checks clearing your
  account, we are very sorry for the inconvenience and frustration
  caused by that event. I understand the in-branch service you received
  did not meet our service quality standards. We strive to provide the
  best possible member experience and are sorry to have missed the mark.
  I see that you no longer hold a membership with Sierra Central but
  should there ever be something we may do to assist you in the future,
  please contact us at ************.
  
  
  
  We value your feedback and I assure you that this information will be
  shared with the appropriate individuals for improvement purposes.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *******************
  
  Member Service Quality and Feedback Manager
  
  
  
  Sierra Central Credit Union
  
  1351 ********************
  
  *********, ** 95993
  
  **************
  
  
  

*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. ↩