Recently, an Ally Bank customer went viral after warning others against taking a car loan from the company.
TikToker Maya (@mayasimoneb_) issued the warning after attempting to get her car title for over a month. With over 396,000 views of publication, the video drew comments from viewers who offered advice and shared experiences to help her through this difficult time.
“Do not bank with, get an auto loan, anything with Ally Bank,” Maya began. “I’m warning you. I’m warning you now. This is your sign. If you with Ally, leave them now.”
According to Maya, her ordeal with Ally Bank started on Jan. 26 when she and her husband paid off their 2022 Jeep Compass. Ally’s FAQ page explains that customers who pay off their vehicle in full will have their title mailed to them within “10 business days.”
Unfortunately, Maya said that for her and her husband, the process was not as smooth as the company’s FAQ page suggests. She said when they originally completed their payments, Ally informed them that the bank sent a request to its “third-party titling company,” and they’d receive their title within “14 business days.” Maya said she contacted Ally again when the deadline had passed and was again told that a request would be sent to the titling company.
“Mind you, the request was already put in in the beginning when we first called you at the beginning of February, end of January,” Maya said.
She said that after pointing out that a request had already been sent, Ally told her she needed to contact the titling company. The titling company reportedly informed her that “they’re a third-party vendor, and they just do orders from Ally, so we have to call back Ally.” According to Maya, Ally Bank claimed there was nothing it could do but place another request.
“Lo and behold, they still didn’t put this request in, or if they did, stuff is still not happening ’cause we still don’t have the title,” Maya said.
Exasperated and at the end of her rope, Maya shared how the company allegedly failed to deliver on its own stated policies, like how an email would be sent “10 days after [the car is] paid in full,” that she could track her title “on their title tracker online,” or that the title may be in her account “documents.” According to her, Ally Bank had no further information on when the title would be released.
Maya said she wrote two complaints on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, where Ally currently has a 1-star rating and 528 customer complaints. She said she received an executive customer relations representative’s direct extension after the second complaint; however, multiple attempts to reach the representative reportedly led Maya down another dead-end. “Every time I call, it goes straight to voicemail,” Maya said.
As of March 12, Maya and her husband still haven’t received their title.
@mayasimoneb_ #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Maya | Natural Hair ✨
Though one car salesperson claimed that financing with Ally meant that customers typically had amazing credit and the ability to take out a business loan, multiple customers have voiced complaints similar to Maya’s. In the r/AllyBank subreddit, one poster claimed that Ally still hadn’t sent them their title “MONTHS after paying off the loan.” Another poster claimed that Ally’s system kept them from getting the car “tagged” for eight months and that by 10 months, they’d “blocked the account on her, would not accept payments, added late fee, and repossessed vehicle without following state guidelines.”
Multiple viewers suggested different ways to resolve the situation.
“Ask for a’ release of interest’ and take that to the DMV and request a duplicate title without their lien listed. Works in most states,” one said.
“File a complaint with your State’s attorney general. Also with the federal consumer protection bureau. I have gotten good results with those approaches,” a second suggested.
Others shared their own experiences with Ally.
“Title Processing Times are between 7-8 weeks,” one viewer said.
“I second this!!! I had a car loan with them and it was a nightmare,” another added.
“I paid off my car in November last year and I did have ally it took them 90 days to get the title,” a third claimed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Maya and Ally Bank via email for further information.
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