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Navy Federal Credit Union [NFCU]

Navy Federal Credit Union [NFCU] review: Collection law violations 7

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1:35 am EDT
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I am surprised by all of these comments being made about nfcu. I have had my own problems with them but, i’m still surprised to see this many comments. I never guessed that there would be so many disgruntled people out there willing to write about their negative experiences.

Nfcu has essentially terrorized me over the last two years (Including while in bankruptcy). Frankly, nobody deserves to be treated like some of us have been treated. While I take full responsibility for not completely fulfilling my obligations, i've paid off multiple loans and paid thousands of dollars in interest to nfcu. Nothing justifies treating anyone the way that I have been treated. When my financial "crash" came I made it a point to call nfcu twice a week for more than a year prior to filing bankruptcy. I mostly called them so that they wouldn't keep calling my family members and harassing my neighbors.

One evening last year, at 9:30pm, nfcu sent a & ldquo;door knocker” to my home. I’ve since learned that a & ldquo;door knocker” is a collection industry term used for a contractor who places door tags onto the handle of your front door. These tags typically say that they want to speak to someone in the household. The & ldquo;door knocker” pounded and kicked on my door so hard that, for a minute, I thought that it was a home invasion (I still have the dents on my door). I think that he kicked my door because the dents in my door are on the lower portion of my door. I was able to talk to the & ldquo;door knocker” through the front door. He stated that he was working for nfcu and that I needed to call them. I told him that I had just talked to nfcu the previous day and that I was going to complain about his pounding on my door. He basically told me that nothing would happen to him and that he would not get in trouble because he was just & ldquo;following orders” given to him by nfcu. I told him not to return to my home again and that I was going to call the police. He then ran to his car and drove away. While I was not able to get his license plates, I did call the fairfax county police and gave a description of the "door knocker" and what had happened. They indicated that they would make a report and for me to call earlier next time so that they would have a chance to question that person at my home.

It was this incident that, not only scared the heck out of me but, caused me to realize what was actually going on. I had noticed that although I had been calling nfcu twice a week for 6 months or so prior to this incident, nfcu was still calling my neighbors and my family to harass me. They repeatedly called my in-laws, siblings and mother. I’m sure that they called others because most people would not probably want to add to my own embarrassment by telling me about their nfcu calls. At the time, I felt humiliated and too embarrassed to do anything about this harassment. I was (And still am) trying to focus my energy on getting a job. I did write the chairman of nfcu to complain and explain my situation. My letter to the chairman basically apologized for hurting the members of nfcu for not meeting my obligations and (Most importantly) to ask nfcu to stop using illegal collection techniques to bully and harass me. I even wrote that I thought nfcu would collect more if they followed the law.

At this point, I have had it! I have gotten to the point where I actually feel ashamed for not standing up to them earlier. I've caused my family a tremendous amount of pain due to my economic situation as it was and is. It wasn’t right for my family to have to experience the unbelievable behavior associated with nfcu’s collection activities. All of my creditors had essentially cooperated with my financial situation except nfcu. Nfcu is the reason that I filed bankruptcy in the first place! I didn’t have any money to pay anyone anyway! During bankruptcy, I had to submit to a deposition requested by nfcu (More nfcu harassment!). During the deposition the lawyer from nfcu kept asking me about my disabled daughter. That was unbelievable! I had essentially given up my ability to get a security clearance by filing bankruptcy and I was still being subjected to the wrath of nfcu.

At this point, my home is being foreclosed on (Finally) , I am broke, I have no job, i've got a disabled daughter who has substantial medical needs (She’s still wonderful and I wouldn’t trade her for all of the money in the world!) , a wife and a son to take care of (They are also awesome!). These realities are not nfcu's fault but, I now have nothing to lose and perhaps I have learned a valuable lesson about how to appreciate what I do have (An awesome family and the sun coming up in the morning). I’ve also learned that one should never run away from & ldquo;bullies and thugs! The pain and shame only get worse!

I've decided to remove myself from bankruptcy (I should never have filed in the first place!) and take nfcu to court to try to keep them from harassing others like they have harassed me. It's the least I can do for my own health and to give back to those who may suffer in the future. I'll spend half my day looking for a job and the other half dealing with nfcu in the courts. I will probably lose, but I will do a more honorable job of getting my point across and at the end of the day it’s the right thing to do.

My story is true and i'll put my hand on the bible to swear that it is (Just like I will in a courtroom soon enough). I’ve got a bunch of faxes, letters (Some certified) and all sorts of notes related to phone calls that will help substantiate the immoral behavior and treatment I received from nfcu. I ask that anyone who has a truthful story that they are willing to share about their experiences with nfcu to please contact me at [protected]@gmail.com. You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. You can just share your story in writing anonymously. I realize how embarrassing these issues are to communicate and I don’t think there is anything wrong with keeping them private. Some of you may feel better by just communicating your thoughts to me (Kind of like writing a letter when you’re angry and then ripping it up when you are finished). I promise that I will not share your emails or our conversations unless you want me to.

And to anyone out there who works for this group of "gansters” and or agrees with the behavior that nfcu has used to bully me and others", i'll see you in court! Thank you for your time and gob bless. Nyquil762 otherwise known as at mark in virginia. I’ll publish my full name after the lawsuit is filed.

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7 comments
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JackieO12
, US
Feb 15, 2017 6:29 pm EST

NFCU reported to credit agencies that I was delinquent in the amount of a big whopping $1.00. They later said it was referred to collections! It never was. They also refused to correct the incorrect information on my credit report. Disgusting! I've been a member for 30 plus years and they are destroying my credit over $1.00. SHAME ON THEM!

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Connie Perry
, US
Aug 13, 2015 11:55 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Dear Mr. Dawson, I am a Navy Federal customer and have been for about 15 years I have tried to get help from them twice in the whole time.
My son had problems and I made payments to Navy Federal until It was paid off. Now that I need help I cannot seem to get any at all. I own my house free and clear, I have to trucks that are both paid for even though they are not new they are still worth 6, 000 apiece, It seems that you don't care about the families of the children who have served in the Navy. I know that my credit is not very good but I am 64 years old and am disabled so I cannot work, Believe me that if I could I would and would not be in this this mess. I helped my son after he got into trouble with his finances when he left the Navy I guess after that you don't worry about us after that. I have said all I wanted to say. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Connie Perry A Navy Federal Customer

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"Not Alone in Hampton, VA."
, US
Jul 14, 2015 2:41 pm EDT

I am happy to see that I'm not alone in my feelings toward NFCU. They literally terrorized my family! On one such call (my then 12 year old son), was asked "where is your father" (it was around 8:30ish). He said he didn't know, the caller (male) went on to say to my 12 y/o "what do you mean you don't know where he is".
I was totally livid, the next day I went to our local branch and told them about what took place. I also told them in no uncertain terms they are not to ever call my house again!
NFCU's response was to put me on some sort of "Alert Watch"! When ever I went in to conduct business the teller would go from a "smile" to a "frown" which would be followed up by going to retrieve a manager. This went on for nearly two years until I wrote a letter to the leader of the collections department (and copied the CEO) of NFCU. To which they responded with the canned speech of "How sorry they were for my inconvenience... Blah, Blah, Blah. Nothing in the letter was personally addressing the issue at hand ( I've since severed all of my business dealings).
"Not alone in Hampton VA."

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Elricb
Temecula, US
May 03, 2015 10:10 am EDT

Although I have been behind on my vehicle loan before and have had many of the same problems with NFCU, I am now current. My biggest problem with NFCU is that now that I have a good job I am trying to pay off my car loan as quickly as possible. Now, I'm no banking expert, I'm just a welder. But as I understand, if you put extra money to your loan and specify that it is to go to the principal only, thats where its suppose to go and not only lower your payment but the overall balance of the loan. I have recently started doing this, this was my third time putting extra money towards my vehicle loan, and I have gotten 3 different answers. The first one we argued for little bit and they said oh yes you can do that. The second time we argued about it with a different lady and she said you have to satisfy the interest first since interest is calculated daily from the last time I made a payment, it sucked but she did say that the rest would go towards the principal. The interest should have only been about $11 and they took out more for the interest. Then the third time I had to argue with them again but this time they told me the truth and said that NFCU will not allow you to put money towards the principal only even if you've already satisfied the interest. They will only count it as early payments. When I told them that they are the only bank I've heard of doing that she just smiled and said yes. So you can't even get ahead on your loan, they will still make sure they get their money. They literally screw you out of money and will straight up lie to your face. I told her that after I pay off the car and the credit card I am closing my accounts and will never do business with them again. She just said "I'm sorry you feel that way". I hate NFCU and will also be closing all my accounts with them.

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Eohippus
, US
Jul 28, 2012 6:08 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I can't believe so many other people have endured the same harassment from Navy Federal as I have. I used to love NFCU, and have had accounts in good standing with them for years. There have been several family emergencies this past year including my Dad being hospitalized, and losing his job. This left them with only my Mom's monthly disability payments to live on. Most of my savings went towards helping them. I ended up falling behind on my credit card payments as a result, and began dealing with several collections agencies as a result. I was barely covering my living expenses, and had absolutely no disposable income. I always explained my situation, and that I was looking for work to everyone that called. Almost all of the agencies were very polite, and began to only call weekly to touch base. Unfortunately Navy Federal was not even remotely that professional.

I began receiving a minimum of four calls a day from them (the average was approximately seven.) They were almost universally insulting and accusatory. One employee in particular would repeatedly accused me of trying to abandon my debt once I reached my credit limits (despite having maintained several Navy Federal accounts in good standing for years.) I also had to endure repeated 'suggestions' about whether I had friends or family who could loan me money. I would clearly explain that I didn't, and why. They would claim to update my record about it, but somehow it was conveniently absent when they would call again about it.

Once they would get me on the line they would refuse to end the conversation unless I immediately pay the accounts with money they knew I didn't have. Some lasted upwards of thirty minutes, and if I ended the conversation sooner than they preferred then I would get multiple calls for up to fifteen minutes after the conversation ended. After a few weeks of getting the exact same calls several times a day I began to answer once every few days. This was somehow proof that I had 'abandoned my debt, and was hiding from them to subvert the collections process, ' despite having answered them numerous times. I'm not sure how they thought a half dozen calls a day would magically make the money for my payments appear since it's not even remotely conducive for a job search. Many of the calls would threaten me with an 'immediate recommendation for a civil suit' if I didn't settle the issue that day. One employee in particular would repeatedly lie to me about the laws regarding debt, collections, and bankruptcy.

My experience with the collections department has been downright hellish. They've been rude, harassing, condescending, and dishonest throughout all of this. As soon as this ordeal is over I will be closing all of my Navy Federal accounts.

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Marine01
Clinton Township, US
Apr 13, 2011 12:07 am EDT

I am a third part debt collector, and I know how most people look at collections in general. When I got behind on my loan with NFCU I started receiving up to 4 or 5 calls and voice mails a day. I actually was able to answer one of the calls and believed that I had caught my account up. The rep on the line went over in the system the amount I owed, and the payments I made and even said "it looks like you should be caught up, but our system shows you still owe so we need to get that taken care of." I was at work at that time and told him I will have to deal with it later and I was terminating the call, and hung up the phone. Well this rep decided he was going to call right back, so I answered and simply informed him not to call me again I told him I will deal with it later and hung up the phone. So for a third time this rep calls me back, and leaves me a voice mail calling me a "pompous butt" and how they can be the same way and if I don't rectify the problem by a certain date he was going to send my account through the legal channels and they were going to put a lean on anything I owned and re-posses my vehicle and on and on... I myself am thinking about getting an attorney for this harassment! And like I said before I am a third party debt collector, and there are laws in place to protect consumers from harassing techniques like this, and I believe they need to implement the same rules and laws for first party collections like NFCU!

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lvlove287
Tucker, US
Nov 09, 2010 3:07 pm EST

I am providing the information of the President of NFCU in hopes that it wilol help someone.
James Cutler Dawson, Jr. Phone: [protected] Email: cutler.dawson@comcast.net

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