Tidewater Finance Co.

Virginia Beach, VA: (Dec-08-07) A class action lawsuit was brought against Virginia Beach-based Tidewater Finance Co., alleging that the company had questionable repossession practices. Tidewater Finance provides loans for vehicles, furniture and homes. Its motor credit division provides loans nationwide, primarily to low-income borrowers. Tidewater is owned by L.M. Sandler & Sons, the Beach-based real-estate development company.

Posted by
ACT Blitz
on May 26, 2022

I have been dealing with Tidewater Motor Company for two years. In response to the idiot that bashing people who are having hard times; wait until the shoe is on the other foot.

This company is horrible. I have no access to my account online. I get a lame excuse as to why they cannot verify my information so that I can create an online account. I refuse to make a payment unless it is through my bank. I have no proof of payment history unless I check my bank account. I am at a loss. I will be looking to refinance through another company.

Posted by
Marie Anderson
on March 27, 2020

How can Tidewater, after 9 years come after me to garnish my wages??

Posted by
lucky guy
on August 26, 2019

I feel very sorry for anyone who has had the misfortune of getting into a deal with this company I'm just glad I found all this out before making a mistake so if it makes anybody feel better your lessons have helped someone from getting scammed thanks.

Posted by
Christopher
on January 13, 2019

They do not care. I had so much series of unfortunate events to losing my job constant interviews for a new one. Landlord was on my back about rent so all my money went to that. I payed out of pocket to fix the car cause the car was breaking down. I spent so much to get it fixed and I told them that. I was clean and honest and kept stable communication with tide water and told them. The payment options online are terrible. I told them I get paid every week so changing jobs I’m still working on how to manage things. Was never told about the money gram option until two days ago and that’s how I was going to start remaking my payments. I had stable car insurance. I was working with jasmine and she was so nice and understanding and I knew everyday that I had to take care of this. Got a new job I told jasmine that and I was going to make a payment. Unfornatelu I used my first checks to catch up on rent which I did. Tuesday I got into touch with mrs payne who called and I called her back and I told her my situation and Im going to catch up And told her why I struggled. She said that’s fine but when can we pick up the car. I begged and said no I want to comply and make my payments auto pay whatever we have to do I apologized several times I told her I just started working again. She did not care and accused me of concealing where the car was. I was 100 percent honest and literally begged her to help me keep this car loan. She was more interested in taking the car from me. I’m in a place where I have no family or friends and I told her that I’m doing my best just give me a chance she said no. I told them my address I told them my new job. I wish a supervisor could go back and pull the call. Idk what I said wrong for her to be like that towards me. She said this is what happens when you don’t do the right thing. For her to tell me that when she doesn’t even know the things I been through killed me. I strive everyday to do the right thing. If I can rewind time I would but no one can stop bad times. I don’t know what I could have said or done differently for her to work with me but she made up her mind and didn’t care. I felt like dying after the phone call. I went to work. I even told her things are getting better please don’t she did not care. The next morning I ran out in the cold and saw them taking my car. I didn’t deserve this.

Posted by
Cecilia L Prather
on October 26, 2018

As of Oct. 11 2018 I have called Tidewater Motor Credit that I am voluntary surrendering my 2014 Nissan Maxima due to hardship and trouble with car. I was told by a supervisor there that it was okay and the car will be picked up in a week or two at the most. I was also told to surrender my license plate that was on the vehicle to DMV; which I did. So, it has been 2 weeks since yesterday, Oct 25 2018, and I returned the plate a week ago. The car is still in my driveway; I called Tidewater and they said they would transfer my call to the Repo Dept. they did not just left me on the phone which I was hearing all of these voices in the background...after a half an hour I hung up the phone. Still never speaking to any one from the Repo Dept. Last week they had send me a bill for my auto...I did not pay. I stressed to the customer rep that I am moving from my current address in the beginning of November and the car would be abandon. NO RESPONSE. PLEASE ADVISE ME, I JUST WANT TO MOVE ON AND DO THE RIGHT THING!
Sincerely,
Cecilia L. Prather

Posted by
Lorenzo
on August 9, 2018

I would submit to anyone reading this, another lawsuit should be filed against Tidewater Motor Credit. They promised me if I made a payment, which I did, through Westen Union, they would not repossess my car. Frankly, their counsel, Jim Sheeran, should be disbarred. This company thrives off of predatory lending, trying to take advantage of individuals and families they think are less educated, or in a vulnerable position. And any car lot that does business with this company, should be boycotted. If anyone has been affected by Tidewater’s business practices, please, sue them and file a complaint with the stage bar where James Sheeran is licensed.

Posted by
Josh L
on July 19, 2018

I just read a few of the complaints and I have to honestly say what a crock. I’m not and advisary for the company nor have I ever done any business so consider me unbiased.
I was actually researching their business practices and reviewing their procedures and came acrossed this lawsuit.
People, this is why our prices continue to rise and why liability insurance continues to rise for business owners.
Where do we come off with a general sense of entitlement? Excuse me Mr and Mrs Wade you didn’t pay your car payments? What did you think was going to happen? Did you think you were going to have leverage? Whether what they did was ethical or not, you didn’t make your payment on a vehicle they owned and from what I read, for 3 months?!! Why would you even think you were entitled to the vehicle or a second chance to pay for it. From what I know this is already a special finance company that helps those trying to rebuild their credit. So congrats on suing them and winning. You just cost the rest of us to pay higher interest rates on future loans. SMH.

Posted by
Quilesha Hodges
on April 5, 2017

Tidewater screwed me over false credit reporting, they won the judgement stayed that they didn't want the vehicle. Judge ordered them to pick up within 20 days or not at all. This was 2 yrs ago and two years later I'm at the mall and the vehicle gets repoed. They stating that i owe 31000 which is rediculois when my lay has been getring garnished for over 2 yrs and the la couty shireff is who disperses all payments. They ha e ruined my credit by listing acct as charge off yet still open. They failed to update my garnishment payments for the past two years and have actually increased the balance now how can you increase the balance owed when the judgement was signed by the judge for 31000 al.ost three years ago how is it that as of today I still owe 31000 with 20000 past due. My paycheck got garnished for 900 bucks no weekly until I went back to court for a claim of exemption. Since then they have got 400 monthly. I need some assistance from a good kick *ss attorney

Posted by
Don Dodson
on April 12, 2016

The same thing here only Tidewater online account was down and locked us out of it so after 3 months of attempting to contact them they finally reached out to me I let Cynthia Milling key know that the account was locked she put me on a brief hold then come back on the line to let me know that she was not aware of this and gave me an updated account information login info and told me that we were required to pay 3 months immediately or the vehicle will be repossessed I told them that as a working father 3 and my wife working full-time we cannot afford three payments but would be willing to pay 1 so we attempted to make one payment which they were okay with but unfortunately it would still not allowed in your account just a message that read contact customer service upon contacting customer service the agreement changed and they told us that we had to pay the full 3 months immediately not to mention for almost a year they were charging us an additional $31 a month stating that we did not have insurance and I sent them the Declarations page for my insurance four separate times and they still stated that they did not receive it and I was still responsible to pay the difference and they would not going to refund it and that if we did not pay it they would send their repossession Specialists out to pick up the vehicle even though I was attempting to work with them on the payment I received no contact for nearly a month because the last communication between us was that they would get back with me once they got the situation figured out only to my surprise waking up this past Saturday with the repossession officer picking up my vehicle and informing me that Tidewater let them know I was not allowed to take my belongings out of the vehicle that they now belong to Tidewater and that they probably would not be in there when I got the car back and not only did the repossession officer come illegally onto my property and breach of peace he did not give me any information nor did he give me any paperwork he just took the car and left and I gave him the keys all he told me was that I could call that Saturday make a payment of the past due amount for 3 months which totaled $1,600 because of the late payment late fees and the insurance fee I inform him that the insurance has been paid and then it's up to date he told me to take it up with Tidewater he also refused to give me any information about where the car would be located I called Saturday morning after the car was taken and Tidewater Finance told me that they would put in a request for a supervisor to call me back Monday morning Monday morning came around no one called me so I called Tidewater they let me know that the vehicle was not in the system that they repossessed a lot of cars that past Saturday and did not know when they would get to my vehicle and that when I informed them of the breach of peace they said that they do not care about the laws where I live that they are from Virginia and I must abide by their law and they don't have a breach of peace by the way I record every single phone call that I make and receive so I have that in recording so I waited a little longer and called back to talk to a gentleman who was willing to help and he told me that my vehicle would be processed and I would know something by 4 p.m. I waited until around 3:30 and called only to be greeted and told that they would not have an answer until today at 2 p.m. I asked them about their intentions with the vehicle along with the amount of the storage fee that I'm being charged for the vehicle to sit and about their refund for the difference of the insurance and they informed me they do not know how much the storage fee is and I told them that I could pay the $1,600 past due amount as long as they adjusted and refunded me the 281 difference for the insurance and she giggled and said that that's not going to save you because the repossession fee is going to be a couple thousand I asked her that where I live you are supposed to get a chance for Redemption and it. To pay up the balance and get the car back she informed me that even if I pay the car up I probably would not get my car back or any of my belongings out of it I asked about their intentions were they going to private or publicly sell it and she informed me that they would let me know that in writing in the next couple of months meanwhile I cannot go to work because I do not have a vehicle I pay my bills I always have this is the first vehicle I've ever had repossessed and I asked her why there was an open case of them being sued for this exact scenario and she promptly hung up on me so I called directly back to speak to another one and I could hear the woman talking in the background saying that do not transfer them to me I don't want to talk to them and after I faxed someone finally told me they received my insurance and that they called my insurance company and my insurance company said it was cancelled I called my insurance company to verify they informed me that no one called and I had set up a scheduled payment date or the 27th for the insurance to be paid and it was not cancelled as of that phone call so again they lied not to mention that my main intention is to pay off this vehicle and get rid of it and get away from this Finance Company because when my payments would be a few days late I would always call them a few days ahead of time to let them know and then mediately after it was past due just one day the harassing phone calls started I would receive anywhere between 12 to 14 phone calls starting from 6 a.m. all the way to 1 a.m. in the morning along with them calling my wife my mother-in-law my mother my sister my wife's brother and even at one point attempted to contact the school where my children attend when I used to call them back and ask them why they were so adamant about this and so harassing they informed me it's our money and we need it even though I had a payment arrangement scheduled and they did inform me that it would be easier for electronic funds transfer but unfortunately the first time I tried that they deducted my account for nearly $2,000 and it took me telling a supervisor I was ready to drive to Virginia considering they were only 5 hours from where I live to get this corrected and I was promptly refunded so as it sits 5:38 a.m. on Tuesday April 12th I am without car and the only knowledge that I've been told about it is that I will not receive any information about the vehicle or told anything about it until 2 p.m. and that has to do with the payment and what I have to do to get it back but I will not be told what will happen to the vehicle I was also informed that I am not allowed to take any of my personal belongings out of the vehicle or that I would be sued for taking their property away they even kept a stereo system that belongs 2 + Audio company in Florida that I have on contract for sound competitions as they are my sponsors and I was informed and told that well they belong to us now I even asked them if I could take my ammunition as well as one of my firearms out of the vehicle and they told me know but that belongs to them also mind you I am only three months behind because of their account issue on their online website payment along with their inept ability to correct the insurance billing issue so I'm paying for insurance double and their policy is 412 months and it is $12,500 they're saying they're going to add an additional $1,300 to my monthly payment after I get the car back if I get the car back if anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it I am in DIRE NEED OF ASSISTANCE

Posted by
Tennessee
on September 4, 2008

A payment was returned from the bank. I contacted them before they even knew it was returned. I explained to customer service that the payment had been returned. she said it did not yet show returned in their system. She said to go on to the website and schedule another payment. Which i did. I went out of the country for a week and the vehicle had been repossessed. The account in currently current and they still have my vehicle.