Nancy B.

My husband purchased a Kia through CarMax on S. Lindbergh Blvd. In St. Louis. Every month, he made a rounded-up payment of approximately $33.00 more than the required payment. He passed away in February 2023, and I now have the "honor" of paying the car off. I continued to send the extra amount plus I make payments every 3 weeks instead of once a month. It seemed like I was making no headway. So I checked the payment history that is included with each statement. I totaled the amounts listed as "Principal Payment" and subtracted that total from the beginning principal amount. It came to $420 less than what CarMax says I owe. I finally got a fellow who was going over the payments with me month by month. All of a sudden, the amounts were different. Everyone I have spoken to there insists they don't have access to the payment list that is in my statements. I've sent them copies of what is with my statement, and they ignore me. The most frequent response I get from them is, "You don't understand." All I want to know is how they arrived at their figures to prove that I owe the amount they're saying. I would refinance with my bank, but the CarMax loan is 3.95%, and there is no way I can get a loan at that rate right now with the mess our economy is in. The statement clearly states that the finance charge is based on the principal amount, so I have requested that any extra I send over the regular payment be applied to the principal. They have tried and tried to tell me that's not wise. In my view, lower principal amount equals lower finance charge amount. What a mess! I will be so glad to get rid of this place. Fortunately, I have an excellent credit rating, because I'm sure when I pay this thing off, they'll find something to show that I missed payments or was late to damage my credit rating. I was a little late the month my husband passed away, but this bill was in his name, so it took awhile for me to get all the information. I paid two payments in one month to catch things up. When I explained to the lady why the payment was late and asked if they could remove some of the finance charge, I was emphatically told "NO." Classy operation!