Customers worried after American Car Center closes locations nationwide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Customers have a lot of questions about what the future holds after American Car Center closed its doors nationwide. Customers reached out to us for help.

After her husband recently passed away, Elaine Cammon called American Car Center to try and get a lower payment. The company claimed they were going to help, but that didn’t happen. She and other customers are now stuck wondering what’s next.

We found an empty lot and the doors locked Wednesday afternoon at the American Car Center location in Birmingham just off Parkway East. That’s the same situation at locations across Alabama.

Three years ago, Cammon bought a 2014 Ford Escape from the Tuscaloosa location and has one more year to pay on it, but since the company closed, she’s tried calling American Financial - the lending arm of American Car Center - and discovered it’s also closed.

She’s having issues accessing her online account and getting nowhere on the phone. She says this has been going on for a week. Now she doesn’t feel comfortable continuing her payments because she doesn’t know where the money is going.

“I don’t know where it’s going to go. It may not be going toward the car. It may be going in somebody’s pocket. If they got a legitimate finance company, I would try to make these payments, but if they don’t they can just come get the car,” Cammon said.

American Car Center says customers can still make payments online, but the website says they won’t be able to speak to a live representative.

You can also make payments over the phone or at a Check Free Pay location.

The company also says to keep checking its website for updates on the situation.

Nearly 300 American Car Center employees at the Memphis headquarters learned Friday they were out of a job. You can read more about the situation from our sister station in Memphis here: https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/02/26/nearly-300-employees-memphis-car-center-fired/

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