Call for Action: Mr. Johnson's minivan - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Sidney Johnson owns a minivan free and clear, but getting to that point was a bumpy ride. He says his loan company was telling him he was two to three months behind on his payments, and he contacted the FOX 5 Call for Action team in January for some much needed help.

When the case was resolved, even the resolution surprised the Call for Action team!

Johnson says the online only loan company insisted he'd been paying late for years, and the late fees were piling up!

"It was extremely helpful that he had every single receipt for every single payment that he had made since 2006," said Elizabeth McCutchen.  

McCutchen is a new Call for Action representative.  She went through Johnson's healthy stack of paperwork. The receipts showed that he didn't make late car payments even though the loan company said he paid late every month for years.

"I called the company, and it as very difficult to get hold of them because they were only on the Internet. They take customer complaints on the Internet, and it was hard to reach someone," said McCutchen.

She did get someone, but rather than negotiate with Call for Action, the loan company did the craziest thing -- they forgave the $5,900 loan.

"I own the car free and clear," said Johnson.

The loan company sent him his van title even though he still had quite a bit to pay on it. And strangely just like that, the case was closed.  But without Call for Action, Johnson feels sure he would never even have had a phone conversation with the lender, much less this kind of luck.

"That's what we do here at Call for Action. We initiate dialogue between the consumer and the company to help resolve conflict," McCutchen said.

If you need a helping hand or if you'd like to volunteer yourself - sign up. You can do so by clicking here!