How to File a Complaint Against Ally

What is it? The fine print of your contract with Ally probably prevents you from suing them in most courts but you can use small claims court. Small claims court is a chance for you to bring your claim before a local judge. However, there are limits to the type of compensation you can get and how much you can get.

Firstly, small claims courts only award monetary compensation or a specific dollar amount, they can’t give you any non-monetary requests. Secondly, small claims court limits range from $2,500 to $10,000. So, if your case exceeds the state limit where you live, you’ll have to find another way. Be advised that there are fees you will have to pay every time you file documents at your local court.

When to try it: You have time and energy on your hands, and you want the chance to make your case in public.

What you need to do: Find your local small claims court and follow the steps laid out by the small claims court online. Each state and county has different procedures. You need to follow each of these procedures precisely or your case gets thrown out.

What to expect:  If you follow all of the procedures, file the right paperwork, at the right time frames, and pay all of your fees, if you have a good case with proper evidence it is very likely that you will get compensation. What’s more, Ally might offer you a settlement in exchange for dropping the case before you go to court. 

What is it? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) is a federal government agency that regulates much of Ally’s business. The CFPB provides an informal channel for consumers to submit claims and complaints against Ally. What happens after that is based on the internal procedures, but you can read more about these here.

When to try it: If you are frustrated with Ally Bank and you just want to ensure the government knows what they are doing, this is a good option. It generally won’t get you compensation but it will get your complaint heard.

What you need to do: File an informal complaint on the CFPB’s public website by following the instructions here.

What to expect:  Your complaint will be posted in a public database and it might be used to set up CFPB’s priorities for regulating companies like Ally. While you won’t necessarily get an individual response, Ally Bank might be asked to respond to your complaint with the CFPB.

What is it? The Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) and its local chapters are private organizations that collect and publish complaints. They publish complaints against many companies and they give each of these companies a chance to publicly respond to those complaints. 

When to try it:  If you look at Ally bank’s page and it shows that they are actively responding to other customers, you have a higher chance of getting a response to your issue. However, you can file a complaint at any time and get your dissatisfaction out there for others to read, regardless of whether it brings compensation.

What you need to do: Go to Ally’s BBB profile and follow the instructions for submitting a complaint.

What to expect:  What happens next is completely based on whether Ally Bank decides to respond to you. They can choose to message you privately or reach out through the BBB page and get follow-up information to try and resolve the issue.

What is it?  Your user agreement with Ally probably prevents you from joining things like class action lawsuits against Ally, but you still have other options like independent arbitration where you argue your case in front of an arbitrator who functions similarly to a judge.

When to try it: Any situation in which you believe Ally has misled you, violated their contract with you, or violated the law can be pursued through arbitration. Typically claims involve a specific request for how Ally can fix the situation, which may include financial compensation. What you need to do: Fill out our form below or start your claim against Ally.

What to expect: For more details about arbitration against Ally, click here. (For a list of companies we process complaints against, start here.) Share your complaint with Ally today!