Santander / Triad Financial Triad Impossible to pay down loan after 4 years Internet

I have a long career in the car business and have worked with Santander/Triad at length and have never had any issues with them at all. I have had my personal banking and my mortgage with Sovereign Bank for years, which is now Santander, and have never had an issue. That being said, they should not only help you with the technical problem but also fax or email you any documents you want pertaining to your loan. You need to call them back and ask them to again get your online account set up and also that you want to see the balance documents pertaining to your auto loan, that is your right. If they again refuse ask to speak to a supervisor. You can also go to the dealership you boght the car and they can go over your original contract with you and possibly contact Santander with you there.

That being said, the situation you're in is not a scam. 

In Pennsylvania specifically, and with an auto loan specifically, it is a simple interest contract. Interest accrues daily, and the total finance charge at the top of the contract you signed is only paid if you only make your minimum payment for the full term of the loan. Any cent you pay over the minimun payment goes towards the principle, cuts down the interest you pay and the amount of time left. As stated above, if you pay late you are charged a late fee and more interest accrues on the past due amount, making the term longer as well as the total you owe. Most banks will give you a 10 day grace period to make your payment past your due date, but they don't have to. After that you start adding money. If you're 30 days late it will show on your credit report, but that has nothing to do with the amount that you owe.

If you're at a high interest rate and you're only making your minimum payment you'll pay a lot of interest, but it gets you a car and it builds your credit back up. You have to pay the piper so to speak, I've been there, trust me. If you're not paying on time then yes, it will take a longer time to pay back.

Simple Interest Financing.  Look at your original contract and plug the numbers in to an Amortization Table.  You will see how the principle and interest is applied.  The table is only good if all of your payments are made ON or BEFORE the due date. 

If you payments are made late, then you will accrue additional interest.  The higher your interest rate, the more interest.  ... Also remember late is ONE day after the due date, not 30.  30 days late is when it is reported to the credit bureaus. 

I regret having to mention that this type of scam is not only legal but not even effected by the current credit reforms. You can pull a sneaky trick but legal to get a copy of the invoice by simply disputing the loan amount with a credit reporting agency. Legally they have to provide proof of the debt, but be sure you dispute the amount, not the debt! If you do the debt instead of amount all you get is the signed portion of the original contract.

It would be illegal to simply refuse to pay for the car any longer and the company can take the car. Civil law can be quite silly in relation to secured debt.

I would just call and say no more payments till I get an itemized statement, clarifying all these seemingly outrageous charges that left such an enormous amount owed after this long of a time.