A Kia owner says she made double payments for five years—then she got a notice informing her that she was behind on payments and owed a late fee. She was shocked.
Not only was the Kia representative she spoke to was unwilling to help, she says they threatened to take the car away over a measly $25.
In a viral video with more than 238,000 views, Samantha Clarke (@samanthaclarke29) shared her frustrating experience with Kia Finance after faithfully making extra payments on her car loan since 2020.
In the video Clarke explains that she purchased a brand-new Kia off the lot in 2020 with a monthly payment of $450 due on the 15th of each month. But wanting to pay off the vehicle faster, she developed a system: send $450 on the 15th as required, then send another $450 on the 30th of every month. She maintained this double-payment schedule for five years, effectively staying well ahead on her loan.
By August 2025, Clarke had only $1,500 remaining on the loan. She decided to send a $900 payment on Aug. 20. That's when things took an unexpected turn.
On Sunday, Aug. 31, Clarke says she received a letter from Kia Finance thanking her for the payment, but informing her that because it was late, a late fee would be added to her next monthly bill.
Customer Service Call Takes Shocking Turn
When Clarke called Kia Finance to explain the situation, she says the representative's response left her stunned.
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According to Clarke, the representative told her that the additional $450 payments she'd been making weren't their problem. What mattered, they said, was that her car note was due on the 15th, and she didn't pay until the 20th.
"So there will be an additional late fee tacked onto your next bill," Clarke recounts the representative saying.
Clarke began laughing at the response, which apparently upset the representative.
"Imagine you laughing at this representative, and the representative gets so mad because you start laughing at what they're saying," she says.
The situation escalated further when, according to Clarke, the representative issued a threat: "If you do not pay this late fee, we will put your car out for repossession."
Clarke was incredulous, pointing out that she had been making extra payments for five years without issue.
"It is funny to me. Y'all never had a problem with getting that extra $450 until I get down to the last $1,500," she says. "Now you wanna start charging late fees. I've never been late."
"Count your [expletive] days, Kia. Count your days because I'm on your [expletive] now," she concludes.
Is It Better to Pay Off Car Loan Early?
Making extra payments on an auto loan is a common strategy for borrowers looking to pay off their vehicle faster and save money on interest.
According to NerdWallet, most auto loans use simple interest, which means the interest amount owed is based on the remaining principal balance. When borrowers make additional payments that go toward the principal, they can reduce the total interest paid and shorten the loan term.
However, borrowers need to ensure their lender applies extra payments toward the principal rather than future interest or payments so that the loan is not only paid off sooner, but less interest is paid overall.
For example, paying an extra $100 per month on a $30,000 loan with a 6% interest rate can save around $800 in interest and reduce a 60-month term to 50 months. However, borrowers need to ensure their lender applies extra payments toward the principal rather than future interest or payments.
But not all financers accept extra payments.
'According to Math'
People shared their outrage and offered advice in the comments on Clarke’s post.
“Technically, your car should have been paid for because every time that you sent an additional payment, you were paying on the principal and the interest. You need to dig a little deeper than that...you may have over paid them,” a top comment reads.
“According to math, you're so way ahead of payments!!” a second said.
“You’re not late. They can’t figure out that the extra payment on the 30th would cover the next month’s payment for the 15th,” another wrote.
Motor1 reached out to Clarke for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll update this if she responds.
