Going Against the Tide
Kristi Gros and Josh Flores weren’t planning on purchasing cars anytime soon on June 6th, 2019. While they dreamed of owning larger cars, they owned two sedans at the time and definitely weren’t anticipating to upgrade, until at the minimum two years, if not longer. “It just wasn’t part of the plan,” explained Kristi. As most of our readers know, life rarely listens to our plans and when the couple woke up on June 6th, they had no idea what awaited them outside: two flooded cars.
Car Flooding Disaster
After the highly publicized 2016 flood, many in Acadiana and surrounding areas did not realize that some had even experienced flooding in 2019, and these two car owners never thought they would need to drive their cars to higher grounds during bad weather. Josh woke up on that June morning, getting ready for work and leaving the home like he always did. Kristi awoke to him marching right back in the house telling her their cars flooded. She, at first, didn’t even believe him and thought it was a bad joke. It wasn’t until she went outside for herself and saw water in the floor boards of their cars that she finally knew he was telling the truth. However, they both still had hope. They quickly found a water vacuum to try to mitigate the damage themselves. Unfortunately, this was no help for the problem and their cars were undriveable. This led to many understandably frustrating moments between the couple. They had tremendously small notes on these cars and it would be inconvenient and frustrating to buy new vehicles.
The Credit Union Experience
Thankfully, they each found a vehicle, including the dream car of a jeep for Josh. However, the dealer and other institutions kept giving incredibly high rates on his loan. He was a dependable worker, who managed his money wisely. They knew they deserved better. “That’s when I reached out to a dear friend at the credit union,” said Kristi. “I had heard of the credit union with their great rates and hoped they could help us.” After meeting with Member Service Representative Angela C., they indeed received a much lower, and affordable rate, and was finally able to purchase a jeep that Josh had wanted for so long. “The ease of being able to get a car loan at a much better rate made the difference,” said Kristi. “We were able to get the vehicle we really wanted without having to settle.”
The credit union experience made such an impact on this couple, that just a few months later, they returned to the credit union to open a new money market. However, this time, they were officially married! Navigating the waters of the flood didn’t deter them from getting married on the water, in the beautiful Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
Excited for the Future
Josh and Kristi – now – Flores are looking forward to building their savings together at the credit union, which will help them purchase a home in the very near future. The couple concludes, “We are so thankful to Meritus Credit Union and their team for helping us in a bind when no one else would.”
Life doesn’t always go as planned, but we want to help you along the journey! Contact us and we can help finance your dreams.