Consumer complaint received 2016-06-14
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: NY
Product: Consumer Loan
Sub-product: Vehicle lease
Issue: Taking out the loan or lease

Complaint:
I have fulfilled my contractual obligations to the letter, but I must say that my relationship with Ally has been onerous, to put it mildly. In fact, the very name, " Ally '', belies every single customer service encounter I have had with your institution. 

The Ally Auto website touts, as a feature, the ability of a lessee to transfer the contract to another party. However, the bank has managed to insert roadblocks every step of the way. Beginning in late XXXX, a series of applicants were denied, in a long, drawn out process. ( Credit decisions with other bank institutions are typically rendered in minutes or hours, not weeks ). XXXX of their customer service representatives actually had the temerity to tell me that individuals might be denied if their credit history was " too good ''! I found this to be an incredible admission. 

The credit department finally accepted a credit application early XXXX, ( after I made it crystal clear that I was seeking legal remedies ), but will not allow the process to move forward due to a product safety recall on the vehicle which was issued by XXXX on XXXX XXXX, AFTER I initiated the lease transfer process. ( It should be noted that this is a voluntary manufacturer recall, as opposed to XXXX mandated by our government ). At the present time, General Motors has not provided a " fix '' or remedy for this voluntary recall, and there is no scheduled date for the release of XXXX. I was told it could take at least 6 months or more. 

Ally has stood by their claim that they are held accountable which is why a lease transfer can not take place as long as this recall is outstanding on the vehicle. However, I have been assured by my legal counsel that the concept of " vicarious liability '' ( between registrant and owner ) is not applicable in New York, which is where I, as well as my applicant are located.This is a XXXX ( safe enough for the but not for me? ). 

Since I have been a perfect paying customer, I have come to believe that these lease transfer obstructions are a deliberate, and quite obnoxious effort to undermine my attempts. Ally 's policies even prevent me from selling the car to a third party. I have been told from an industry professional that this is unprecedented in the industry. 

I have fulfilled all of my contract obligations, and am in my right to transfer the lease of this vehicle. There is nothing in my contract or on the Ally website that discloses reasons why a lease transfer can not occur except for the fact that an applicant could be denied. I would gladly fix the recall, with the exception that XXXX has NOT released a remedy yet ... 

I have written a letter and email to the CEO and President XXXX at Ally, I did receive a call from a rep. ( I missed the call ), which I have called back XXXX-4 times, left messages, and have not heard back in over 1 week. 

Ally is known for this ... I have seen it on many forums online, as well as someone else that I know who is in the same predicament. 

Additionally, to buy the vehicle, Ally is adding their own fees into the buyout cost - I could n't even buy the vehicle and eventually re-sell it if I wanted too because it 's too expensive with their own feeds they add in ( about {$2500.00} ).

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation