Consumer complaint received 2022-11-20
Company: General Motors Financial Company, Inc.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Auto debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
My name is XXXX XXXX and I am writing to you about an unfortunate incident that happened at XXXX XXXX regarding my lease-end purchase processing. Upon receiving the lease-end inspection through XXXX on XXXX XXXX ( at the end of my two-year XXXX XXXX XXXX lease ) , I decided that purchasing the vehicle instead of returning it was the best option. There were about XXXX extra miles owed, as well as some damages outlined in the inspection report that would justify the lease-end purchase XXXX returning the vehicle, as these fees are routinely waived when you lease-end purchase the vehicle. I called GM customer service and they stated that my father could purchase the vehicle and I didn't have to be present. 

The closest dealership to process this transaction was XXXX XXXX in XXXX ; it is a participating dealership that can process XXXX lease-end returns or purchases. The Sales Manager, XXXX XXXX, required an e-mail from myself stating that my father could return and purchase the XXXX, since I was out of the country. I e-mailed him on XX/XX/XXXX authorizing this ( screenshot attached with GM Financial account details ). It was discussed multiple times with XXXX that we are purchasing the vehicle to avoid the overmileage and any damage fees incurred during the two-year lease. My father signed the provided paperwork with the discussion and understanding that the vehicle was purchased in a lease-end fashion, NOT a used car sale. 

Since then, GM has contacted me via voicemails stating that I owe a disposition fee, as well as the over mileage fees. A disposition fee is a fee a leasing company may charge you when you return a car at the end of your lease period. The fee is meant to cover the costs of cleaning and preparing the car for a potential buyer. However since we bought the car, this and all other fees should have been waived and never charged. They didn't even do an inspection before " selling '' the car to my father. This communication was never in writing, and they left very vague messages on my voicemail : " this call is regarding your account with GM financial please give us a call back... ''. When I landed in the US on XXXX XXXX XXXX I heard these voicemails and called back to surprisingly learn that I owed these said fees. I had explained that the vehicle was actually purchased, not returned, and the fees should have been waived. i contacted XXXX XXXX right away to get the issue fixed. 

However, GM later explained to me that the XXXX XXXX actually processed it as a full return, immediately repurchased the car from their auction online, and sold it to my father as a used car. Because the car return was UNKNOWINGLY processed in this manner, the fees are now in collections on my account. GM can not do anything about this, as it is now between the dealership and me. I have reached out to XXXX XXXX to assist as they are the ones who decided to process things this way, and they have stated since the car is a different individual there is nothing they can do. But this was misleading as the need to do the lease-end buyout was clearly communicated and discussed ; otherwise we would have paid the fees and purchased a different vehicle altogether. 

The debt is affecting both my credit and well-being ; I made sure with GM and the dealership that the chosen route was discussed and agreed on. To take advantage of my father and provide him with the incorrect paperwork and completely disregard the plan for a lease-end buyout without disclosing it is unethical, misleading, and unfair. After trying to contact XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX, his general manager offered to pay XXXX as a " good gesture ''. This wouldn't be enough to cover the false charges forwarded to GM Financial, and it was never even sent!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation