Consumer complaint received 2021-02-25
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease — Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC. (MD)

I leased a XXXX XXXX from the XXXX in XXXX, California using Ally Financial in XXXX of XXXX. I made all payments on time and returned the car to the dealership at the end of the lease ( XX/XX/XXXX ), in excellent condition and well under the XXXX miles that I was allowed. I spoke to the sales manager and showed him the car and the charger in the trunk. He told me to just leave it there, and remarked that the charger and the car still looked brand new. 

I asked when the full inspection would take place, and he told me it would be later that day or the next. I gave him the keys, signed the mileage papers and left. 

I called back a couple days later and they said it had been inspected and everything looked great. A few weeks after that, and more than 30 days after I returned the car, they called me to say that the car had not been inspected earlier ( as they had originally told me ) because the inspectors were busy, but that they had in fact just completed the inspection and there were issues. 

They said that the charger was missing and that there was " orange peel '' in the paint as a result of a faulty paint job. They said they would charge me for both or report it. 

I explained to them that neither issue was possible. I had shown the sales manager the charger in the trunk of the car when I returned it and he casually told me to just leave it there. And the car had not been repainted when I returned it, so any issues with the paint would have been from the original factory paint and present when I received the car brand new three years earlier. 

They told me they'd look into it and let me know. 

I then began getting calls from the dealership, Ally Financial, and a collection agency. I told them all the same thing - that I had returned the charger and the car had not been repainted. They sent me back " proof '' in the form of distant photos of a black XXXX XXXX that looked similar to mine. The photos were taken from too far away to see if it was my car or another of the same model ( there were hundreds of identical black XXXX  on the dealership lot ), and it was certainly too far away to see any issues with the paint. One of the photos included was of an empty trunk - supposedly proof that I didn't return the charger. 

I pointed all of this out in one of several phone calls, and added that even if the photos were close enough to show that it was my XXXX and to show paint damage, my car had not been repainted so it would have been original factory paint damage. I also pointed out that 30+ days on a dealership lot without an inspection would leave plenty of time for a 2 pound charger to get misplaced or stolen ( all XXXX XXXX  use the same charger ), and that a photo of an empty trunk does not prove that the charger wasn't returned. 

At this point I found out from Ally Financial that the dealership reported that I returned the car 2 weeks and 3 days later than I actually did return it, likely because they waited too long ( 30+ days ) to have it inspected and that would have reflected negatively on them. 

I asked for more detailed, closeup photos showing that this was in fact my XXXX  ( such as a photo of the VIN ), and showing the paint damage. They responded that they could not provide any because the car had already been repainted and sold. 

At one point the collection agency told me they would submit the issue to a dispute resolution team. When I asked about that a few weeks later, they told me the issue had been decided against me. I asked for details about the resolution process and to be able to present my side, but they said they had presented both sides and would give no further details. They also told me ( in both nice and not-so-nice terms ) that the photos they had already provided to me were proof enough to destroy my credit if I didn't pay. 

Given all of this, I refused pay. They reported the charges to the credit reporting agencies, and I have been getting harassing calls from creditors ever since.