Consumer complaint received 2024-10-25
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease — Problem when attempting to purchase vehicle at the end of the lease
Company: Mercedes Benz Financial Services (MD)

XXXX. I had a Mercedes Benz XXXX XXXX with a 4 year XXXX mile/year lease with an end date of XX/XX/XXXX. 
XXXX. I obtained a new vehicle ( BMW SUV ) and as part of the new vehicle they paid off my previous lease payoff amount. I told BMW the payoff amount based on what Mercedes Benz financial services told me. 
XXXX. I overpaid the last 2 months of my XXXX lease ( XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ). Mercedes Benz refuses to repay me the overpayment. The overpayment was due to property tax changes for the vehicle where we were living ( state of Colorado ). 
XXXX. Once I pointed out the error ( overpayment ) and needed refund - Mercedes Benz Financial Services removed the two monthly statements of the 48 monthly statements from XXXX of XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX- all of them were there until 8 days ago - after I disputed the refund - they have removed my XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX ) and XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX ) transaction statements showing the overpayment from my online account statement ( I have paperless delivery ). The overpayment ( I had already written it down before they removed it ) was {$430.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, and {$510.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. The total refund I am due is/was {$950.00}. 

Details - early XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Mercedes Benz Financial Services to find out ( a ) the details required to turn in the vehicle ( inspection procedures etc. ), ( b ) the payoff amount to buy out the lease and ( c ) the processing fee if I simply turned in the vehicle. 

I asked them my payoff amount in early XXXX and also in early and mid XXXX ( just wanted to check )... I was told on the phone - the same answer - the amount due to pay it off and take possession was {$24000.00}. They also told me their auto inspection service and how to contact them. I contacted them early because I wanted to assess what our options with this vehicle were. 

While this was going on ( and all the way back to XXXX of XXXX ) I had auto bank pay of $ XXXXmonth as per the lease original terms. In mid XXXX when examining my statement I saw the overpayment and did two things- checked the transaction history to find out why ( tax reduction meant I had overpaid ) and stopped my bank autopay immediately ( account was surplus all the way to lease termination ). 

I contacted Mercedes Benz financial and asked for the refund ( this was late XXXX )... they said my payoff was still {$24000.00} and that when the lease was ended I would be refunded the {$950.00}. 

Four weeks ago I leased my new vehicle and negotiated the {$24000.00} payoff as part of my new lease deal. 

10 days later ( about 2.5 weeks ago ) I contacted MB Financial Services about my refund and the vehicle payoff and they said the account was closed and I would receive my {$950.00} refund as a check in 10 days. 

The next day I had a voice mail on my phone from Mercedes Benz financial saying that my account was closed but I would NOT receive a refund at all. 

I have spoken with them multiple times in the last 2.5 weeks and have received conflicting feedback .... 

a. yes I would receive a refund- no I will not receive a refund. 
b. the {$24000.00} quote was incorrect by MBFS ( " disclaimer '' that I can not always assume what they tell me on the phone is correct ) - the correct value was actually {$25000.00} plus a {$150.00} disposition fee. 
c. I should contact the dealership that purchased the vehicle ( Mercedes Benz of XXXX XXXX Maryland ) and not MBFS ( where I had privity of contract ). I did not even lease the vehicle from Mercedes Benz of XXXX XXXX .... when I am paying MBFS for 48 months for the vehicle why do I have to ask someone else for my tax refund? 
d. Multiple times I have called and contacted them and get blown off or told I would receive call backs and it never happens. 


My conjecture? - everything was fine until someone at MBFS realized that my account had a positive balance and the {$24000.00} might have been incorrect and they swept my funds to cover their mistake? I just don't understand .... the deceitful part of this is that they initially had my XXXX and XXXX transaction statements online and now they have been removed... even though all 46 other statements are still there. 

as I said multiple times I called ( they emailed me and told me to call them for the payoff quote ) and got the same answer for the payoff {$24000.00} and used that in my new vehicle negotiation... 

I am out my {$950.00} and simply want my overpayment refunded to me. 

That is not too much to ask.