Consumer complaint received 2017-08-30
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Managing the loan or lease — Billing problem
Company: TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION (IA)

My husband and father co-signed a lease with Toyota Financial Services 33 months ago. It was a 3 year ( 36 month XXXX lease with a payment of {$450.00} and some change. We first ran into trouble with the company in the fall of XXXX, when they called my father saying the payments were XXXX months behind. I was confused by this, as I had made all of the payments. However, when I called, I was told someone else had accidentally posted payments to my account in XXXX XXXX and XXXX or XXXX XXXX in the amount of approximately {$370.00}. When I had called to make the payments those months, I was told that my payment was {$89.00} and some change. I told the people that this was not the correct amount but they insisted that payments had already been made and I needed to just pay the {$89.00} amount. So, I did. In XXXX XXXX, the mistake was noticed by XXXX XXXX, which subtracted both payments of {$370.00} from the account but never notified us. Thus, the account became overdue and my husband 's and father 's credit scores took hits. 

I called XXXX XXXX after they contacted my dad about the payments being behind. They explained to me what happened and were very careful to say that XXXX XXXX did nothing wrong -- the mistake was not its fault. I talked with the representative and set up a payment schedule from the end of XXXX through XXXX to catch the account back up. I made all of those payments. However, my dad again started getting calls from XXXX in XXXX XXXX saying the account was XXXX months behind, again affecting my husband 's and dad 's credit. I called and was told that XXXX of the payments I made were returned. This was not correct, as they were deducted from my bank account. I got documentation from my bank to show the payments were in fact deducted from my bank account. I submitted that documentation. I then followed up with XXXX XXXX and the person I talked to that time said that the payments were reflected in the account, but it was still XXXX months behind. At this time, I felt I reached no resolution and was n't getting any help from XXXX in figuring out what was going on. I decided to take a XXXX month deferral on lease to cover the XXXX payments XXXX said were missing. They sent the paperwork and it was filled out and mailed back to them. The next month when I went to make a payment, I asked them to confirm that the paperwork had been received. They did not have it on file. So, I requested it be resent. They resent it and it was filled out again and sent in the mail XXXX XXXX, XXXX. On Thursday evening, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, a tow truck came to our house and repossessed the vehicle. I had asked XXXX multiple times about the possibility of this happening while I worked to resolve the issues with them. They said multiple times that it was not in danger of being repossessed. 

We had to wait for XXXX to come up with a rights letter. It took XXXX days. We finally received it XXXX XXXX. I paid the amount {$2100.00} to get the car back and it was released to us on that Sunday, XXXX XXXX, XXXX. Again, my husband 's and dad 's credit was hit extensively. 

I called XXXX XXXX to make a payment on the account. I was routed to the redemptions department, where the man I talked to told me the account was closed and they were in the process of reopening it. I was able to make my payment. I also asked the man if he could tell me when the lease was up XXXX he said in XXXX, although I just had XXXX and XXXX payments left ) and the payoff amount on the vehicle. He said the payoff was approximately {$17000.00}. I then went with my dad to trade the vehicle in to XXXX in XXXX, Iowa, so I could get a new car. The finance XXXX called XXXX to get the payoff amount released so we could complete the deal. He was told that XXXX would not release that information because the account had been closed and was n't reopened. They said it would take XXXX to 30 days for everything to be updated. The finance XXXX told me he has been in his field for more than 15 years and he has NEVER had this happen where they would n't release the payoff information, even in situations of repossession. 

The car is in good standing. The payments are up to date. I do n't understand how it is legal for XXXX XXXX to withhold the payoff information, basically preventing me from trading it for a different vehicle. I have been repeatedly told that none of this XXXX 's fault and the blame is always on the customer. They have been confrontational and rude on the phone, as well as unwilling to work to resolve the issues that have happened throughout the past year. Their refusal to issue a payoff amount is the last straw for me and my family. 

I do not have documentation at this time, as XXXX closed the account making it impossible to access any information through our online account with them. I called yesterday to ask for documents but was told I could not have them.