Consumer complaint received 2024-04-11
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: SANTANDER HOLDINGS USA, INC. (PA)

I purchased my vehicle ( a XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) from Chrysler Capital XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) in XX/XX/XXXX at the end of my lease. I did not finance ; I purchased the vehicle with cash ( i.e., cashier 's check ). The check I wrote was for USD XXXX and included the following ( i ) USD XXXX purchase price, ( ii ) USD XXXX purchase fee ( XXXX ) USD XXXX of PA sales tax. I spoke to multiple employees prior to the end of my lease regarding purchasing the vehicle and was told that they ( i.e., the leasing company ) were going to handle transferring the title. I was informed that the only step after providing the check was to wait, and I'd receive the title in the mail. 

In XXXX XXXX we received a document that said " Certificate of Title '' with my bill of sale ( itemizing the aforementioned numbers ) stapled to the front, so I assumed that there was nothing further required from me at this point. I owned the car, and I put the title in a safe place. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I went to sell the XXXX ( the same XXXX  I had just purchased from Chrysler Capital in XX/XX/XXXX ). When I submitted the title to the buyer, I was told that the title did not state I owned the vehicle and had never been officially transferred to my name. I called Chrysler Capital multiple times and was transferred between departments until finally someone told me that I was misinformed and that they did not and do not handle title transfers ( which I find highly unlikely ). One employee told me I had to go to the DMV to get the title transferred. So, I went to the DMV and was told " we don't do title transfers here, you need to go to an auto tag agency ''. So, I went to an auto tag agency. 

The auto tag agency told me that they were happy to handle my title transfer but that in order for it to be processed, my bill of sale was not enough, and I needed to write a check for the PA sales tax, so an additional USD XXXX. I explained that I already paid the PA sales tax, and they said that I needed a check from the leasing company made out to XXXX for the amount of the sales tax ( and that this was common practice ). I was transferred from department to department at Chrysler Capital and no one could comprehend my request. I called at least 8 times over a 2-3 week span trying to get to the bottom of this. Each time I called the wait time was at least 45 minutes. Everyone continued to say they had no idea what happened to the check I wrote to Chrysler Capital or how to document that the sales tax was ever paid to the PA government. 

Finally, I spoke with a manager who was very helpful. He tracked down a copy of the cashier 's check and suggested we try to submit the bill of sale with a copy of the cashier 's check. The auto tag agency said they would try it, but that the PA government was unlikely to accept. That was 7 weeks ago, and I am still waiting on the official title to be processed.

I continued to be misinformed, mislead, and mistreated by the employees at the customer service department of Chrysler Capital. There were maybe one or two employees that were extremely helpful, the other 6-7 were rude and had no concept of what I needed or what the problem was. I am now unable to sell this vehicle and am incurring additional costs ( e.g., insurance ) while waiting on the title transfer to go through. This behavior by a leasing company is unacceptable and a complete exploitation of consumer rights. I have no idea what Chrysler Capital did with the sales tax that they allegedly remitted, and no one at their company does either.