Consumer complaint received 2026-05-27 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Managing the loan or lease — Billing problem
Company: SANTANDER HOLDINGS USA, INC.
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, serviced by Santander Consumer USA ) regarding Account # XXXX, a XXXX closed-end lease on a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ), entered into on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX THE ISSUE : XXXX XXXX has added {$4300.00} in personal property tax charges to my account charges that were never disclosed as separate costs at the time of signing, that significantly exceed the contract 's own estimate, and that the dealership 's representative explicitly told me were included in my monthly payment of {$500.00}. WHAT I WAS TOLD AT SIGNING : The salesperson, XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX of XXXX, verbally told me that property taxes were included in the {$500.00} monthly payment. I relied on this representation. I have since obtained WRITTEN confirmation of the institutional nature of this misrepresentation. In a text message dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX stated : " I do remember we were all told that taxes are included but that year XXXX changed [ the practice ] with VA and they started not including taxes. ' He further stated : ' I called my ex XXXX that same day and he told me that he didn't even know about it and they started having issues this year with a lot of customers that [ are ] trying to buy out their lease. ' XXXX XXXX also confirmed he personally faces approximately {$4800.00} in the same undisclosed tax charges on his own XXXX XXXX leased in XX/XX/XXXX at the same dealership. FEDERAL DISCLOSURE ISSUES : XXXX. The Federal Consumer Leasing Act ( FCLA ) disclosure on my lease ( 15 U.S.C. 1667a / Regulation M, 12 CFR 213.4 ) shows 'Other Charges ' as {$0.00}. XXXX XXXX subsequently billed {$4300.00} in property taxes outside the monthly payment charges that should have been disclosed in that box. XXXX. Section XXXX of my lease estimated total taxes at {$2800.00} that I believed to be included in the monthly payments. The actual amount billed is {$4300.00} a 53 % excess ( {$1500.00} more ) over the disclosed estimate. This is not even including XXXX taxes. XXXX. The contract language 'whether included in your Monthly or Single Payment or in other amounts paid to Lessor ' is ambiguous and, combined with the verbal representation at signing, led me to reasonably believe taxes were included in my monthly payment. FAILURE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE NOTICE DOCUMENTED : I have documentary evidence of XXXX XXXX XXXX inadequate notification practices throughout the lease term : XXXX. NOTIFICATION EMAILS : The only monthly communication I received was a generic email stating 'Your statement is available online. ' No dollar amount, no mention of taxes, no separate tax notice ever. XXXX. ACCOUNT DASHBOARD : When I logged into my account, the 'Amount Due " displayed was {$25.00} not the actual {$4800.00} balance. The {$4300.00} accumulated tax liability was not prominently shown. A reasonable consumer would conclude their account was essentially current. XXXX. BLANK PROPERTY TAX FIELD : XXXX XXXX XXXX own payment coupon contains a dedicated " * Property Tax $ XXXX ' line. This field was consistently left BLANK on every statement. A consumer receiving a blank property tax line on their coupon would reasonably conclude no property tax is outstanding. This blank field on XXXX XXXX XXXX own billing document directly undermines any claim that I was adequately notified. XXXX. BOILERPLATE-ONLY ALERTS : The billing statement 's 'Account Alerts ' section mentions taxes only in generic boilerplate contract language. It does not say : 'You have {$4300.00} in unpaid accumulated property taxes. ' No specific, clear notification was ever provided. XXXX. CORRECT ADDRESS ON FILE : My current address ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) is correctly reflected on all statements, confirming I updated my address when I moved and would have received any properly addressed correspondence. The failure of notification is XXXX XXXX XXXX not mine. AUTOPAY NEVER COVERED TAXES : My autopay of $ XXXXmonth was applied consistently to the base payment since the beginning of this leasing. The tax charges accumulated silently in the background. No communications from XXXX about it. Given the inadequate notifications described above, I had no reasonable basis to know a {$4300.00} liability existed outside my autopay arrangement. PATTERN OF CONDUCT : I have researched this issue and found numerous other XXXX XXXX customers reporting identical experiences surprise property tax bills, dealer staff claiming taxes 'used to be included, ' and inability to obtain documentation confirming taxes were actually remitted to local authorities. XXXX TAXES : I also anticipate a prorated XXXX property tax assessment ( XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX -- approximately 10 months ) will be charged to my account. Based on XXXX rates, this is estimated at approximately {$1200.00}. I am requesting that this anticipated charge also be waived or reimbursed, as it falls within the same lease period affected by the same misrepresentation. WHAT I AM REQUESTING : ( XXXX ) Full refund of all property tax charges billed during the lease term -- {$4300.00} already billed ( XXXX ) plus the anticipated XXXX prorated assessment ( ~ {$1200.00} ), totaling approximately {$5600.00} ; ( XXXX ) Copies of all XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX confirming taxes were actually paid on my behalf for each year ; ( XXXX ) Explanation of why the FCLA 'Other Charges ' disclosure showed {$0.00} when thousands of dollars in separate tax charges would be billed ; ( XXXX ) Written confirmation that no additional charges will be assessed after the buyout closes. PAYMENT UNDER PROTEST : I am proceeding with a lease buyout and must pay the full payoff amount, including the disputed tax charges, because XXXX XXXX 's own payoff quote states 'Title will not be released until the account is paid in full. ' I have no practical alternative but to pay the disputed amount to obtain title and complete the purchase of the vehicle I have been leasing for XXXX years. This payment is made UNDER PROTEST and WITHOUT PREJUDICE to this complaint and all associated disputes. This CFPB Complaint remains pending. I reserve all rights to seek a full refund of the disputed amounts, already paid and yet to be charged while the lease agreement is active.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation