Consumer complaint received 2025-06-06 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Lease
Issue: Problems at the end of the loan or lease — Termination fees or other problem when ending the lease early
Company: SANTANDER HOLDINGS USA, INC.
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
Regarding : Deceptive Practices and Unfair Billing related to Early Lease Termination Company : XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) Account # : XXXX VIN : XXXX Product/Service : Auto Lease ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) I am filing this complaint against XXXX XXXX regarding deceptive practices and unfair billing related to the early termination of my auto lease.

The decision to terminate this lease was not voluntary, but became necessary due to severe and persistent safety-related defects with the vehicle. Since acquiring the vehicle, it exhibited numerous manufacturer-related issues, including a recent instance on XX/XX/XXXX, where the vehicle completely shut off while driving without warning, posing a significant safety hazard one week after I was assured it was safe to drive. I brought the vehicle in for repairs multiple times, but this critical issue remained unresolved. XXXX 's own engineers acknowledged this defect with no known solution nor do they have a timeline of when a remedy could become available. They suspect that it is software related and made worse by the remedy for the XXXX recall which was performed earlier in XXXX. In addition, I had asked XXXX to buy back the vehicle which they denied immediately within 24 hours. XXXX Customer Care was also limited in what they could provide me ; I had requested that they provide me with a letter stating the car was not to be given back to me until this software issue was fixed. My case manager was unable to do so and confirmed this is not something they can do with his direct supervisor. 

Given the inherent safety risks and the inability to repair the vehicle, I was compelled to terminate the lease early. To do so, I proceeded to XXXX XXXX XXXX to purchase a new vehicle. As part of this transaction, XXXX XXXX XXXX requested the lease payoff amount directly from XXXX XXXXl to facilitate the return of the XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I returned the vehicle in excellent physical condition and well under the mileage allowance. At the initial payoff request, I was present for the conversation with my salesman XXXX XXXX. The agent briefly spoke with me and told me I'd be responsible for any damages to the vehicle beyond normal wear and tear- which I agreed to and acknowledged. My sales XXXX, XXXX XXXX, was informed by XXXX  XXXX  that I'd be responsible for a disposition fee. He made me aware of this although I knew I would immediately contest it as this was not a normal lease termination. This dispute was sent to XXXX XXXX and XXXX Customer Care by certified mail on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Prior to, during this termination process, and after I received explicit assurances from XXXX XXXX regarding my final financial obligations : I possess written chat logs from XXXX XXXX representatives explicitly stating that my final bill would be {$490.00} ( a standard disposition fee ) with " no additional auction fees. '' Furthermore, on XX/XX/XXXX, after the remaining lease payments ( {$7700.00} ) were processed via a direct " Payoff Information '' quote provided by XXXX  XXXX  to the dealership, my XXXX XXXX account internally reflected a {$0.00} balance, clearly indicating that all my contractual obligations were fulfilled. 

Despite these clear assurances and a confirmed {$0.00} balance, XXXX  XXXX is now unjustly attempting to bill me an additional unknown amount for " auction losses '' and other charges that directly contradict their prior guarantees. I was made aware of this discrepancy on XX/XX/XXXX by mail. I contacted XXXX XXXX by phone and was told that what the person had told me on chat was " incorrect '' and I was going to owe more than the {$490.00} but no one could tell me how much. I immediately asked to be connected to a supervisor. This supervisor was apologetic for the " misunderstanding '' and offered me to escalate this to the internal escalation team. I proceeded with that escalation. When contacted by their escalation team on XX/XX/XXXX, they dismissed their own promises and records as " human error '' and refused to take accountability, attempting to shift blame to the dealership, XXXX, and on anyone but themselves. They admittedly said that their employees gave myself and XXXX the incorrect information BUT I was still to be held liable for that. I immediately denied all and any errors made by their employees and maintained that none of that is my responsibility. 

I firmly maintain that I am not responsible for additional charges resulting from XXXX XXXX XXXX  internal errors or misleading statements. I relied on their explicit representations when making my decision to return the vehicle under these circumstances, which were forced by the vehicle 's unreliability. Their refusal to honor their own commitments and records constitutes a clear failure to accurately disclose final lease termination liabilities as required by the federal Consumer Leasing Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1667-1667f and Regulation M ) and also constitutes deceptive trade practices under Pennsylvania law XXXX 

This case highlights how misleading information and a refusal to honor documented commitments, even when admitted as 'human error, ' can unjustly burden consumers. Federal consumer protection laws, including the Consumer Leasing Act, exist precisely to hold corporations accountable for such deceptive practices and to ensure accurate disclosures in consumer transactions. I urge the CFPB to enforce these vital protections.

I have already briefly discussed this matter with legal counsel, who advised me that I am not responsible for these unjust charges. Once a formal bill is sent to me claiming I owe more than what was explicitly promised by a XXXX XXXX employee ( {$490.00} ), legal counsel will officially be retained and proceed with official engagement.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief