US BANK lease termination

Our end of lease was approaching and we have NEVER had any charges for =

turning in vehicles for a decade until this last Toyota leased via US =

Bank. Our car was inspected in Nov '06 with nickel-dime knicks and dents =

that added up to $800 with a contract termination fee of a few hundred. =

I still don't understand that one since we made all the payments =

eventhough we were turning the vehicle in a month early (paid the last =

payment ahead of time). I signed off on these charges, put 21 more miles =

on the car since the inspection to replace the tires myself to save =

$140. At this point the 2003 RAV4 only had 33,000 miles. Car turned in =

in Dec '06. We recieved the bill for the $800 charges. 3 months later =

we recieve a bill for $7,800 out of the blue, saying the engine was =

totalled and had to be replaced from locking up. These charges of course =

are crazy. The inspection at our home showed the car in fine running =

shape, and over 4 years we had NO problems with the car's performance. =

These so called damages were supposedly discovered when the car was =

convieniently examined out of the state by a Bert Wolfe Toyota =

dealership in Charleston WV. I of course could not verify or even be =

given the opportunity to remediate the damage/purchase the vehicle =

outright. I did the oil changes myself, writing down some of the dates =

in the maintenance manual (which stayed with the car) but did not keep =

our folder of records after recieving the bill in Jan'07 stating =

"remaining balance on your lease". Months of fighting them and =

requesting information has met with "the situation will be researched", =

promises of calling back, and not granting requests of ANY information =

regarding inspection, repairs, or where the car actually is. I am doing =

all the footwork myself. A purchased online VIN# check showed NO damage =

reported on the vehicle. Does anybody know what could possibly happen if =

I refuse to pay these bogus charges? I would like to avoid lawyer fees =

which would cost quite a bit, just to prove my case. I keep seeing the =

same tactics and excuses used on us by US BANK regarding end of lease. =

We are dealing with what I believe to be the office in Cincinnati, OH. =

Michael K.

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I have leased several cars too and i take very good care of them. Until now I never been charged for anything at the end of a lease.

US Bank is taking advantage of people and what an economy to do it in. Please check for yourself and see the condition of my 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible after a 39 month lease.

www.crcheck.com for the Auto Vin report. my vin TK59751 acct 2694074890-1...

They are billing me 350.00 for minor scratches on my rims and an additional 395.00 turn in fee. That's nothing compared to what they are trying to do to you.

I lost my job recently. I used my savings to buy new tires and brakes and pay the last few lease payments. Auto Vin scheduled several appointments and did not even show up. when someone finally did show up they were 5 hrs late. I was told I could reschedule for three weeks of let him come over now. I had to leave for a meeting about a possible new job so I couldn't wait. My 17 year old son stayed for the inspection. ...They sent a report two weeks later and are charging me for minor scratches on my rims...I also didn't know about a turn in fee of an additional $395.00. They said check the fine print in your lease agreement.

I posted this on my Facebook page for all my friends over 900 and family to see it. so they can worn people not to lease a car through US Bank

Good Luck

Bonnie

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Hi Michael,

I had the same issues. At the near end of my lease termination DataScan, a company hired by US Bank to come and inspect my 04 Lexus GX470, made note of every tiny, little ding and scratch on my suv. None of which measured over a 1/2 inche. Per my lease agreement anything under a 1/2 inche is considered "normal wear and tear". A bill was sent to us for $809.00 for these "normal wear and tear" items. No paint work was ever done on my car, all the original glass in tact and no dings or dents. Vehicle is in sound, great mechanical condition and tires are in great condition also. What gives??

The end came and we decided to purchase the vehicle outright. We titled it in our business name which lists me as the president. This should have "forgave" my bill. NO! They still wanted me to pay the $809! SO, let me get this right, I buy the car outright and I still have to pay you damages and still have to pay the full buy out price too? They robbed me blind.

Well, we disputed the charges with them, stayed in contact every month and each time the person on the phone agreed with us and promised to talk to someone who could make the final decision and plead our case. 8 months went by and I received a bill from a credit collection company now. But the bill was less than orignally. Now it was $600. I said to my husband that I didn't want to screw up our credit so lets just pay it and be done with them. Which we did. We pulled our credit bureau before we paid and no collection was listed and no negitive marks were there under US Bank either. The bill was satisfied in 1 week from the day we received it. We figured we now can go on with our life. NOT!

We went to a bank for a credit line for our business and the representative asked us about the late marks on our lease. WHAT!!!! Yup, they not only marked it as a collection but gave me 8, over 90 days late, late marks! Dropping my credit score a whopping 60 points because of it! And suprise suprise, everyone I talk to a US Bank says the marks should not be there and it is wrong, the person I talked too can not personally do anything to change it, someone else has to. However, everyone they transfer us too says the same thing. So there I am. Paid a un-fair fee and still had my credit damaged......... :-(