Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ****** ****** ************************************* 781-957-6177 11/21/2024 Subject: Lease Dispute with Honda Dealership Dear Better Business Bureau, I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my recent leasing experience with Honda, which has led to significant distress during a challenging personal time. In my search for a suitable vehicle, I visited multiple dealerships, including ****, *******, and ******, before ultimately deciding to lease from Honda. On May 9, 2024, after spending 4 hours and 30 minutes discussing leasing terms and conditions with a Honda dealer, I was convinced that leasing was the best option for me. The dealer, who claimed to have previously managed the dealership, assured me that I could return the vehicle at lease-end without worries about excessive fees, aside from the disposition fee. He even mentioned that he used to help customers with this "trick" in the past, which led me to believe it was a viable option. I made a down payment of $4,000 and picked up the car on May 13. Unfortunately, my family situation has drastically changed. My father left, leaving me responsible for my 60-year-old mother and my 30-year-old brother, who has mental health conditions. Given these circumstances, maintaining payments on this leased vehicle is no longer feasible. When I reached out to Honda via email, they directed me back to the dealership. After several frustrating attempts to resolve the issue, I was told by Honda Financial that terminating the lease would incur a fee of $10,400, which contradicts the assurances I received from the dealer when signing the contract. I expected to return the vehicle and only pay the disposition fee, based on the understanding established during the lease process. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter so that I can return the vehicle without incurring excessive fees. Thank you for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your guidance on how to proceed.

  Business response

  12/23/2024

  Mr. ****** ******, I am sorry to hear about your family situation and how this has made the lease now unaffordable for you. My salesperson was correct about your options at lease-end. Once all 36 payments are made, we could perform an equity analysis on your vehicle to determine if we could purchase the vehicle eliminating all obligations or in fact returning the vehicle which would incur a $350 disposition fee. I have attached a screenshot of your current payoff which shows you currently have 28 payments remaining. You signed a contract obligating you to pay 36 equal payments of $856.64. If you early terminate the lease, you would be responsible for any remaining payments plus the $350 disposition fee. If you are available to visit with me, I can kindly appraise your vehicle and see if we can minimize the cost to early terminate.

  Respectfully,

  ***** ******

  General Manager

  Herb Chambers Honda of Burlington

  ************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩