What do you do if you return a leased vehicle and you continue to get bills for that same car?
That's what Scott Webber of Manhattan faced when he turned in his Chevy Cruise LT after two years.
"It was a great car, a very nice little car, quick," said Webber, who lives in Murray Hill. "It got me around town, and was very fuel efficient overall and handled nicely."
When time was up, he called GM Financial, asking for a dealership that would accept a lease return on a weekend. He brought the car to that dealership in June.
"He gave me a receipt showing the date of return, the mileage at the time of return and the overall condition, and I documented that I returned all the keys and whatnot to them," said Webber.
Webber thought he was all set. Then came the phone calls from GM Financial.
"They had no clue where the car was when I spoke to them on the phone, and on top of that, they basically said I'm four months behind in making payments," he said.
Webber said he was told he owed $329 and started getting letters demanding payment by mail. He started worrying about how it would affect his credit and his mortgage refinance -- so he turned to News 4's Better Get Baquero consumer investigative team. He wanted to know how the paperwork got lost and for GM Financial to correct the billing to show that he did in fact return the car.
BGB contacted GM Financial and asked if they had possession of Webber's car. Problem solved: after the calls, Webber confirmed he got a letter confirming his vehicle was accepted as a lease return in June and he now has a zero balance on the lease.
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GM urges that people follow this procedure for turning in a leased vehicle: if you're not getting a new car, schedule a free inspection and make an appointment to turn in the vehicle at the dealership where you got it. They have a toll-free phone number specifically for questions and information on lease returns.
To reach Better Get Baquero, call 1-866-NEWS-244 or log onto NBCNewYork.com/gethelp.
