Infiniti has issued a stern letter to dealerships across the United States after receiving complaints about lease buyout issues from the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Attorney General.
In the letter, Infiniti Financial Services says dealerships cannot hit customers with extra fees when the purchase option is exercised on a lease agreement.
The car manufacturer says it has received complaints of dealers refusing to honor lease-purchase quotes and telling customers that they do no handle lease purchases, charging ‘dealer fees’ if a customer doesn’t finance the lease buyout through the dealer, slapping on ‘fees’ such as “COVID fees, market price fee, chip shortage fee,” and dealerships refusing to facilitate lease buyouts unless a customer finances through the dealer.
Read Also: 2022 Infiniti QX50 Adds Luxury And Tech To Offset Higher Prices
Speaking with Cars Direct, Infiniti Financial Services says it will begin sample reviews of lease purchases in April and will also establish a remediation process for leaser purchases dating back to January 1, 2021.
The automaker warned that dealerships engaged in such practices may encounter funding delays or the inability to participate in certain manufacturer programs for buying and leasing.
The letter was also sent to Nissan dealerships, a spokesperson confirmed. Last year, the car manufacturer stopped allowing third-party buyouts of its leases.
This is far from the first time that a car manufacturer has warned its dealerships over price gouging tactics. Earlier this week, Hyundai and Genesis informed dealers that hitting new models with markups “will have a negative impact on the health” of the brands.
