Complaint Review: LEASE FINANCE GROUP LLC - Chicago Illinois

I am look for help with a Long lasting problem: My wife had a business partner that did a contract with LFG sometime back in 2008, the business closed in 2009.  But the partner did all the paper work under my wives personal information and not under the business.

After so many years my wife tells me to help her with this problem. We do not have a copy of the original lease. LFG and there attorney (Joseph I Sussman, P.C.) continues to file in a New York Courts every six months a Judgement  in behalf of LFG to my wife.

The Business Closed many years ago, how do we get them to stop. 

I do not think that a credit card machine that has never been used, would cost over $1500.00 every six months.

I thank anyone that would have any information helpful to stopping this abuse.

Sincerely,

RS

I called the company on 2-13-14 to make sure my lease was over and got a recording saying the office was cloaed. Tried to call again on 2-17-14 and every phone number I had for them was disconnected and found on the BBB website that the New York Attorney General has a case opened against them for fraud.

My last payment on my lease was to be Dec 13 but another charge came out of my account on Jan 2014.

  I'm writing about Pushpin Holdings LLC. they are a collection company for Lease Financial Group, I received a call from a gentleman from Pushpin last year and said I had an outstanding debt,and he was calling to collect $4,550.28. he was very rude and nasty practically yelling and threatening me that he was going to take whatever steps necessary to collect this debt. i asked him for information that would connect me with this debt he said he did'nt have anything only that i had this debt , when I looked up Lease Financial Group in the comp it took me directly to this Rip off page. when I saw what it said I said OMG, so this is what they are doing, so this collection company is also trying to collect for this fraudulent company I said WOW

Hi, all, here's the news from my front: the last skirmish with LFG and/or whatever name it chooses to wear has gone into a holding pattern.  So, to re-cap: upon discovery of the outrageous amounts being charged for a "non-cancellable" (ha!) lease, etc., and because of the FANTASTIC advice I received here, this is what has, so far, worked for my small company.


Before you do anything else:

Get a new credit card processing company. Believe me, at one point, this company had three different merchant ID numbers. It's not a big deal. I cannot and do not recommend any company over any other, however, I am incredibly happy with Heartland Merchant Center. Good support, readable bills, process timely, all sorts of customer support, and, in my opinion, an actual, ethical company doing what the rest of these jokers are scamming us on. That said......

1. You absolutely must return any actual equipment or product. Do this via UPS or tracking mail or something with a shipping record.  You must also cancel the lease, the finance agreement and any other deals you may have going with them. You MUST do this in writing. You must send it certified/ return receipt requested. (Don't worry, they've never, to my knowledge, actually ever signed for anything, but, never fear).  My letter said: I am cancelling this agreement as of ____(date)___.  Don't get fancy or worry about it.  But you must actually cancel in writing. 

2. You are going to have to change bank accounts. (This part I could not believe). I went so far as to change banks since my original bank could not assure me that the automatic debits (ACH's) would NOT follow over to the new account.  This will take, in a happy scenario, one to three months, depending on how many other bills are auto debited, etc. On the lighter side, done correctly, you can have LFG scrambling around an extra two months....("what do you mean, you didn't get a payment? I made it over the phone to the last guy who called,  did he just steal the money for himself? No I can't look it up, You look it up...." the possibilities are endless).

Failure to do so means they still have access to your money. They will take it. Once an ACH has gone through, nothing stops them from double or triple billing it, changing the amounts, all kinds of insane stuff.

3. Relax. They will call. All hours. They will say outrageous things, threaten all sorts of legal action, credit reports stuff, whatever.  In California, there is some protection from the Fair Debts and Collection Practices Act, which prevents them from calling too early, at home, etc.  Doesn't stop 'em, of course, but mentioning it works well, defensively. You will need to check your particular state's rules/practices.

They'll write nasty letters too. Because of this site, I always had the ammunition I needed to respond in a fairly surly way....("legal action by you would be welcomed, please, please file your lawsuit TODAY! can't wait to change venue and welcome you to California!").

Oddly enough, haven't heard from 'em since. Not a peep, not a whisper, not a word. No hit on the credit reports, NOTHING.

I'm counting this one a victory, folks. Thanks to all who helped, and good luck to the next guy.

can u please call me 319 427 4909 name is lee my dad got scammed by the same place. maybe we can put our heads together and figure it out, hope to hear from you

Government ActionsAccording to a press release dated April 23, 2012, The Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a lawsuit against a group of New York City-based business equipment leasing companies. Schneiderman alleges the New York City-based business fraudulently siphoned millions of dollars from their former customers, including mom-pop stores and other small businesses. Northern Leading Systems, Inc. and its affiliates, which lease credit card processing machines and other equipment, carried out a deceptive scheme to drain over $10 million in authorized debits from the bank accounts of over 100,000 former customers up to 11 years after their equipment leases had expired, ultimately retaining at least $3.5 million.To disguise the scheme, Northern Leasing and it's affiliates, Lease Finance Group LLC, MBF Leasing LLC, Golden Eagle Leasing LLC, and Lease Source-LSI, LLC, used a shell company, SKS Associates LLC, to deliberately mislead customers in an attempt to avoid any harm to Northern Leasing's business reputation.After receiving over 70 complaints from victims around the country Schneiderman alleges the customers bank accounts were charged automatically every month. The leases required customers to reimburse the companies for property taxes and related "administrative fees" Northern leasing claims it failed to collect some of these amounts form certain customers while their leases were still active. Schneiderman also alleges the company could not explain why it failed to collect the amount previously, nor could it show that the alleged amounts were actually owed. In fact, 77 percent of the amounts SKS sought to collect were not taxes at all but "administrative fees"The Attorney General's lawsuit seeks full restitution for the tens of thousands of former customers defrauded in the scheme, disgorgement of all profits, penalties, fees, and injunction relief prohibiting Northern Leasing and its affiliates from continuing to engage in these deceptive collection practices.Attorney General Schneiderman encourages victims or anyone with information about Northern Leasing and SKS's scheme to file a complaint with the Consumer Fraud and Protection Bureau. Victims may also call the Attorney General's Consumer Frauds hotline at (800) 771-7755. 

Please help us stop this companies business abuses contact the AG with any information you have on them or their New York Collection Attorney Joseph L. Sussman, P. C Located at 132 West 31st. St., Suite 1320, New York, New York 10001  212-457-8590 After 1/2 hour on the phone today with Marquete Baptisce who refused to identify the CEO of the company or any other officers or managers finally our connection ended.  Calls to Joseph Sussman went unanswered. EAB on behalf of Kulwinder K. Klair Lease Number 1834352. I can be contacted here or at Sagebrush Publishing, LLC 530-604-6394.  Ask for Earl Boek, aka Citizen Activist

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Hi, all, updating from my ongoing war.....Taking the advice posted earlier, I sent a RRR/Certified to LFG, once again cancelling, and demanding documentation (ORIGINALS ONLY, pls.) from them. 

THEY NEVER SIGNED THE GREEN CARD and I got no reply/response/phone call.

Until last week.  When I received the "Amnesty Program" letter,  where Evil John Doe, the "Pre-Legal Account Manager" has been assigned to determine if I qualify for any modification to my existing lease, and going on to threaten "Lease Acceleration" or "Legal Action".

It's my move.  I have uncovered other, older and certainly more, uh, incriminating documentation regarding LFG, its subs or associates to these contracts and the practices/procedures in place to accomplish what cannot be described as anything other a straight scam to defraud.   It is my belief that I can prove malicious intent at the very least, and in my wilder dreams a RICO charge follows thereafter.

HOWEVER.  I also believe, since I am based on the West Coast, that I am better suited to wait for them to file as Plaintiff, regardless of contract, because I would likely be able to move the action out here for jurisdiction/venue.   Any Thoughts or Input?

My family's business is in the same situation.  We were cheated into a "non-cancellable contract", and had money taken out of our business bank account monthly, even after we closed our account with NPC, the credit card processing company.  We closed our bank account, so LFG cannot draft money out of our account.  Ever since then, they have been calling us daily, sometimes more than once a day.  we have been ignoring phone calls from Lease Financing Group.  Last time I answered their phone call, they told us that we must pay the remaining amount, which is over $4k.  They also threatened to file a lawsuit against us if we don't pay.

I was wondering if I should go to court when LFG file the lawsuit?  They are located in New York, and I don't want to travel that far.  

To the owner replied above me.  Would you suggest the lawyer you hired to deal with the lawsuit.  I am also from Eastern NC.

 I was in the same situation. First ignore all phone calls, or hang up. Box up the equipment and return to lease company, send with certified letter through a shipping company(UPS) and require singnuture for proof of return. Retain this for records. Close your banking account and contact a lawyer.  The company will file a judgement for the unpaid amount of the contract.  Counter sue Lease Finance for the judgement and the owed amount. This may take up to six months but is worth the while. Their laweyers will try and ask for an agreement of half the money owed but do not accept. They will drop the lawsuit against you. Even if it shows up on your credit score which it will as a closed unpaid account do not contact the credit score companies. Contact New York Civil Court and ask for a certified copy of the release of your judgement.  Keep this copy for future records for loans etc.  I have spent 1200.00 fighting this company and personally know how they operate. They wanted me to pay 4200.00 and drop charges. Do not let them push you in corner. Remember they are filing the judgement in New York, not in the state which you live.  They don't have the time and resources to travel to your state to file judgements against you. It is all a bluff and scare tactict.  Print off any document from rip off report and supply them to your legal team. A lawyer may tell you it will be hard to contest the case but once they get involved Lease finance will give in and drop suit.  I had this hapen to me in 2007. My credit still shows 4200 unpaid on aclosed account. This  is not a problem but do not conact credit companies and try to have it removed because everyrime they review it, they will update the judgement/claim. I'm in Eastern NC. Will help any way I can.