ComplaintsforWestern Financial

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  First time leases with this company need to beware of vague contracting and a large surprise payment expectation at the end of your lease!!! I signed a medical equipment lease with ****** after previously using several other medical equipment leasing companies during the previous 12 yrs since I opened my businesses (note: usual lease buyout of $1.00 or an amount listed on your lease.)I signed a lease 6/18 for equipment with a cost of ******. I have made all payments to Pacific leasing (I guess Western Financial was the "broker" which I didn't know that there was such a thing) as I was advised to do and as agreed (total pd 60K+). I have been in consistent contact with Pacific Leasing even getting a "balance amount" sent to me on 3/31/23 of ******* to which I then paid off. I had no further conversations with ****** or WF since 2018 other than emails from ****** trying to get me to lease more equipment and use his company. Now all of a sudden, I returned from a vacation to receive a collections call and notice on July 31 emailed from a company called ***** who says that they are representing Western Financial and I owe ******.00 and am in collections (since revised to $******). I reached out to ****** at Western Financial and told him that I was not aware of a balloon payment at the end and informed him that the agreement states that if the buy out payment is more than $101 that they had to send certified mail at least 210 days in advance of the buyout amount. I did not receive any certified mail, any emails, calls or regular mail from WF. The only attempt where they tried to contact me was when ****** reached out 7/17...and then sent me to collections the next week!?!?!Now they are trying to say that I had a different kind of lease (fair market value lease) which is not stated ANYWHERE on my contract and I owe them ****** or this will negatively impact my business and personal credit and they will be in contact with licensing boards, etc.

  

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  This customer is currently in default and this is currently pending litigation. We cannot comment publicly on pending litigation.

  Customer response

  08/24/2023

  I am nor was I ever in default.  They are now saying that I am in default and they are submitting it to their lawyer because I have not agreed to pay the ********* which is an arbitrary number that they created at the end of my lease.  They saying that I am in default is retaliation for me not paying this arbitrary amount.  No where in my lease does it state that I will have an arbitrary payment at the end of my lease nor a payment that they consider "fair market value" at the end of my lease.  I paid over $60,000 for $40,000 worth of equipment already as outlined in my lease.  I am not in default of my contract/lease with them.  

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