Lease Finance Group [LFG]
Reviews and Complaints

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Dear Marc Barbanell,
This letter is to inform you of what my business has been experiencing over the past two weeks or so and that no business should never have to go through this ever.
It all began in July 24, 2014 when my Nurit 8320 terminal machine was not working. I was told that my lease #1879141 was going to expire 9 months. The sales rep Patrick Henreki recommended a new terminal that was up to date with the software. And that it would be good for all the changes coming forth. So I agreed on it and signed a new lease #1965515 for 48 months. I signed it via email which was no problem. I received the new terminal on July 28th and called my Bank Processing Company to get it activated so I could begin using it right away. It was the wrong program in which I could not use whatever. They did everything possible to help me get set up. This all happened in the evening. So they next day first thing I called the NY office to let them know what was going on. The software I needed in which the Bank Processing team told me to tell your Company. So I passed on that information. They were suppose to program another machine and send it out. Machine #2 was sent and NO SOFTWARE was down loaded on that machine. By this point I was very upset and fuming at them. I admit that I went off on your associates several times. I did realize that it was wrong. So I had my Husband call and deal with them at this point. As we were calling several time we would be put on hold and passed on to someone else. Needless to say by this time I was almost two weeks without having a machine and had to call my clients to tell them I had no machine that they needed to bring Cash or Check. So on August 5th, finally got the Processing Company, your Associate and my self on a 3 way call. I thought to myself now we are getting somewhere. I was told by both companies that they were down loading the software as we speak and that terminal #3 would be sent out over night and all I had to do was plug it in and begin using it. Well, it came and guess what it did not work. So again I call my Processing company to try to get it activate had no luck. So I call back your company and talked to a customer service and left a message to have someone return my call. No one to this date has not called me back. It so happen that enough was enough and my Husband called [protected] in which this number came with the third machine. He talked to Mitchell Asset Management and explain all the problem we were having. Out of all the people we had talked to
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Mitchell was the most helpful. He was very understanding and told my Husband how and who we could contact. Which is you! On another note when we called numerous time asked to speak to a Supervisor or Manager and was told it was impossible. You can check and see how many times that we have called and the notes that your associates have made, plus any recording that was made. I have documented all of this myself also to save my butt. But, in the mean time my clients have been inconvenienced and I am paying on a new lease in which I feel it is unfair. I have to pay on this for 48 months. I can't even go to another company to get a machine because of having to pay on yours. In which, I am asking if somehow you can cancel this lease and forget about it all together. But if you can't I totally understand, since I signed this and very much aware of the legal actions you can take.
I have been in business for 13 years and have never been treated so poorly like this. I am a very professional person and your associates had taken every ounce that I had away. I refuse to deal with it anymore by your company ever again.
I repeat I realize that I now have a 48 month lease that I may have to pay on, unless you find it in your heart to cancel it and all obligations will be waived. So I can be on my way somewhere else. In which now I have to research other companies and hope I don't have this problem with them. My hands are tied at this point until I hear back from you. And in the mean time my clients are being inconvenienced.
This letter was again to inform you of what I as a business owner should never have to go through or any other business. It was totally uncalled for. If I can make one suggestion, that in the near future. Please have a associate come in person and have them set a machine up, that way they can deal with the problem face to face not over the phone. What ever happened to that?
So please take this letter as an eye opener and remember us little businesses that are helping you make money also, whether its a lot or not. And ask that you take this matter, deal with it and possibly terminate my lease so I can going on by ending this once and for all.
One final word. I also ask that you somehow contact me by email or phone call. And that if you decide to terminate my lease, I
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would like a written document and sent certified to me so I can also protect myself for any legal actions that my arise.

Sincerely Yours,
Darlene M. Harbaugh
Visions Hair Studio
4502 Main Street
Grasonville, Maryland 21638
[protected]

PS. The old machine was sent back today that I paid for and the 3 other machines were sent back as well in a separate box.

ATTENTION: MARC BARBANELL ASSET MANAGEMENT
Lease Finance Group LLC
65 East Wacker Place
Chicago, IL 60601

From: Visions Hair Studio
4502 Main Street
Grasonville, Maryland 21638
Phone: [protected]
Owner: Darlene M. Harbaugh

RE: Lease #1879141 and #1965515

Letter to follow PLEASE read ASAP

Fraudulent charges and billings from lease finance group. My name is howell clark. I'm the owner of a small used car lot in cleburne texas. A couple of years ago i terminated my expired lease with both the seller of the lease (Whse. Solutions) and the equipment provider (Lease finance group) i hired a new local fort worth texas company for credit card service. The charges for lease finance group were taken out of an account that was not monitored regularly by me (And that was my fault) . This past january my wife asked me why i was being charged for two credit card companies once a month and i told here we shouldn't be. I had my bank see if i was doubled billed by the current company and they showed me that it was still the old company charging, and had been for a whole year. I stopped payment on lease finances ability to charge my account. They started calling sometimes as many as five and six times a week from that time forward and then started with the manufactured billings once a month as if i still had their equipment. There is no talking with these people to get things straight.

I signed up to sell ionized water filter machine and thought I was signing a contract to be an independant contractractor for them.
Instead I and a room full of people ( about 40 at this presentation in Orlando, Fl) signed up to be duped. We were not told the paper we signed made us responsible for $4000 debt owed to lease finance Group. It was fraudulent business not informing us of what they were doing. Everyone thought they were signing up to sell the water filter systems, not signing up to give away thousands of dollars.
I worked for a few months then quit and sent back their credit card machine and they continued to charge me the fee for usage for something I no longer owned.
I paid because I was afraid of bad credit, but now I stopped because I got tired of being taken.
After 7 years they are after me for something I DON"T OWN nor have used in 7 years their credit card machine. They say I owe
$1499 and are putting a judgment against me. I will not pay another penny and they should have a class action law suit brought against them. This is underhanded and just outright swidling. Someone has to stop this company soon.

Scam company ! Is trying to charge me for 48 months of lease equipment without providing equipment that works. It either malfunctions, or does not get satellite reception. LFC is claiming that they do not have to provide equipment that works since I contracted for 48 months.
Any merchant considering them should NOT deal with them at all. They are also known under a couple different names. And all of their locations (includes New York and Illinois for two. )
If anyone starts a class action against this company, I do want to be included. www.cowboywaywesternstore.com

Several years ago I worked for a small business in Farmington, New Mexico. The owner of the business remained in Iowa, where we are from. While being employed there, he leased credit card machines from Lease Finance Group. When their rep dropped off the machines, the owner was in Iowa. I was asked to sign for it. By 2008, the business was disbanded, and I returned to Iowa. Since then, LFG has been harassing me for payment. I was only an employee and am not responsible for the businesses debt. Their correspondence has indicated they are planning to sue me. I have spoken to them many times disputing this debt which is not mine, to no avail. I have done some research about this group and there are hundreds of complaints about their fraudlant sales practices. It is also my understanding that only a 50% owner of a business can sign for a machine. Please contact me, Quentin Boucher at [protected]. [protected]@hotmail.com. Thank you

Like others stated, was given the hard sale, and guaranteed that should our business not conduct enough credit card business that we could return the equipment no problem. Also they would send out automatic upgrades for the equipment, which they NEVER did. We did not do enough credit card business to justify the expense they were deducting out of our bank account every month. We have been trying for 18 months to get them to stop deducting their monthly fee from my account. Equipment has been returned, have signature confirmation on the delivery, however they conveniently cannot find the shipment! and that is my fault. they cannot read the digital signature on the signature pad of the UPS - and thats my fault! it has been a nightmare like a monkey on my back trying to get Lease Financial Group, LLC to get out of my life. Final step is to have the bank take action on my behalf, hope it works. I feel duped by this company, they are incompetent on the other end of the phone, I go back and forth between two different offices, no one communicate with the other. No ONE is working on my case. every phone call is re-tracing every step thus far, EVERY TiME - a waste of my time

An employee from the Lease Finance Group solicited service for Credited Merchant Services to my small business. She intentionally lied and misrepresented the companies services. Also after she left she changed the contract I signed to reflect a 4 year contract. As soon as I found out the contract had been changed I tried to contact the sales person and the company directly and could not speak to either one. The neighbor next to my business was a restaurant and they had the exact same experience. I got a lawyer in Texas to help me with this situation. My business was in Conroe, TX but I have since closed it and moved to Louisiana. They have filled suite against me in Chicago, IL. They are counting on the fact that I cannot travel up there to fight this fraudulently signed contract. I have researched this company and found thousand s of other people with my exact same story. I am amazed that this company is still doing this. What can be done to stop this company that professionally scams people?
I am urging anyone who has had the same experience to report it to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madgian http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/index.html

and to Assistant State's Attorney Sophia Lopez, Supervisor of the Consumer Fraud Unit http://www.statesattorney.org/

and to the Federal Trade Commision. http://www.ftc.gov/

This Company has to be stopped!

The Lease Finance Group company is simply the worst company I have every came across hands down! Several years ago I was approached by a sales representative from that company and of course he told me everything I wanted to hear. One of those things were that the funds would be transferred into my account within one business day, and of course that was simply a lie. It took 5 days on average to get the money into my account and when I called multiple times to question about this issue no one was to be found. I have good patience but they are crossing the line now. Not only am I receiving many phone calls and intimidating letters forcing me to pay but the company is implying that I signed a NO CANCELLATION contract?!?!? Who the hell signs a contract knowing that it could never be cancelled? They scammed me and are still to this day attempting to take money out of my account without my authorization. This company is giving me nothing but headaches and I'm sure my blood pressure is rising just writing about this complaint. I've returned all the equipment as they told me to but they still charge my account with monthly fees. I've told my bank to stop all charges to my account. I've tried multiple times to resolve the issue but they never give any effort to end this situation. They constantly do not pick up their phones and they always expect me to answer theirs? Once I was informed that I " So called " signed a no cancellation contract I was outraged. They crossed the line when I found that out and it's just ridiculous! I signed a contract for 3 years but they keep insisting that I did not. How are they going to tell me what I did and did not do, simply wrong. Running out of options here but taking legal action to close their business forever would be absolutely wonderful.

I signed this 48 month contract for this machinr through LFG that never even worked properly, but still made payments of $116 for 48 months. My contract is now up, and they are now telling me that I have to pay a buyout price for the machine. I asked to speak to a manager, and they refused to put me on with one. I tried to even pay the buyout but everytime I call they raise the price! I now have to pay a lawyer to get this resolved. They keep threatening to ruin my perfect credit. I don't understand how they are still in business with over 100 complaints. Please bring us customers some justice and shut them down!

I was so sick and tired of LFG/Northerm leasing constance calls and letters I did it Chicago style...I drove over to there office of the guy that sold me this BS and beat the fuk out of him...And when he gets out of the hospital in the next couple of week, I'm going to have biker friends go over and put him back in the hospital...This will continue to happen 'til I get my money back...They messed with the wrong people...

This same thing happened to me! I called numerous times and told them that I wanted to send the equipment back but they refused to give me the address in New York! they also wanted me to pay the balance of the lease. I have used this machine once in the 4 years I have had it and it was complicated and they charged me more than the agent told me they would. This company is predatory. Avoid them at all costs. Which is hard to do because the sales representative from the credit card processing company is the one that scams you into signing with LFG. Then they claim to have no association with the lease company. I wonder then, how did LFG get my paperwork? These people are very good at their scam with their “Non-Cancelable Lease”. What the hell is that? Who in their right mind would ever, knowingly, sign a non-cancelable lease for anything?! I, and the hundreds of other people that have fallen victim to this vermin, may be ignorant, but it is clearly a fraudulent practice. WHY HAVE THEY BEEN ALLOWED TO CONTINUE VICTIMIZING PEOPLE?!?! Please write the Illinois State Attorney General and file a complaint if you have fallen prey to this group of vile individuals.

Liars and thieves
I have had the same problem with LFG, when signing the contract I was offered one thing and when I started using the credit card system, they suddenly changed certain terms and payments. After 2 years of paying, my business got really slow and I wanted to terminate the contract because I was being withdrawn from my bank each month, a fee for the Equipment and other fee for their services ... this has been a nightmare because they are allied with another company called First American Payment System, LP, and none of them want to be responsible for the lies, They make you see that you are a fool and did not understand the business. I would never recommend them.
I have evidence of what I am saying here.

Do Not Use Lease Finance Group! I used them for four years, and ended my leasing agreement with them. I pulled my credit report four years later and they dinged me personally for not satisfying their leasing agreement. Now I have to prove to them that I have satisfied the agreement (which has taken two months so far). They are scam artist! After talking to them on the phone, they repeated "why don't you just pay the $379 and your credit will be clean". SCAM!

I have already read many reports on Lease Finance Group at this site and would like to add my story to the growing list of people who have been ripped off by LFG. They reportedly have moved all of their offices, including the Chicago office to New York City. My contact with them has primarily been through their old Chicago office. That phone number is now diverted to New York. I need your help if you have been ripped off by LFG and would like to do something about it. I have sent them a demand letter to be followed by a filing with the small claims court here in Southern California. To help make my case, I need some witnesses to come forth. If you live in Orange County, you would be near enough to be of a help in testifying against LFG during my day in court. I will be filing my case on or shortly after May 15th, 2009 in Santa Ana, Ca. I feel unless someone starts taking these guys to court and getting some positive responses from the judges, they will continue to rip off new business owners, or those who have been in business for awhile but are taken in by their representative's lies and shady dealings when it comes to contracting with LFG. They do not care about you, the small business owner, and if you have been ripped off by them, you know what I mean. They did not make any effort to take a settlement amount of anything less than the full lease. I never used the machine that they sent and returned it to them. I tried to offer a settlement after having paid on a terminal for over a year. That is when I found out that one could be purchased on the internet for between $129 and $169 dollars, same model as LFG leased to me. They want me to pay over $3, 000 for that machine!. Anyway, I am asking for your help. I could use at least 2 to 3 certified letters stating your situation with LFG and how they dealt with you specifically. If you live in Orange County or nearby, I could use your testimony on my day in court. I've been advised that a class action lawsuit is a waste of time with them, but small claims court appearances are the way to deal with them. If they have tried to bring you to New York and you live in another state, I have been advised that you don't have to go to New York if you initiated the contract lease with them in your state. You can make them come to you. But, rather than wait for them, I am taking them to court. In my eyes, they are treacherous to work with, play games on the phone, use phony names, are rude, hang up on people, yell at us when we call in, etc. You all know what I mean. So if you can help, I would deeply appreciate it. Your story doesn't have to be too long, just provide your name, some dates, dollar amounts, how you got any differences resolved, if you did. I filed my papers with Lisa Madigan's office, but now that they have packed up and moved from Chicago, I would doubt that her office is going to be able to do much of anything. I could be wrong, but I haven't heard back from them for awhile. Thanks for reading this, if you have any court appearance feedback, I would love to hear about it, or any other advise that you have been given that may help my case with LFG.

We entered into a lease with Lease Finance Group on 7/31/2008. The lease amount was to be $39.00 a month for 48 months, we are now being billed $42.73 a month. The total cost of the debit card pin pad was $1872.00 which is $1500.00 over what it would have cost us to purchase a debit card pin pad. But the credit card processing sale person, John Cannon from Icon Payment Solutions said we had to get this machine since it was the only one that was programmed for their system. So ok that was how it was but now the lease company keeps adding fees for sales tax, property tax, and insurance. We have the machine insured under our business and they can not tell me how they calculate the sales tax or property tax on the unit. They have charged total of $109.14 just for taxes since 7/2008. I have called and they just give me the run around and I can not talk to a supervisor as she is out of town until next week. Funny I have tried numerous time in the last 3 years and she is always out of town. I can not stress strongly enough if you are approached by Icon Payment Solution or any credit card company that wants you to lease equiment run away as fast as you can as they are all crooks and scamers. As soon as our lease is up in 15 months lease finance group will be getting their inferior quality machine back and I hope to never hear from them again. I also will never lease another peice of equipment. These companies prey on small businesses and should be hung out and dried. Does anyone know of any class action law suites again lease finance group as I would love to join and sue the heck out of them.

Watch out for this company. They claim outside sales represtatives sell thier products and if they lie it's not on them. I don't have the equipment and was cancelled within the month as promised by the salesmen. I made a couple payments still but they keep sending letters and on the phone are extremely rude. Be ware.

I have tried over several months to buy out at a descent rate the balance on my defunct credit card machine. I cannot get anyone to discuss the obsurd amount of money they are asking for this machine. I was misled into leasing to own it by a credit card company that said they had the "only" machine in the marketplace to accept the "new' consumer credit cards. They want 3600.00 for a credit card machine! when the machine quit working I went to my insurace company to file a claim and it wasn't until then that they told me the machine could be replaced for 89.00-155.00! You have got to be kidding. I am so upset at the jacked up price and the ridiculous and fraudulent claim that was represented to me from the sales rep that I contacted LFG and have stopped further drafts from my account. To no avail, I am just getting phone calls and past due letters in the mail. can someone tell me how do we get them to leave us alone and not have this on my credit report?

In September of 2009, a guy named, Shawn Wallace, representing Merchant Services visited me at my deli and told me that his company will give me $1, 500 for switching my credit card processor and will give me the machine for free that will work with DSL connection and there would be no contract. It sounded too good to be true but he showed me the paperwork to prove that. I, unfortunately, trusted the guy and signed the paperwork. A few days later I got the paperwork in the mail from Lease Finance Group stating that I signed up a 4-yr. contract. I tried to contact LFG but to no vain. Now, they're taking me to a court in New York (I live in Kansas), I want to sue this company bad! And wish to see SHAWN WALLACE behind bars.

After reading several online complaints of fraud concerning Lease Finance Group LLC, glad to know I'm not the only one who's been misrepresented!

Equipment provided by LFG never worked properly with my business but I continued to pay a monthly fee. I was forced to close a business account so they could not continue to charge me along with another credit card processing company I also had in force. Sales person who sold me the contract has since resigned and is willing to validate the facts against TMG/LFG that they are crooked!