The closest precedent I can think of off the top of my head for this kind of suit would be Kramer suing Java World because “the coffee was too hot”. I think Jackie Chiles would take your case.
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MBFS updated their FAQ, doubt transfers will ever come back.
A transfer is the process of transferring a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS) account from the original customer to another qualified individual or business, subject to credit approval. MBFS does not offer vehicle transfers, with the exception of the following circumstances:
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- MBFS will accommodate transfer requests for the families of deceased customers who wish to keep the vehicle.
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- MBFS will accommodate requests to transfer Connecticut Lease Contracts as required by law; the original lessee will remain jointly liable under the Lease Agreement.
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Case closed. MBFS transfers are dead
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They obviously haven’t been served with papers for the class action lawsuit yet.
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All jokes aside, I’m guessing the only material outcome of suing MBFS will be that BMWFS, GMF, etc will decide to stop doing transfers
or maybe it’ll have the opposite effect and deter other companies from doing what MBFS did.
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I had the same concern on my mind. Which makes me extremely hesitant to lease cars as I’m a serial swapper. I won’t be considering MB again. As I’m presently stuck with a lease that had a buyer ready to takeover.
As for others- I wonder if there’s a way to make the dealer/bank add an addendum that guarantees lease transfers for the life of the contract, as it changes the equation.
Perhaps this should be a law nationwide. Ideally, the joint-liability clause should be removed + a clause could be added in that adds in a that the credit profile of the person taking over should be similar or better than the credit profile of the original lessor at time of signing.
For example, in my case, I’ve been commuting from the suburbs to NYC since the start of the pandemic. Due to the convenience of being out here, I have leased an M4. I planned on keeping the car maybe a year tops. One thing is for sure though, once offices reopen I would not want to keep the car in the city, as there’s no place to drive. I will just list it on swapalease, and part ways. As keeping a car in the city occurs expenses which can be equal to or greater than the monthly payment of the car in the first place. Pair that with the fact you barely have anywhere to drive the car, means that there’s really no point of having one. If it weren’t for the fact BMW lease transfers exist, BMW would not have me as a customer.
Even though many people though end up keeping their leases for the duration of the term, there’s a piece of mind that comes with the ability to transfer out.
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I wouldn’t hold my breath on getting them to make any changes to the standard lease contract, much less one that significant.
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If anyone is that worried about MB lease transfers, I have an easily solution for you: Move to Connecticut.
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It’s easier than dying, that’s for sure
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The headache of joint liability? IDK
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Have you seen the price of real estate in Connecticut?
I’ll admit that I only browse real estate in the top 5 states (current and 4 alternates) I would live in. Sadly, Connecticut has failed to qualify for top-5 ranking since Jimmy Carter was President.
There was another obvious (albeit in poor taste) joke about Oregon being a much easier state to die in, but now we’re just digging a grave. 
You’ve got to pay to play!
Seriously though I was just being facetious in response to the prospect of a frivolous class action. There are no problems, only solutions. And it seems one (probably expensive) solution for those bent on being able to transfer out of a lease in the future would be to move to CT. The other is to steer clear of MB.
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So what would I do with my lease if I were to leave the country? As a Canadian living in the USA with a work visa, this is always a concern.
Sell your MB and pay off any negative, or you contact MBFS and they will give you an early termination quote, per the lease contract.
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How come the payoff amount never changes even though I’m making payments? I’ve made about 8 months of payments but the payoff is still 38k, what it was at the beginning of the lease. I guess since I have to now sell the car since transfers are dead.
I don’t have your deal here, but:
- take your pre-incentive sales price, add taxes and tags
- less any upfronts you paid at signing
- less the sum of your payments, minus tax if your lease payment is taxed
Is that number higher or lower than 38k?
Has anyone written to MBFS or the head of MBUSA or Daimler expressing their displeasure at changing this policy, and hear back?
Right after I pen my letter to mnunchin and a few federal reserve presidents.
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