I just came across this site. Let me tell you what happened to us in December. Around noon one day, a tow truck pulled up in our yard. I ran outside and asked the guy what he was doing. He said he had an order to reposses the truck. He showed me the paperwork he had received from Ford Credit stating that we were 64 days past due. I showed him a copy of my Western Union payment of 1 1/2 payments made the week before. The request from Ford Credit was dated that morning, he got it as a fax, and set out immediately.
Slow day he said. He also told me once he got an order, he could do nothing but take the vehicle. He was gracious enough to help me clean it out, and take off all the gizmos my husband had installed (like those green lights around the dashboard) He gave me his name and phone number, and told me to call him as soon as I had everything straightened out with Ford. He thanked me for being so nice about the whole situation, and assured me that with the information I showwed him, I would be able to get it back.
I immediately called Ford and after being rerouted to about 10 different people, got in touch with the guy who was over our account. I told him that they had taken the truck, and that the days late they had reported was incorrect. He told me there had been no payment in 3 months. I gave him the control number of my Western Union payment, and he finally found it. He said it had been in limbo, because the account number on it did not match any account number on file. There was one misplaced number, but our name, address, and phone number were correct. I asked him why noone bothered to call us. He said they attemped to call multiple times but got no answer. I told him my caller ID did not show ANY calls, and I always answer even blocked or out of area calls.
He proceeded to tell me that a repo cannot be recalled, and we would have to pay off the remaining balance within 20 days to get the truck back. The kicker? On what was originally a 5 year note with a final payment scheduled for June we owed 4 1/2 payments, for a total of $926. That included our missed 1 1/2 payments. Even though we were behind, we were on track to pay it off 1 month earlier than the original contract called for. With repo fees and late fees, the grand total to get the truck back was about $1300.
I told him I would have it by the following week. He said no problem, call him when I had the money, and he would instruct me on where and how to send it. I did call back 3 days later, got his voice mail, and left a message stating we had the money, please call me back before noon that day or the next, as I had to be at work at 1pm. He never called. Finally, I left my work number on his voice mail asking him to call after 1pm even though I knew I could get in trouble at work. He called my work the next morning at 8:30, when I was at home.
My boss called to give me the message. I immediately tried to call back, but got voice mail. I tried to call him numerous times a day over the next few days, never got him, never got a return call. Finally I called a main number and asked for him, and was told he was on vacation! I asked to speak to anyone else who could help me. All I got was a woman's voice mail. I called her extension several times over the next few days, never getting a response.
Finally, on day 11 after the repo, I called a main number and asked to speak to a supervisor in the repo department. I got a lady who informed me that the truck had been sold at auction that morning! Bottom line: They told me I had 20 days to pay before it would be sold; all I ever got was a bunch of voice mail runaround; they don't return phone calls; at least one of the four people in the repo dept. KNEW we had the money, but refused to call back. The only good thing to come from it was about 8 weeks later, we got a check in the mail for $3,168 which was the amount of money above what we owed that they got for the truck. I would have much rather had the truck, but we were able to pay off the car with that money, insuring that this situation will never again arise. I will NEVER do business with Ford again.
Shelly
Little Rock, Arkansas
U.S.A.
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