On January 21st I turned in a leased vehicle with three payments remaining to Russ Milne Ford in Mt Clemens and leased a new vehicle. Salesman Phil Bryant @ Russ Milne Ford agreed to make the 2 final payments on the truck I was turning in and 1 payment would be rolled into the new vehicle. The terms and conditions were zero money down and security deposit rolled into the monthly payment. These terms and conditions were agreed upon and the contract was signed. I signed over my old truck and drove off in a new vehicle.
The following day I received a phone call From Salesman Phil Bryant who stated; they (meaning him) had made a mistake and I would be required to return the vehicle or cut the dealership a check for $949.00. My response was of course no way, I signed a contract. Apparently after the contract was signed, the "dealership" had determined that I was not eligible for the "early bird special" because of a lease extension I had on the old truck. Salesman Phil Bryant was aware of this situation and assured me it was not an issue. According to Ford Credit, salesman Phil Bryant never confirmed that this was acceptable before having me sign a contract.
Ford Credit is now attempting to collect a debt which I do not (in my opinion, or that of other legal counsel I have spoken with) owe. My credit is now damaged with this debt in collections and any future financing through Ford Credit has been compromised.
I have spoken to Ford Credit who is willing to settle for a lesser amount and have discussed this issue several times with salesman Phil Bryant, the General Sales Manager and Russ Milne (owner) with no success. Ford Credit representatives have also talked to Russ Milne who continually refuses to pay. Russ Milne was extremely dismisive each time I spoke to him and would continually say " I have attorneys that handle this kind of stuff". (Must be a frequent problem) I have spoken with an Attorney to resolve this issue but due to a deployment to Iraq, and strict guidelines from my employer regarding a security clearance and bad credit, I was forced to settle with a collection company resulting in a damaged credit history. These unethical sale practices have had a lasting effect on my credit and my decision making on what types of vehicles I will buy in the future.
Phil Bryant and Russ Milne should be very proud, they managed to scam a few extra dollars from a Veteran, former Ford employee, and until now, a dedicated Ford owner.
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