After spending several months looking for a one ton truck to buy in my area without success, I started looked far and wide for one in publications such as the Thrifty Nickel and the Trader Online. I found what seemed lika the perfect truck in June. It was a 1988 Chevy crew cab 1 ton dually in Weatherford, Texas for $2500. It was a long way to go for a truck, but I needed a heavy duty tow vehicle and had had no luck locally.
I phoned the seller, "Joe's Used Cars" and spoke to Randy Nichols. He spoke to the owner, Joe himself, who was more than happy to work with me considering the distance. After all, I'm in North Carolina. He said he would hold the truck for me until I could get there for a $1000 deposit. No conversation was held to the exact length of time it would be until I picked up the truck, but I did tell him that it would take me a few weeks to put in for time off from work and he was fine with that.
I overnighted him the $1000 on June 18th and kept in constant contact with them during the next couple of weeks, apprising them of my schedule and plans for picking up the truck. Joe and Randy always told me there was no rush and not to worry about it. The only document I received from Joe's was a copy of the blank title on June 26th.
I was intending to leave to get the truck within days when we had an unfortunate accident at our home. A fire. My wife and I were both seriously burned and my wife required hospitalization. Amidst all the catastrophe, I phoned Joe on July the 12th and informed him that I could not leave to get the truck and explained to him my circumstances. My wife was in a coma at the intensive care burn unit and I couldn't possibly worry with the truck right then. Randy offered to deliver the truck to me at my expense, but with my home in ruins and my wife needing extremely expensive care, I felt I should wait and try to pick the truck up myself later to keep the costs down. It was a difficult time to try and negotiate a truck sale with all that was going on.
A day or so later I called Randy back and told him that it would be weeks before I could pick the truck up. At this point, Randy put Joe on the phone. Joe informed me that he was getting alot of interest in the truck and wanted me to pick it up immediately or forget it. When I told him that he knew I couldn't leave right then, he told me that was fine, but that I wasn't getting any of my money back or the truck.
I've called him and tried to work something out with him but he gets irate and hangs up on me. He did say he would refund half of the money, which I wasn't happy with since he has, no doubt, sold the truck by now that I thought was mine and hasn't lost a penny. I have nothing.
To date, he's made no attempt to contact me or return one thin dime of my money. He very blatantly used our accident as a way to steal $1000. He gave me no time restraints and was overly willing to give me time to work out the trip until the accident. I was still perfectly willing to work something out to get the truck. I still needed it. He gave me no opportunity to do that, though. His idea was that I should leave my wife there alone and drive to Texas immediately to get the truck or lose my money and have no truck at all. Of course, as he predicted, I chose not to leave and he got to rob me with ease.
To anyone concerned, my wife is recovering and is doing much better.
0 comments