My family had attempted to purchase a double-wide from an individual (they took our payments but never paid the bank), and we were forced to move in a hurry.
We went to Oakwood, where we were led to believe we could get a home for less than 400/month. After using our entire savings for a downpayment (three times what we'd initially been told), we finally moved into our "own" home.
Then it just got worse. My payments were scheduled to start a month after we took posession of the home, and when I received my payment book I was shocked. My payments were almost twice what I'd been told. Then a year later they went up another $100, due to Oakwood claiming higher insurance costs.
There were other things, like they never came out to fix what they'd said they would. I ended up fixing a lot of things myself, like pluming, AC/Heating unit, the kitchen island that came up out of the floor, the front door that wouldn't close, etc.
At one time they drafted my checking account, after I mistakenly gave them my account number as a "promised payment", but they also cashed the check that I'd sent. This caused NSF fees, which put us in a financial bind and caused us to fall behind. When I contacted them about it all they said was I shouldn't have been late in the first place!
They finally called me at work on a Friday and told me that the sheriff's department would be out to lock me out on Monday if I wasn't out already. I'm a single mom with three kids, so I was scared and moved everything we owned in two days. They never even came to the home for another 6 months, and I now owe for the lot rent.
They have since resold the home, and yet I still have a $38,000 claim on my credit report, insuring that I'll never get any credit anywhere again.
I was never notified of any bankruptcy, and continue to receive calls for payment.
All we wanted was a decent place to live. A home for me and my children. All we got was nightmare. Maybe my first clue should have been when the salesman said, "I can get anyone financed". I found out later, that he "doctored" my income verification to show that I earned $800/month more than I really did. That's how he got me financed.
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