MARION, Ohio -- A family asked NBC 4 for help after a vehicle deal fell through. Find out how you can avoid the same situation.
NBC 4 gets both sides of the issue.
Josie George has five children, which requires a big vehicle.
George had a 1998 Chevy Venture minivan.
She and her boyfriend Brian York traded in the van last month for a 2000 Ford Excursion at Jason Hatfield Automotive.
The dealer told George and York the Ford had a title problem and had to be returned.
The Ford was returned Sept. 3.
Hatfield let the couple test drive a 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette.
George and York said Hatfield told them earlier this week they could get their van back but later told them the van already sold at auction two weeks ago.
York wants the retail value of his original van.
The trade-in value was $1,500, but the retail is somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000.
York and George are suing for the money.
To make matters worse, George said Hatfield reported the Oldsmobile stolen before she returned it from the test drive.
The couple wants Hatfield to make things right.
NBC 4 contacted Jason Hatfield Automotive on the couple’s behalf.
He said the trade-in payment on the Chevy was more than the car was worth.
He said he sent York a certified letter Sept. 16, offering a settlement of $2,175 to cover the $500 down payment, the $1,500 trade-in amount and the first payment of $175 on the Ford.
He said he had not heard back as of Friday afternoon.
Hatfield said someone rolled back the odometer on the Ford by more than 100,000 miles. He only discovered it by checking www.autocheck.com.
He said Columbus Fair Auto Auction should have checked the odometer history prior to selling the Ford to him.
He said he has not decided whether to pursue the matter further.
Columbus Fair Auto Auction acquired the Ford from Pauley Motor Car Company in Charleston, WV.
Hatfield said he thinks the couple is trying to extort him.
Consumers should ask for a vehicle report from www.carfax.com and/or www.autocheck.com before buying a used car and make sure the dealer physically has the title.
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said consumers should ask these questions when buying used cars: Do you own the car? Do you have the title? If not, do you as a dealer participate in the Title Defect Rescission Fund?
Cordray said dealers pay into the program and if there’s a title problem, consumers can cancel the purchase and get a refund on the 40th day after the sale.
NBC 4 will follow this story to see how and when it will be resolved.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
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