RiverTown Ford Auto Dealers

In November of 2007,i recieved via u.s.mail a sales promotion tract from RiverTown Ford,a local new and used automobile dealer in Columbus Georgia which advertized auto's for sale for $100 down and $99 dollars a month.
My wife and i decided to go over and see thier selection of automobiles,on the way over i informed my wife that they (RiverTown) would not sell us an auto because my credit rating is not the best in the country.
The salesman decended upon us like a proverbial flock of hungry vultures,extolling the virtues of thier wares ie this car,that truck,hey just take your pick,when i off handedly told him (the salesman) that i liked a Ford 150 triton,he immediatly told me "oh yeah,we can make you a real deal on that one"he took all of my pertinate information and disappeared into the nether regions of RiverTown Ford,after about 45 minutes he reappeared and told me to come inside and have a seat at a desk in the lobby,my wife and i complied,while he again disappeared into the netherlands of the company,this went on for about an hour and a half,with him appearing,asking questions,me signing paper work or furnishing information,untill he reappeared with a stack of paper work and ask me to sign same,saying all the time that we WERE getting the truck,then he told me "hey,we require a down payment"how much? i asked,"oh" he replied,"we need $3000" without checking my bank account,and really being tired and wornout,i dutifully signed a check for the $3000,all this time,he had been talking about the military,and telling me that i had earned my retirement and that i should have a nice auto to drive around in and that it was my money and i might as well enjoy it.Anyway,we got the keys to the truck and he escorted us off the lot,even driving my new aquisition to the rental agency where i had rented a truck for a day,at the Enterprize Rental agency,he gave me the keys and parted company with us in a friendly manner.
A day or two later,i checked my checking account and found out that i indeed did NOT have enough money in the account to cover the check and immediatly put a "stop payment" on the check that i had writen to RiverTown Ford,not wanting to have a bad or insufficient funds report sent to the district attorney of muscogee county.My sister was also gravely ill and i was worried about her and was getting troublesome reports about the type of care she was recieving and making phone calls to the DHR in this regard,also i was getting reports from my mortgage company about a pending foreclosure that might happen and i was envolved in getting the veterans administration to add my wife as my dependant.
During this time,RiverTown Ford called me numerous times,once to request that i come back to thier office to sign more paper work,once to ask me if i had stopped payment on the check and once to demand the $3000.
On December 8th 2007 i told my wife that we had to go to RiverTown Ford to get the $3000 matter settled as we could not drive the truck after the 8th of December because RiverTown had not sent us the required Alabama Tag application,nor the certificate of title which is required by Alabama law in order to get an Alabama Tag.
Upon entering the RiverTown Ford lobby and asking for the title clerk,i was informed by Mike Chandler that RiverTown Ford had gotten a warrant for my arrest for THEFT BY DECEPTION whereupon recieving this information i immediatly surrendered the keys to said vehicle,because at this point i figured all further negotiations with RiverTown Ford was useless.I told him to go ahead and call the police because i intended to wait for them in the lobby,this is exactly what i did.
The Columbus police arrived,(2 cars) searched me very closely (2 times)once inside and once out side with my hands on the police vehicle,then placed hand cuffs on me (so tight they actually cut and bruised my wrist)placed me in one of the squad cars and i waited for about 45 minutes while they confered with the management of RiverTown and called the Muscogee county sheriffs department,when the sheriffs deputies got there (2 of them with attendant K-9) they also placed thier hand cuffs on me,so there i was with 2 sets of hand cuffs on,both sets so tight they cut my wrists and in a sheriffs K-9 car with the K-9 dog.
I was taken to Muscogee County Jail,searched again (more throughly i might add) and placed in the holding cell,i was finger printed,photographed and placed in jail clothes,then i was informed that my wife had posted my bail with the bail bondsman ($395) and turned loose,i have had to hire an attorney ($1500) and told that there was no way that i could sue RiverTown Ford for anything,also i am told that i MUST have the $3000 in order that RiverTown can get thier money when my trial comes up.I personally think RiverTown Ford could have handled the whole situation in a better way,there was never any attempt on my behalf to defraud anyone.
RiverTown has been reported by me to both the Better Bussiness Bureau of Georgia and the corporate offices of Ford in Dearborn Michigan,i tried in vain to contact Dr.Richard E.Stephens of Columbus ,the CEO and Chairman of the board of RiverTown,he is also a well known Gynecologist in Columbus Georgia.
I think RiverTown Ford is the worse company i have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
any feed back from anyone regarding this post would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. Bob Mitchum...

Story ID:	3396
Written by:	Bobby O'neill Mitchum (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Musings, Essays and Such
Location:	Phenix City Alabama U.S.A.
Year:	2007
Person:	Self