Just one problem! The owner was up to date on all his car payments! And to make matters worse, his vehicle was sold at auction! It was high time for 7 On Your Side to take the wheel.
"I'm only guilty of paying my bills on time. So, if I'm guilty for paying my bills in a timely manner, lock me up!" Michael Gaddy said.
He's fired up, for the last 2 and a half years; he says he's never missed or even been late on a payment for "Peaches" -- his sweet orange Outlander.
Yet, it was, being picked up right out of his driveway by the repo-man.
The substance abuse counselor is used to dealing with jitters, just not his own. When he learned the car had been reposed, he lost it.
"I just started shaking, started trembling. I felt like it was personal!" he said.
It was personal because the bank looking to repossess the car for non-payment was the lender for Peaches' previous owner. That bank made a repo-wrong!
"It was the same VIN number, the same license plates, the same color orange. All this is correct, but this is not correct, and my name is not (previous owner). This is the one that owes the money," Gaddy said.
"So, the former owner owed the money?" 7 On Your Side's Nina Pineda asked. "And the former owner was delinquent?"
"Yes," Gaddy said.
When he went to the tow yard with proof of purchase and payment history, the counselor got nothing but grief.
"I've been to the yard on three separate occasions, only got disrespected and laughed at. They presume I was guilty... And I was treated as if I was guilty," Gaddy said.
While his car was in jail, the dealer, his car loan and the old bank couldn't figure it out, then things got worse.
"They send it to the auction to be sold, to be sold. And guess where the auction was at?" Gaddy said. "Connecticut."
We reached all the parties involved, the car dealership that sold it, the bank that had it repossessed, his current lender, everyone, and asked them to coordinate a solution, find the car or pay up! In two days, the car was found and delivered directly to his home.
"This is my baby! I want to thank you for making things right for my family. Nina is the truth," Gaddy said.
After being missed for two months, he's finally back in the driver's seat of Miss Peaches!
"Thank you channel 7 On Your Side."
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