Soldier Ripped Off By Local Car Lot

A military family living in Mobile contacted News 5 for help. They say they were ripped off by a local car lot and want their money back. They're moving to Fort Hood, Texas next week and need every penny they can get.

When the Army called Specialist Maurice Owens with new orders to move to Texas, his family started packing. One of the loose ends they needed to tie up was with a car lot called Capital Auto Sales in Prichard.

They put 1000 dollars down on a used Lincoln Navigator but couldn't come up with the rest of the down payment before the re-assignment. They had only test-driven the car and hadn't even started filling out the paperwork says Tymela Owens. "We just couldn't go through with the deal so we asked for our money back."

But instead of the 1,000 dollars they put down, the salesman offered to give them 500 back. They said he had to keep the rest for holding the vehicle for a few weeks. Specialist Owens couldn't believe his ears. "It's just crazy how people wanna get over you and I work hard for that money and they're taking food out of my kids mouth."

The Owens' have three sons and a daughter on the way. Tymela is just days from giving birth but they have to hit the road for Fort Hood on Tuesday.

News 5's Tiffany Craig went to the car lot on St. Stephens Road and talked to the manager. He wouldn't give his last name but said to call him "Sammy." It didn't take him long for Sammy agree to give the military family their entire down payment back. "He's gonna get his money. Don't worry." To make sure we were clear, Tiffany mentioned the amount. "You're giving him his thousand dollars back. Sammy agreed, "I'm gonna cut him the check and be over with."

But when the Owens' showed up to collect their check, the car guys only gave them 750 dollars. Tymela says it's just not right. "They only gave us 750 because they already paid the guy (salesman) commission. I don't have time to go through the court. They told us we can sue them for 250 but at this point that's the best they can do. I'm disappointed, very disappointed."

When we tried going back to the lot to find out what happened, a salesman at Capital Auto Sales kicked us out. Specialist Owens has served two tours of duty in Iraq and can't believe he was treated this way in his own country.