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I am *so* hoping that my friends here at DU can help me out with a consumer problem:
I have a co-worker who I think is getting screwed by a car finance deal. Basically, he bought a 2007 Impala at a rate he could afford, signed the papers and off he drove. He then got "new" paperwork in the mail re-adjusting his payment up by 25% ($400/mo. to $500/mo.). He immediately called the financing company and told them that he couldn't pay $500, but he could pay the original rate and was there any way they could help. He was told no quite flatly; they refused to even look into it. He went around and around with them for the entire first month, then returned the car at the end of 30 days when they proved obstinate.
The dealership said that he couldn't just return the car because now it was "used." They could only give him $8000 for it, and he was responsible for the balance. $10,000. Now he is getting hassled by creditors for the $10,000. I honestly suspect that the dealership, in turn, has resold the Impala as a "new" car for the full $18,000 and are trying to get my co-worker to pay off a car that he doesn't own, returned after a month, and is likely owned by some other sucker.
Can anybody (especially in the Philly area of PA) suggest a consumer group to whom I can refer him? There may be nothing to be done. He might be stuck. But this can't be right, and it certainly isn't completely above board. Ultimately I can refer him to the state AG, but I'm hoping there is a more local group that can advocate for him and give him more personal attention.
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