A Florida couple searching for a new family vehicle is now being put through the wringer after they said the truck they purchased from a local dealership was stolen.
Brandon Haines shared with WESH that his goal while car shopping was simple; he wanted "a fully-loaded F-350 diesel" that preferably wasn't stolen.
His wife, April Haines, shared that the two searched for months before they found it, and after making the purchase, she said he "was so excited."
Brandon Haines purchased the Ford F-350 in May from the Bill Bryan Chrysler Dodge Jeep, in Fruitland Park, Florida, but the excitement lasted only a month.
While taking the truck in for an oil change closer to their home in June, Brandon Haines ran into an issue.
"It was stolen," April Haines said. "And our minds were blown."
April Haines shared with the station that the truck had been flagged at the dealership, saying, "It came up in red, big bright: 'Stolen.' Right on the screen in red letters."
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office reported that the truck's VIN was not a Ford manufactured number, and what was displayed on the door and dashboard didn't match the VIN from the truck's software.
After running into the issue at the dealership, Bradon Haines said he contacted the sheriff's office, which responded and impounded the truck, confirming that it was stolen.
The sheriff's office later discovered that it was stolen from a Colorado dealership and that the truck was two years older than the one the family had signed for on their purchase contract. Brandon Haines thought he was purchasing a 2019 vehicle, but it was actually the 2017 model.
"When you go to a big dealership, and you trust them, and you feel like, 'Oh, I got a nice new car,' and then come to find out all of these things and you didn't see it. We didn't see any of it," April Haines told WESH.
To make the situation worse, it's been over three months since the incident occurred, and the dealership has not helped them with the loan, meaning they are still responsible for paying and haven't refunded them for their down payment, WESH reported.
"It's unbelievable something like that could happen, and nobody does nothing about it," Brandon Haines said.
Now the Haines' are fighting back, filing a lawsuit against the dealership and the bank, saying there was a breach of contract after and before the purchase was made.
"I want my money back, and I want other people to know that this could happen to them too," April Haines said.
The dealership has declined to comment on the situation, though an attorney representing the dealership said they were in contact with the family to reach a settlement.
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