Around February 2011 my father contacted GMAC to ask if he could skip a payment. He had a perfect payment history with them up to this point. They told him they would skip 2 payments-March and April. My dad sent in an interest payment of $135 as he was instructed to do. Come May 23 (my father's payment date) GMAC did not deduct his payment from his bank account as he expected. He called them on 06/07/2011 to ask them why they had not debited his payment. They informed him his truck was set to be repoed that very day. He asked why and they told him they did not skip two payments but only one. After some arguing with GMAC he asked what he needed to do to prevent the repo, he was told to go to Western Union and wire them alomst $600 and call them with the confirmation number.
He immediately went to WU, made the payment and called GMAC while he was there and let the GMAC rep he had been dealing with (Shelton) speak with the Western Union emplyee to get any info that was needed. My dad finished his shopping and returned home approximately 2 hours later and shortly thereafter they came and repoed his truck. When he called GMAC Shelton said there was nothing he could do and my dad would have to talk to the reclamation dept.
My dad called them and they told him it would now cost him almost another $1000 for him to get his truck back. My dad called numerous times that evening and all the next day and all the while getting more and more stressed out. When they originally took his truck he thought that when he called and told them they had made a mistake they would bring his truck back. But after repeated phone calls he realized these sorry unethical excuses for humans had no intentions of honoring the agreement they made with him.
The following night he had a heart attack. He spent the next 17 days in the hospital, many of those days on life support. Once he was strong enough, the doctors did a heart catherization and said there were absolutely no blockages and the stents they had placed 5 yrs prior looked wonderful. Can anyone say stress induced?
While he was in the the hospital I contacted a local TV station with the story about GMAC's actions. They contacted GMAC and lo and behold GMAC about a week later (I'm assuming that's how long it took them to review all the recorded phone calls with my dad and determine there was no way they could slimey their way out of being negligent in the situation) they called me wanting to return the truck to my dad that very same day. Of course I had to tell them he was in the hospital on life support fighting for every breath. They did return the truck to my house the following day and waived the next month's payment and sent a beautiful letter of apology.
He came home from the hospital on 06/24/11 to live with me and passed on 07/05/2011.
Anyone know an attorney who has already filed suit against GMAC in the past for wrongful repossession? I live in NC but I am not sure that it would matter whether or not the attorney is close by.