ken ware super store Beware of Ken Ware north bend, Oregon

We are an elderly couple. I was born in 1937 and my wife in 1939. That makes her 72 and me 74 years old. We were raised in a time when you could trust people and take them at their word. Deals were made with a hand shake. I guess we sometimes forget that the world isnt that way anymore. We were taught to respect our elders and help them when they needed help. Now it seems like the older folks are easy prey for the dishonest to take advantage of. We are living on my social security, live fulltime in our fifth wheel RV and I volunteer my time in State and National Parks. I volunteer because I feel like I am giving something back to a society that has been good to us. North in summer and south in the winter. Our combined income from social security is $2,007 a month. Medicare payments are $115 each. That leaves $1777 a month or $21,324 a year spendable income. Out of that, if one of us doesnt need medical attention or there is no repairs needed for our RV or truck, we manage to save a few dollars each month.

 The first week in September we left Mount Rainier National Park where I had volunteered for the summer on our way to the Army Corps of Engineers Park at Lake Whitney in Texas where I had agreed to volunteer for the winter months. On the way we broke a leaf spring and twisted an axle on our fifth wheel. We limped into a RV repair shop in Oregon for repairs at a cost of $2,157. The people at the shop were very friendly and accommodating and the mechanic did a great job. We left a little poorer financially but felt really good that the job was done right.

Lately we had been talking about getting a new truck. So we headed for the dealer where we had bought our new Chevy pickup in 2006. We were greeted cordially and shown what the dealership had available that we might be interested in buying. I test drove the only pickup they had that might suit our needs and the salesman offer a terrific deal on it. But we decided not to buy because that vehicle had so many unnecessary upgrades and options that drove the price up higher than we could afford to spend. We left happy with the way we were treated but disappointed that we could not buy a new vehicle. We were determined to buy a new pickup so we stopped at a Chevrolet dealer down the road in North Bend, Oregon. When I walked in the door I was greeted cordially and introduced to a salesman that seemed to be honest. After going through the inventory there was one vehicle that I knew my wife would love and should do a good job of pulling their fifth wheel. I made an offer of $25,000 and our 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel for their 2011 Silverado 3500HD Diesel. The sales manager accepted the offer and proposed a down payment of $10,000, a $15,000 loan from one of the banks that they use and our 2006 Chevy trade in. The deal was made, the papers were signed and we continued on our journey in our new 2011 Chevy Silverado 3500HD Diesel. Really a nice truck. Beautiful interior. We are really happy.

Traveling down Highway 101 through the mountains on Oregon and northern California the new truck barely made up the hills. It was so bad that I stopped in a parking lot and jacked up the fifth wheel trailer so that I could check to see if the wheel were spinning freely. No bad bearings or sticky brakes to hold the new truck back. We had traveled this road every year for the past 6 years and climbed the same hills with their 2006 Silverado 2500 with no problems. The 2006 has a towing capacity rating of 15,000 pounds. This 2011 has a rating of 20,500 pounds. There is obviously something wrong. I phoned the dealer to report the problem. He instructed me to travel about 100 miles to the nearest dealer and have the vehicle checked out. This dealer diagnoses it on a computer and says according to the computer there is nothing wrong. However, the 2011has a lot of problems and the computer cant read all of them. Back on the road the truck cant make a hill at more than 10 miles per hour and jumps and jerks away from a stop sign. My wife is scared to death. I call the dealer we bought the truck from and tell them that I am bringing the new truck back and will trade back for our old 2006. We drove a little less than 500 miles back to the dealer and arrange to trade back for our 2006. The sales people try to talk me out of the deal but the final deal is struck.

 After hours of waiting the salesman comes into the waiting room and announces that there is some bad news and some good news. The bad news: They have started to prepare the 2006 for resale and have changed oil and filters and there is a bill for $509 that has to be paid. No problem. How about the good news. The good news is, The trade will be at no cost to you! Great! Lets get the paper work done. The papers are prepared and the finance man shoves the papers in front of me and says, Sigh here, here and here. I drive our old 2006 back toour fifth wheel and hook up. Wait a minute. I didnt get our $10,000 back. I go back to the dealership and tells the sales manager I forgot my check. What check?

My $10,000

Oh no, you dont get that back After much heated discussion the dealer refuses to return the $10,000. When all this started and I walked into that dealership to buy a new pickup truck here is where we both stood: The happy couple: Had $17,100 in the bank and a 2006 Chevy Silverado.

Now they have $4,700 in the bank and the same 2006 Chevy Silverado. And the dealer: Had a new 2011 Chevy Silverado with 80 miles on the odometer on his lot with a sales price of $55,515. Now he has a used 2011 Chevy Silverado with less than 1,000 miles on the odometer with a new set of running boards that was put on at the dealership at a cost of $690 dollars, a fifth wheel hitch at a cost of $1,610 and a bed mat at a cost of $76 (All of which was paid for by us.) Plus his kickback from the bank for the loan and $10,000 of the our money. The dealer sold the 2011 to an elderly couple for a total package price of $62,313 and bought it back for $43,015. Neither the 2011 nor the 2006 titles were ever sent to DMV to be transferred. The new car loan was submitted to the bank after the trucks were traded back and a loan was made in the buyers name and funded to the dealer. Do you have any suggestions how we can recoup our loses?