Ford Dealer Accused Of Adding $43,000 To Truck’s Price And Forging Customer’s Name

Now the buyers, who also claim they were charged with a higher interest rate and features they hadn't agreed to, are suing the dealer

A couple in North Carolina is reportedly claiming that a Ford dealer forged their signatures on a deal that's $43,000 more than what they expected. Now the Blue Oval dealer and the couple are in litigation over the questionable deal. Some online users say that this very same dealer is known for high markups on its vehicles.

The dealer in question is Mark Ficken Ford located in South Charlotte, NC. According to customer Alex Gallardo, he had entered into a contract with Ficken Ford for a truck to the tune of $74,000. When he finally got a chance to look at the finalized paperwork, several days after he signed the documents, the contract had a price on it of $117,000.

"It's overwhelming. It's frustrating. It's very tiring," Gallardo told local news outlet WSOC. That price wasn't just pure markup profit either. Gallardo says that it included a higher interest rate and features that he and his wife hadn't agreed to like gap insurance. When he brought it up to the dealer, he was offered the chance to sell the truck back but turned it down.

Read: Ford Cracks Down On Flippers, Confirms It Will Penalize Dealers Selling To Resellers

"All that time would’ve just been wasted. All that time invested into looking for a vehicle, going to the dealership, taking time off work; so, what they were offering wasn't a real solution for both parties involved," he said. That's certainly understandable. John O’Neal, the attorney representing the Gallardos says that "It falls far short of trying to make it right and giving the Gallardos the deal that they anticipated."

For its part, the dealer isn't commenting while the litigation is ongoing. "Client satisfaction is our number one priority every day. We are simply not able to discuss pending litigation," the dealer told Action 9.

That isn't stopping those who see the story online from commenting though. One comment on Facebook indicated that this dealer has a history of large markups. "Walked out of this dealership last year. I saw they had all kinds of markups. Salesman [sic] denied they did this. Advised him he needed to look on window sticker and figure out how thirty grand market adjust was not a markup," they said.

We’ll keep track of the case and update you as we learn more.