DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A Douglas County family says a metro Atlanta car dealership took advantage of their 83-year-old father, who they say had dementia, and sold him an SUV he did not understand he was purchasing.
Alicia Miller said her father, John Benson, entered into a nearly $70,000 sales contract with Scott Evans Jeep in Carrollton despite what she described as clear cognitive impairment.
“Fifteen minutes of being around my parents, you would have known something wasn’t right,” Miller said.
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Miller said her father did not have a driver’s license and had not been driving. She said salesmen came to his senior living facility after he responded to an advertisement.
“He wasn’t of sound mind,” she said.
Miller said she discovered the purchase after her father went missing for more than 30 hours. He had told his wife he was going to the store but did not return until the next day, when he showed up at his assisted living facility in a new Jeep.
Documents show Benson’s wife, who Miller said also has memory issues, co-signed the loan.
“My mother signed it. She doesn’t remember signing it. My dad never thought he bought a car,” Miller said.
Miller said she contacted the dealership to dispute the sale but was told the business “didn’t discriminate against the elderly.”
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A manager at Scott Evans Jeep confirmed with Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln that the dealership sold Benson the SUV but declined further comment.
Miller said the dealership offered to refund just over $3,000 in fees.
The family is seeking a full reversal of the deal, including repayment of a $5,000 deposit and payoff of the loan.
“I just thought we were stuck,” Miller said.
Benson died in February, and his wife is now in a mental health facility, Miller said. She added that she cannot afford the $750 monthly car payment tied to the loan.
“He didn’t even know he had bought a car,” she said.
Miller said her father was living in a section of the senior facility that allowed visitors to access his unit. The family is now considering hiring an attorney.
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