A family in North Georgia recently recounted how a typical afternoon turned into a $90,000 nightmare.
According to a report by WSB-TV, a car salesman allegedly targeted an elderly man living with dementia and convinced him to buy a high-priced pickup truck he was in no condition to negotiate for. The family says the ordeal did not end there.
Doorbell Video Shows Salesman at Home, Then a $78,000 Check
Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashley Lincoln broke the story after the man’s stepdaughter, Jimmy Faulner, reached out for help. Faulner said her stepfather, who has lived with dementia for five years, was sold a $90,000 pickup by a salesperson from Carl Black GMC.
Doorbell footage showed the salesman pulling up to the man’s home in Hiram, more than 40 miles from the dealership. According to the family, the salesman drove him back to the dealership, where the elderly man traded in his 2017 Nissan Frontier for $11,000 and wrote a check for $78,000 from his savings to complete the purchase.
Faulner told the station her stepfather was not in any condition to negotiate such a major financial decision. She believes he was taken advantage of during a vulnerable moment. The dealership, however, said that at the time of the sale, he did not appear to be impaired.
Media Involvement Leads to Settlement, But Relief Is Short-Lived
Before the news station intervened, Faulner said the dealership refused to reverse the sale. That changed after Lincoln’s December report aired. Representatives from the dealership reached out to the family, and a settlement was reached.
For legal reasons, Faulner said she cannot disclose the amount agreed upon, but she confirmed that the family has been made whole financially.
The relief was real. The family publicly thanked Lincoln and the station, saying the resolution would not have happened without media involvement. A representative for the dealership confirmed that a settlement was reached but declined to provide further details.
Yet even after the agreement, the situation took another unsettling turn.
Salesman Still Calling, Traded-In Truck Already Sold to Auction
Faulner says the same salesman continues to call her stepfather, attempting to sell him another vehicle. The family says the sales pitch has not stopped, despite everything that has happened.
They say they are now proactively monitoring the situation and taking steps to protect him moving forward.
The emotional toll has also been significant. Faulner said it took her stepfather time to understand what had happened. Once he realized the scale of the transaction, anger set in. She described him as upset and frustrated, emotions shared by the rest of the family.
There was another painful discovery as well. The family hoped to recover the Nissan Frontier that had been traded in. Instead, they learned the dealership had already sold it to an auction company. To get it back, they would have to buy it from the auctioneer, adding another layer of frustration to an already difficult situation.
A Cautionary Tale About Vulnerability and Protections
The case had people debating how dealerships handle transactions involving elderly customers and whether stronger safeguards are needed when cognitive impairment may be a factor. Families caring for loved ones with dementia often worry about financial vulnerability, particularly when large purchases are involved.
For consumers in Georgia who believe they have been treated unfairly, state officials provide a hotline for assistance with complaints. The number shared during the broadcast is 404-651-8600.
For Faulner and her family, the immediate financial crisis may be resolved, but the experience has left a lasting impact. They say their focus now is on protecting their stepfather and ensuring nothing like this happens again.
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