A recent dispute over the alleged sale of the wrong truck to a customer has been resolved.

In the middle of Performance Automotive being sold to Deacon Jones, Sampson resident Ozzie Carter bought a 2022 Ram truck. The only problem was Carter claimed the truck they sold him, and the one he thought he was buying, were two different vehicles.

Carter said he thought he was buying a vehicle with a V8 engine, but the truck he purchased was a V6, despite paperwork indicating it was the engine-type he wanted.

He tried resolving the problem, to no avail, and eventually called the newspaper to seek assistance. An article was written on Oct. 4 about his plight.

Not long after, he received a resolution to his problem.

Deacon Jones and Carter reached an agreement, Carter said. He received $3,000 cash, which he said will help him make his truck payments, and leave him some to put away for an emergency, if he needs it.

“It was obviously an issue that happened when it was Performance (Automotive) and an honest mistake,” said Jeremy Ferraez, directer of variable operations for Deacon Jones.

“I don’t think they meant any ill will, and he’s (Carter) happy. (The customer) actually signed a letter that he is happy with the whole deal.”

Ferraez was pleased over the end result, “We got a good customer out of it, and it was an honest mistake by the previous owner, but we made the customer happy, and, like I said, I don’t think they meant any ill will by it — and we got a new Deacon customer and welcomed him aboard.”

Carter said he likes the truck fine, but it just wasn’t what he had paid for. But, today, he is very happy with the resolution Deacon Jones provided. He said he’s driven about 1,600 miles since he bought it.

“I plan on keeping it a long time. It’ll take me a while just to get it paid for,” he laughed.

Carter said that none of this would have been possible without the help from The Sampson Independent.

“If someone is having any problems with anything, I recommend getting the paper involved, because I truly believe that’s why I got anything done,” he attested.

Independent General Manager Sherry Matthews thanked Deacon Jones for their quick response to the issue and said she was just happy that the situation had been resolved.

Carter said that he still has a good relationship with the dealership, and he said they told him they hope he will come back to do business with them again.

The incident began during the time the dealerships were changing hands, and Carter found himself with a truck that differed from the one he thought he purchased.

He brought the issue to the attention of the salesman he had dealt with but didn’t get the satisfaction he was hoping for at the time.

Carter said in the first article that he paid $37,000 for the truck, but the salesman he dealt with only offered to take the truck in as a trade-in, offering him $28,0000 for the truck he had recently purchased. He never contacted the Deacon Jones or Performance owners.

“The only contact I have is if I call them or go to them. They never return a call,” Carter said at that time about the people at the local dealership offices. “I’m a senior citizen, just retired. This will be the last truck I’m probably able to get, and then I get done like this.”

He continued, “I’ve even asked them to just refund me the difference of a V8 motor and a V6 motor and I’ll just keep it, but I hate to pay for a V8 and end up with a V6.”

After reaching out to management and getting nowhere on resolving his issue, he called The Sampson Independent.

A day or two after the story was published, Carter said a manager from Deacon Jones Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Clinton called to let him that they were going to give him a check for $1,000.

“I didn’t think that’s what it should be, so I went to the Nissan place and asked them what it would be worth in a trade,” Carter said.

Nissan told them the value difference would be about $4,000.