Man Arrested for Accepting a Good Deal at Car Dealership

A customer is suing a Chevrolet dealership after it mistakenly sold him a car for $5,600 less than it should have--and then had him arrested for theft.



If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. At least that’s what Danny Sawyer learned when a local Priority Chevrolet dealership mistakenly sold him an SUV for $5,600 less than its actual price — and then had him arrested for theft.



Sawyer is now suing the Chesapeake, Va. dealership for accusing him of stealing and ordering his arrest, according to the Virginian-Pilot.



In the lawsuit, Sawyer, 40, claims he bought a black Chevrolet Traverse and then returned it the next morning so he could get a blue one. The sales manager agreed to the trade and allegedly did not explain that the blue version would cost more. Sawyer signed a contract to buy the blue vehicle for $34,000 when it should have sold for closer to $39,000, CBS News reported.



Sawyer says he was bombarded with voice messages and letters from the dealership a week later, because the sales manager admitted he made an error and wanted Sawyer to sign a new, adjusted contract. When Sawyer refused, the dealership tried talking with him again before filing a police report alleging that the SUV had been stolen. One June 15, Sawyer was arrested outside his house and spent four hours in jail before being released on bond, the Virginian-Pilot says.



Priority Chevrolet President Dennis Ellmer told the Virginian-Pilot on Wednesday that the dealership “definitely made a mistake.”



“I owe Mr. Sawyer a big apology,” Ellmer said. “It is my plan to let him keep the $5,600 and to make Mr. Sawyer right. I can’t tell you how I plan to fix it, but it is my intention to make it right.”



Sawyer’s attorney told the newspaper that an apology is insufficient. Through two lawsuits, Sawyer is seeking $2.2 million in damages, in addition to attorney fees. The charges against Sawyer have been dropped, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

Sawyer, 40, claims he bought a black Chevrolet Traverse and then returned it the next morning so he could get a blue one.