In this episode, the Haggler takes a second and longer look at the American Truck Group, the company in Gulfport, Miss., that has been the focus of dozens of complaints from truckers in a rent-to-own program.

Why dive back into the same subject? Quite simply, the Haggler has never encountered a company that has elicited more rage and sadness. In a series of conversations with ex-customers, the Haggler heard, time and again, variations of “They ruined my life” or “I have not been the same since.” How this occurred should concern everyone who cares about consumer fairness.

To recap: American Truck’s rent-to-own program is for truckers who lack the credit rating to get a bank loan. For a down payment ($4,000 to $10,000) and then a year or so of weekly payments ($500 to $1,000), a driver can become a self-employed trucker, known as an owner-operator. At the end of the year, the driver has an option to buy the truck outright for an additional lump sum.

This is a fine idea in theory. But a few dozen American Truck customers have told the Better Business Bureau that they spent thousands on a down payment and on rental fees — in some cases a total of $50,000 or more — only to have the truck repossessed before they had the chance to buy it. Some contend that the company’s business model is to milk as much as possible from renters, grab the truck, then rent it out again.