Tax Assessor Quit Claims My Property....What?!!!!!!

[Debra Mittleman]

Help!!!   In November 2016 I attended a tax deed sale in Thomasville GA.  It was my first and I was pleased to purchase 2 homes and one lot.  Georgia has a one year redemption period which allows the owner to reclaim property if they pay back your investment plus 20% interest.  Great!  A no lose situation.  At the end of the year I will either own the properties or make 20% on my original investment.  Well here's the rub....I go on vacation (Costa Rica was fabulous!) and return to have certified mail from the county assessor waiting for me.  When I pick up the letter, it is a check for my original investment (no additional 20%), a letter stating the sale was done in error, and a quit claim deed done "on my behalf" by the Thomas County Tax Assessor.  What the F***!  

So I call the assessor and she explains that although the lot had a separate PIN than the neighboring home, that the two had been purchased and that the lot was sold to me in error.  I asked about the 20% I was supposed to receive and she said it didn't apply because the owner wasn't purchasing it from me but rather the lot was sold to me in error in the first place!

Where to begin?  Can an assessors office do a quit claim deed "on my behalf" without me signing any papers?  Don't they still owe me the additional 20% since that is what the deed stipulates?  If I deposit their check does that mean that I accept this deal?  Help!