Someone stole the catalytic converter from Diane Reid’s Hyundai Veracruz while it was parked at a dealership awaiting service. But when the dealership denied liability for the theft, Hyundai stepped in to compensate Reid and apologize.
The automaker had Reid’s Veracruz towed to another dealership, paid for it to be detailed inside and out, provided a rental car for a week and gave her a $500 gasoline card for her trouble.
“When a customer’s vehicle is in the property of a Hyundai dealership, they have an obligation to take care of the vehicle,” Jennifer McCarthy, national manager of public relations for Hyundai Auto Canada, told Global News last week.
Hyundai got involved after Reid’s daughter posted about the situation on Facebook, complaining that Orangeville Hyundai in Ontario was refusing to cover the $2,000 cost to replace the stolen catalytic converter. Reid’s daughter said the dealer principal, Phil Richards, called police after she mentioned involving a lawyer and told another customer about the experience.
Richards told Global News in August that the theft was “out of our control” and that he refused to help Reid because of her daughter’s “demeanor” toward him. He said the store, which had been targeted by catalytic converter thieves several months earlier as well, had no security cameras.
Reid’s Veracruz was at Orangeville Hyundai awaiting a new alternator. The dealership that eventually fixed it on Hyundai’s dime concluded that the vehicle actually needed only a new battery.