I thought I would pass this story on as it has caused a lot of comments in the tri-state area. I would have thought that misappropriation of a customer's property would be a fireable offense but I guess not.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/l...awsuit/287731/

 

I had the same thing happen to me many moons ago. I had bought a new 1979 Lincoln Continental Coupe in a rare 2 door car. The car was Cream in color and the only one I've ever seen like it. I had left the car at the dealership for a new vinyl top as the original didn't fit. I was out on a date with a gal when my car passed me on the expressway. So I followed the guy and his group. They pulled into a steakhouse and I waited about 5 minutes. I had the gal take my truck back to my house and I got out the spare keys and drove my car home. I waited a few days and then called the dealership about my car and if it was ready. They gave me a song and dance about the car was waiting for parts. A week later I called the owner of the dealership and asked when the car was going to be ready. He called back the next day with terrible news, they couldn't locate the car. We had a niffy conversation about the location of the car and why it was sitting in my garage. I ended up with lifetime no labor charge on any of my vehicles, parts only and a promise it would never happen again or they would replace the vehicle with a new one. Since then the owner and I have become decent friends. All it takes is one nut job on the payroll to make a dealership look bad. I can't imagine any dealer endorsing taking any vehicle for a joy ride. I never took advantage of the free labor but I've bought tons of Ford parts at dealer cost including several complete engines. It's worked for me so far.

 

Hilarious!

 

Great story, Labnerd!

I think your approach to the misappropriation was about the perfect one. Good that the dealer was an honorable guy too.

- Jack

 

I had a similar thing happen with a 5.0 mustang I bought. I dropped it off for a problem with the radio and was told it would be ready by noon. I showed up at 11:30 and the car was not inside or out on the lot. As I was asking the service writer where it was, a technician drove onto the lot in my car. I checked and it had 10 mi on it since I dropped it off. I brought the service manager over to the car and asked the tech why he took my car for a ride to fix the radio. No answer, and the manager seemed annoyed with me for questioning his tech. I found the owner of the dealership and told him about the joyride, and about a week later the sales rep who sold me the car called me to tell me that the tech had been fired and this wasn't the first problem with him.

 

Geez - I need to put in the dashcam....

 

Stupid people everywhere.
My wife's cousin bought (special ordered, not off the lot) a Dodge Charger a few years ago. When it was delivered to the dealer, a couple employees took it out and wrecked it (over a curb & into a concrete ditch). The dealer tried to cover it up...was going to repair the damage and give/deliver her the car as "new". She only found out because she pressed them about it after being notified the car had arrived, and was then was told repeatedly it wasn't ready because they still had to perform the "dealer prep"!