Dealership employee stole item from my truck

SOCIAL MEDIA! Last time my local Toyota Dealer pissed me off I tagged them in a post on Facebook to all my friends and theirs as well that detailed what they did to me. I had a phone call less than an hour later apoligizing and asking if I could please remove the post and to come in so they could "make it right". They even had the salesperson call me to apologize!

 

How about make sure that the theft was by an employee first. trashing the rep of a business before all the facts are in is just a di*k move.

 

Pretty sure that I read that he was positive it was there when he dropped off the truck. What I meant to say was that if he can prove it was an employee and they as the dealer make no effort to right his wrong then there are other ways his voice can be heard. They need to hold their employees responsible reguardless of the "not responsible for theft" signs. I'd hope that dealers put that sign up to warn about leaving vehicles over night on premise without having a way of properly securing them. Something beyond their control such as an outside theif in general not as away to excuse the actions of their own employees.

Also, in my case it didn't involve a theft it was a completely different situation that was completely their fault and they refused to make it right while I was there so i went home and used the only way I could to get my voice heard and it worked. Sorry if that was a di*k move but it worked!

 

Call the ATF and FBI and report yourself for leaving a loaded mag in your truck.


I only leave empty mags in mine... Had a few in there for a couple years. maybe one day Ill clean it out.

 

Right on Bill. Definitely not trying to escalate but, clarify...it was pretty much a joke and to be clear I don't plan to murder anyone anytime soon either.

However (and like you said), a random sign does necessarily change the law, theft is illegal and if liability can be shown....

 

for outcome.. and as others have said report the mag as being stolen so it doesn't get linked back to you in the event someone uses it for murder/robbery

 

No disrespect to the OP...

But who takes their vehicle in for service and leaves valuables in the vehicle?

I wouldn't leave a used toothpic.

 

Perhaps you misunderstood. I was saying that hitting up a businesses social media BEFORE final proof was a dick move. What YOU did was acceptable. I was saying that he should wait until there could be proof that a shop employee stole it. Perhaps someone else stole it? I just say let's not knee-jerk and make sure they are at fault, and do nothing about it before trashing them. THAT is what I meant.

I agree, and as you read through my entire post I state that the sign is general protection for things beyond the control of the shop itself. Yes, if he can prove that an employee stole it, then by all means, it is up to the dealership to make good. Liability is released when properly posting a sign.

Example: You bring your truck to my shop and over the weekend someone climbs the fence and breaks into your car, stealing your stereo. I am not liable because A: I notified you of non-liable, and B: because by having a fence up, I made a reasonable attempt at protecting your property. That being said, if that were to REALLY happen, and you were not an ass about it when I told you what happened, I would do what I could to be fair. that's just good business sense. But if a bunch of vandals jumped the fence and stole 20k of property from different cars, I would feel reasonably safe that I was protected from loosing the farm!

 

not to be a d*ck as you say but actually in the state of AL you are liable. in fact a friend of the family just got through with a court case in which the judge directly addressed the issue of a fence and locked doors and still found fault to the shop because the car was in their possesion and under their care. just thought you might want to know that for future reference, kind of a W.Y.A. thing

 

Precision Toyota at the Auto mall in Tucson.

 

I would argue that case. And have a better lawyer. A shop can only do so much. Of course that is why we have shop keepers insurance. I have seen these cases won over and over again. I may put in a call to my lawyer though just to see what the limitations are in Alabama. As I mentioned, what is to keep someone from saying that they had a laptop in their car when they brought it in, and it was not there when they picked it up? Damage to a vehicle? I can understand, because that is what the insurance is for. But a claim of something stolen out of a vehicle? I would find that a bit hard to swallow. A shop would have absolutely no defense at all.

 

So service manager called me this afternoon and I wasn't able to answer but he did leave a detailed voicemail. He stated himself and the IT guys reviewed footage of my truck while it was in the shop and the "master tech" was the only service tech that worked on my truck and was inside my truck, and the video showed nothing was removed from inside my truck while it was inside the shop. He stated that the truck was parked overnight in their storage lot and that the truck was locked, so there is no way that anyone from his dealership stole my magazine out of the truck. He stated that even after reviewing the footage which showed nothing, he is still looking into this and interviewing all employees that had anything to do with my truck while it was at their dealership.

At this point....I get the feeling from his tone of voice on the voicemail that he thinks I am lying and making up stories about the missing magazine. I know for FACT it was in there before I dropped my truck off, as just a week ago I switched out ammo in the magazine and then wrapped it back up in the beanie and placed it back in the drink well in the drivers side door. I am the only person that drives my truck and have not had any friends riding in the truck recently within the past 2 weeks, even then...I am the only person who is aware that there is a loaded magazine in my truck and where it is stashed.

I'm really not sure what to do from this point on. I have not filed a report with the police yet, I was waiting for the service manager to do his investigation and his findings. I am worried that now there is a magazine out there somewheres with my finger prints all over it, loaded with speer hollow points that also have my fingerprints all over each bullet in that magazine.

 

just report it missing to the police. they may have your fingure prints on them, but the marks left on them from firing from another gun wont match yours.

 

This is why you need to file the police report. It's not likely you'll get it back, but at least you've covered your ass by filing it

 

could also ask to come in and watch the taps also. +1 for putting in a report...it'll suck but may save you future grief.

 

This is why you need to go to the police and file a legal complaint or whatever the paperwork is that's needed. If the police have on file that it was stolen, and days later there's a shooting with your finger prints on the bullets, the fact that you notified the police may help you out a bit. Granted, that is an extreme worst case cenario.

Is stealing ammo/magazines a felony? With something this serious i would contact the local PD immediately. This is way different than a stolen ipod or laptop.

 

I'd say its imperative that you contact your PD and file a report.
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The dealer most likely is going to shoot down any requests to view the security footage yourself.

Just put it in the PDs hands...let them get down to the bottom of it

 

I agree with most here, I'd ask to come in and view the tapes as well. If nothing found on those tapes by your eyes, then move on. If they refuse then tell them the police have been notified via a formal report and that they may want to view the tapes. That will do two things...1. make them rethink the "this customer is lying thing" and 2. spook them into admitting they found fault in one of their own guys. Of course they are going to protect their guy, even if he f#@$ed up. They aren't going to admit outright that one of their own willfully stole from a customer. It looks bad on both the employee and the management for hiring a douchebag. That equals bad business and bad business equals a drop in repeat customers and reputation. Good luck buddy, I hope you get through the BS and get it worked out.

 

How have you not called the police yet? If I lost something high-value or sensitive like a gun/mag/documents/etc. I'd call the cops immediately. They will absolutely look into a stolen mag of hollow points.

The dealership can blow all kinds of smoke up your ass that they wont get away with from the cops (as long as they are putting the effort into the investigation, as I imagine might be the case in light of recent tragedies).

That said, It's a stolen mag, not a whole gun and no one (yet? that we know about?) has been hurt with it. So who knows what kind of priority it will get from the cops :/