Dealership employee stole item from my truck

I'd be surprised if the police will investigate. Makes sense to report it though.

 

So....what is so dumb about a loaded mag? Its not a loaded gun or a gun with a round in the chamber? I see nothing wrong with it. I always keep ammo in my truck.

Check with the manager first. If he says they don't have it then call the police. Then get the mechanics that worked on the truck fired.

 

sorry...and again no disrespect or judgement toward the OP...

but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of taking a vehicle in for service and leaving my personal possessions in the vehicle.

we all make mistakes...but I thought it was standard practice to CYA and clean out your vehicle prior to taking it to a shop.

 

next time go to desert toyota. was stationed at DM in Tucson, never had a problem and reasonable pricing as well as not trying to get me for stuff I didnt need there.

 

Exactly.

The posted sign MIGHT aid in the shop owner's defense, or perhaps reduce the jury's award, but it is not an automatic dismissal.

 

the only ammo i have in my truck is 15 or less 20G shot gun shells. don’t think anyone is going to take them and use them. and it’s only because i go small game hunting a lot.

 

There is the rub right there. If they do not have it on camera how can he Prove It?

He said ... They said...

 

or he could steal it from a store

 

I do agree that the OP should contact the police. Not only to get an investigation into this, but to protect himself. However the above claim that the dealership would "protect one of their own" when it comes to theft is insane. I have seen a porter at a dealership where I have worked at fired for stealing 50 cents out of a customer's center console. I know that if I EVER had a tech or any employee for that matter steal from a customer, they would get the boot. No questions asked. I do NOT put up with stuff like that in my shop.

That being said, my concern is this:

According to your statement it has been an entire WEEK since you last put eyes on the mag. Not trying to be a di*k here, but if it has been a week since you laid eyes on it last, then I would take the word of the dealership after he stated that they reviewed the footage. I don't think they would be stupid enough to lie to you. If they saw anything in the footage, they would not be that stupid as to try and hide it and risk such a huge lawsuit.

 

Really? Insane? So your telling me there isn't a single shop in this country that would deal with something like this in-house and/or brush something like this under the carpet for a "buddy" who made a mistake? Come on man, might want to open your eyes as this is a corrupt world we live in and loyalties in work settings can be quite strong. (With the exception of porters apparently)

Good for you for running an honest shop though. I commend you for that. I'm sure your customers really appreciate that they have an honest business to go to.

 

It was in the care of the dealership for the duration.
They were responsible for the vehicle's well-being from the time he handed over the keys until the time they returned them.
Doesn't matter if they parked it in the lot without cameras overnight or not.

If there had been a fire, flood, or vandals had sprayed brake fluid on the hoods of the vehicles parked in the lot, there would have been no argument from the dealer... it would have gone to their insurance.

This would not be an insurance issue, which is why the manager sees it differently, but he was responsible for the vehicle while it was in his possession.

 

Been in AZ quite a lot since Brewer signed the no-permit CCW law (and AZ has always been legal open carry), and while I can't say that I've never seen a "no guns" sign, I haven't seen many. It's usually bars or cafes that attract bikers.

And even if it was signed, a magazine and ammo are not "guns" and are not prohibited by the posting of a "No guns allowed" sign.
Even in California I can go anywhere except onto school property or a courthouse carrying a filled (not loaded) magazine.

 

If the OP is saying he had something stolen out of his truck while at the dealership, what does it matter what it was...a theft is a theft. Just because you leave something in your truck, regardless of where it is at or what the item is DOES NOT give someone else the right to take it!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am getting tired of the leeches in society that think they are entitled to other peoples stuff.

OP, if the dealership can't come up with anything chalk it up as a lesson learned, but still report the theft to the police. Then you will have some documentation if there is ever a question in the future if the items taken are used illegally. I wouldn't wait around for a resolution from the dealership before making the report either!

 

+1

Dealership is going to be a dead end unless they see something on tape.
For a $25 mag/ammo theft, the police are going to take the report and file it away... they aren't going to request the dealership's video. It might be different if it had been a gun, but from a legal perspective, this is a <$100 theft and the police have "real criminals" to catch.

At this point, it's CYA in case your fingerprints show up at a crime scene... and if you have never been fingerprinted, the police would not know who the prints belonged to anyways.

 

I read you said the sign is worthless?... maybe in CA it is, but definately not worthless in MA.

 

It depends on state law to a degree, but in any state, the level of protection afforded by the sign never more than one jury decision away.

Civil law is often driven by case law and is extremely volatile.

The sign is "worthless" in that it is not a free pass.
It MIGHT help in persuading the jury to rule in your favor.

OTOH, there have been a number of cases where a "Beware of Dog" sign resulted in a ruling against the homeowner, under the reasoning that he knew that he had a vicious dog and failed to keep it restrained so it would not attack a person who wandered onto the property.

 

I never said that there was not a single shop that wouldn't protect their own. I said that it is uncommon, and your BLANKET statement of

You are making the assumption of a dealership that is not even in your state, and feel free to correct me, you have probably never been to. So how can you make the assumption that they will protect their own? You can't make a fair assumption. I have worked in dealerships for 20 years, and in EVERY dealership they have been hard on property theft. The risk of liability is too great. As for someone else's comment on a theft not being covered by insurance, it depends on the state. In the states I have worked in, Texas, Florida, and Alabama, a shop is required by law to maintain liability insurance as well as "shopkeepers" insurance, which covers things such as theft and negligence.




That aside, I will say thank you for your final statement.

 

The first thing you should have done was call the cops. What if a gun turn up in a shooting and your finger prints were all over that clip? I'm not going there with leaving the clip in your truck but I think you all ready know that. Chances of ever seeing it again are slim and you'll most likely never find out who took it or when. Cameras may show them if some one was in your truck but not who took it and I'll bet more then one person touched it.

 

I dropped off my truck to have some work done. My friend picked me up and we went to breakfast. I forgot my book so I asked her to drive me past the dealer to get it. I walked into the back where all the customer cars were, went straight to my truck, opened the unlocked door, and got my book. Then I locked it before shutting the door.

As we were driving off, I realized that ANYONE could have gone into my truck.

*sigh*