A report indicates a woman who dropped off her minivan for maintenance work at Jersey City Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership in August has been told by management that they don’t know where her vehicle is located.
Robin Harmon, of Jersey City, explained that the dealership simply said, “There is nothing I can tell you. I don’t know where it’s at.”
Harmon told police that the dealership called her in September, saying that the car needed more work, which she authorized at that time. She further explained that she contacted the dealership numerous times, beginning in September, to check on the status of her vehicle. Harmon, who works for a security company, said “My brother went down there (on Monday) and they said ‘Go ahead and just call the police because we have no idea what happened to it.'”
She filed a stolen vehicle report, and explains that she has been resorting to taking buses and doing a lot of walking in the meantime.
The police report states that the dealership service director told officers that the minivan was not on the dealership lot. The director explained that records indicate the vehicle was ready to be picked up Aug. 27 and someone picked it up, “but no records are kept of who picks up the vehicle as long as there is a zero balance owed for the maintenance,” the report says.
Harmon’s sister, Gregory White, said that she is considering filing a lawsuit against the dealership. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “They can’t even believe they can’t find the van.”
Over the past three years, 60 complaints have been lodged against Jersey City Ford Lincoln Mercury, according to the Better Business Bureau, including repairs taking too long, allegations of bait-and-switches, and at least one other report of a car going missing after being dropped off.
This shocking story is a clear indication of poor operational practices at this dealership, and serves as an important reminder to ensure the necessary security measures and processes are in place to prevent this type of situation from occurring.
