Watch the video above: Car dealership agrees to honour free car washes for life after first reneging. Sean O’Shea reports.
TORONTO – A Bradford man came to Global News after a car dealership refused to honour his contract. They had offered him free car washes for life with the purchase of a new car.
Last month they reneged on that deal. But after Global News reporter Sean O’Shea spoke with the owner of the dealership, the contract will be honoured.
Doug Bernardi bought his 2012 Acura TL for close to $45,000 on July 4, 2012 and told Global News an offer of free car washes for life “sealed the deal.”
“They had a big stand there and it said ‘free car washes for life,” Bernardi said during an interview Thursday. “So I asked the guy and said ‘well that’ sounds pretty good, you know.’ I said ‘What if I come in everyday?’ he said ‘sure every day you can come in.’ well I said it’s not likely I’m going to do that but I need a carwash, especially in the winter time.”
But last month, in lieu of the promised limitless car washes, the dealership offered him free car washes when he brings his car in for service and a gift card with a so-called “full year” of car washes – 12.
In a conversation Bernardi had Thursday morning with Nelson Caetano, a representative of the Acura dealership, Caetano said they had to renege on the deal so they can “stay in business.”
“We have the right to make those changes, we have made those changes. Like you’ve heard through the industry, even Air Miles have made changes to their cards,” Caetano told Bernardi during the telephone conversation. “There are certain things that we have to do over time that change it, we cannot continue to offer free car washes for life with people and it’s a policy that we know it wasn’t popular but we have to stay in business.”
But after Global News reporter Sean O’Shea called the dealership and its owner, Joe Zanchin, Bernardi will have his original contract honoured.
Zanchin explained that there was some confusion with the contract and its limitations. He suggested dozens of people would show up to the dealership on Saturday afternoons and expect immediate service.
“We are not going to disappoint the customer,” he said. “But on the other hand, if the customer is looking for a miracle, there’s only so much that we can do.”
– With files from Sean O’Shea
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