A Vancouver man is trying to understand how his dream vehicle slipped away, even after he put down a deposit.
Tyson Kidd said he found a used Range Rover online back in July.
He immediately contacted Southside Nissan Vancouver — the dealership selling the vehicle – and scheduled a test drive.
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“So when I went and saw it and test drove it, I fell in love with it instantly,” Kidd said.
There was a problem, however: the steering wheel vibrated when the SUV reached speeds of over 80 km/h.
Kidd said the salesperson at the dealership assured him the vehicle would be sent to its Land Rover service department to address the issue.
With financing approved and paperwork signed, Kidd put down a $1,000 deposit while the vehicle was inspected.
“I believe the purpose of the deposit was to hold that vehicle for me until the inspection went through and we deemed it safe to hit the road and drive off the lot,” he said.
Kidd said that days later, he received a shocking phone call from the dealership.
“I was told they weren’t able to sell me the Range Rover because Nissan mechanics couldn’t find what the problem was,” he said.
He said he then told the sales manager that the vehicle was supposed to be sent specifically to the Land Rover dealership for inspection.
“She repeated herself and said the Nissan mechanics couldn’t find the problem so they weren’t going to sell it to me,” Kidd recounted.
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Kidd said he was suspicious and demanded to speak to the dealership’s general manager.
Half an hour later, Kidd said he received another call from the dealership saying, “the vehicle has been sold. It’s no longer available.”
The dealership apologized and returned Kidd’s $1,000 deposit.
Still, Kidd said it’s poor customer service.
“The principle is they sold this vehicle out from under a potential customer without even asking,” he said.
The Vehicle Sales Authority of BC, which investigates consumer complaints, said that given B.C. laws, it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to take action.
“Consumers in British Columbia have a lot of protections under the consumer protection laws, but deposits are not one of them. So, in this situation the consumer is really left to the courts to try and get any type of satisfaction,” the authority told Global news.
Global BC’s Consumer Matters reached out to Southside Nissan Vancouver and spoke to the general manager via phone to find out what happened.
The general manager told Global BC that due to company policy he could not comment, and refused to answer any questions.
Here are more photos of the Range Rover that Tyson Kidd put a deposit on: