Frank Taylor of Toronto loves his Toyotas. He’s driven the brand for decades.
In March of 2021, Taylor bought a new Toyota Highlander SUV from a dealer in Scarborough.
He says the salesperson encouraged him to buy a protection package at the time, which he did.
“The plan came with tire protection and anti-theft,” Taylor said, explaining that the $699 fee was steep but justifiable, considering one of its primary benefits, emphasized by the salesperson.
If his Highlander were to be stolen and not recovered, the plan would pay out $5,000 as a benefit, above and beyond what his own auto insurance company would pay.
“That’s why I went along with it,” Taylor told Global News in an interview.
Sure enough, six months after taking delivery of his new Highlander, it was stolen.
“It was right after the first service call that the car disappeared,” Taylor said.
Taylor subsequently tried to make a claim on the package, sold through the dealership at the time of purchase.
He immediately hit a roadblock.
He says the company behind the protection package said the dealership had not registered Taylor’s policy.
The dealership said Taylor had declined the policy, even though he clearly had paid for it: the notation is on his bill of sale with Scarborough Toyota.
Taylor had declined to purchase certain other protection options, but the theft protection benefit is clearly noted in the terms and conditions within the contract he signed.
When he says the dealership wouldn’t help, and the warranty company wouldn’t pay, Taylor filed a complaint with Toyota Canada.
In an email, Toyota Canada informed Taylor that it could not assist him with a dealer issue.
Taylor also filed a complaint with OMVIC, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council. The body administers the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act. However, OMVIC informed Taylor it could not work out a satisfactory solution with the dealer.
“Frustrating,” Taylor told Global News, summing up more than a year of effort to make a claim.
Then, as a last resort, he called Global News for assistance.
A sales manager for Scarborough Toyota discussed Taylor’s situation with Global News. He said he would attempt to get someone from the dealership to provide a formal comment, but none was given.
However, 84 minutes after Global News spoke to the sales manager, Taylor received a call from the dealership. He was told a cheque for the full $5,000 would be made available the next day.
“I was really surprised about that,” Taylor said.
As promised, Taylor was able to pick up the $5,000 cheque from Scarborough Toyota. When he left the dealership, cheque in hand, Taylor was smiling and grateful that the saga had come to an end.
“Take it to the media, it will get things done. In this case, it was done. Thank you, Global News.”
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