Mazda dealer tears up contract
An Orangeville Mazda dealer is trying to right the bad publicity ship after his store made headlines for selling a vehicle for $25,000 more than it was worth.
Sonny Bains, owner of Mazda of Orangeville (a town about an hour and a half north east of Toronto), told the Toronto Star that he had torn up the contentious contract and sacked two senior employees over the issue.
The problem stems from the sale of a 2010 Mazda6 G6 sedan last December. A woman named Madeline Leonard told the paper she went to the dealership to replace her tires, but ended up driving away the owner of a new car.
The issue surrounded the price of the car, a whopping $66,000 for the G6 sedan that usually stickers for around $41,000.
Leonard said the salesmen talked quickly and, before she knew it, had her signed up for eight-year loan.
After researching her purchase a few days later, Leonard realized she had been taken advantage of and complained to the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council.
Once the story hit the news last week, Bains said he fired his business manager and sales manager and agreed to return Leonard’s trade-in and tear up her contract.
“In my opinion, everyone thinks we did something wrong,” Bains told the Star. “Therefore, I’m going to fix the situation. I do apologize for what she went through and suffered.’’
OMVIC has charged the dealership, Kien Trung and Mohammed “Moe” Shaikh with “engaging in unfair practice by making an unconscionable representation” contrary to the provincial Consumer Protection.
According to news reports, the dealership could face a maximum penalty of $250,000 if found guilty. The salesmen could receive fines of $100,000 each and/or two years less a day in jail. The regulator could also revoke their registrations to sell vehicles.
- With files from The Toronto Star
