Jason Waryas said he brought his car into Belle Tire for a routine tire change last month. But upon his arrival to pick the car up, just after paying $500 for the service, he said a manager told him there had been an incident with his vehicle.
The incident, he says, was a lot bigger than he could have ever imagined. The back of the car was completely smashed, the back window blown out.
Later, he would learn his 2011 Ford Fusion was totaled. The manager, he said, explained that it was the result of an employee who backed the vehicle into a snow plow.
Belle Tire’s insurance company, Waryas said, told him they would pay for the lost car, valued at $7,000.
But there was a small problem. Waryas actually owed over $11,000 on the vehicle as a result of a loan, and he said he was told they wouldn't foot the difference.
That means he would be left with more than $4,000 to pay out of pocket, which Waryas said wasn't fair considering the car had been entrusted to the company.
Others on social media seemingly agreed, with a post about the ordeal on Facebook getting shared over 7,000 times in less than 48 hours.
7's Taking Action team got on the case.
After reaching out to the company, management agreed to make it right, by covering the difference, saying in a statement:
Today, a Belle Tire executive apologized personally to the customer and informed him the Company will cover cost of his vehicle. The reimbursement will include the difference between the fair-market value of the car and loan value owed. In addition, we provided the customer with a free rental car and will refund him for the cost of the services provided. Our Company took this action because a Belle Tire employee at our Ypsilanti, Mich. damaged the vehicle beyond repair last week. The Company had been working with the customer to fix this problem to his satisfaction. Belle Tire is truly sorry for the inconvenience and has taken action to resolve the issue.
Waryas told 7 Action News he is thankful to those who shared the post on social media, to 7's Taking Action team and to Belle Tire for owning up to the incident.
