Car was left with Barry Road Tire and Service Center on Barry Road in Kansas City for repairs. It was a Saturday, and I was called at the end of the day and told that they couldn't get to the car that day, but were open on Sunday, so encouraged me to leave it overnight and they would try to get to the next day.
I was called me on Monday to tell me I had given them the wrong key. Got there to investigate, and they had the right key, but the clown failed to notice the broken window, missing stereo, and backseat partially torn out, so it didn't occur to him that the key wouldn't fit because the steering column had also been damaged.
Further investigation revealed that two sets of subs in boxes and an amp were stolen from the trunk. They called the police, who refused to come because it was on private property, so was left basically on my own, the guy told me that he hadn't broken into my car, wasn't his responsiblity, so I took my keys back and began looking for someone who could tow my car away from the Barry Road Service Center to a real shop who could get the car back into running order.
Next day the owner, Steve, talked to me on the phone, he was able to bend something in the steering column so the car could be started, and put some carpet up over the broken window. He wouldn't give me the name of his insurance company, but said he would handle it himself.
He offered to give me another stereo that he already had, and to replace the items that I was able to give him original receipts for. Took the stereo, which was a piece of crap, but didn't complain because he was being decent about replacing the other items after the service manager had treated me like such a jerk the day before.
Took him the receipts for the two sets of subs, and planned on writing off the amp as it was in the car when I bought it and so there was no receipt. The owner said he would put the receipts in the file, and we discussed how I would check the pawn shops and internet hoping to find the stolen items.
Heard nothing from the owner, Steve, so finally called him about a month later. He suddenly sounds like the jerk I dealt with the first day, not the nice man who told me that while he had my car and my keys, he was responsible for my car and he appreciated all the business I had done with him over the years and wanted to continue with in the future. No. He said HE didn't break in to my car.in fact, he said he has had four cars broken into since mine, and he didn't have to be bothered with any of those as they were all turned in to the car owner's insurance.
What difference this makes regarding my claim is beyond me. I only have liability insurance, and was doing what my insurance agent had told me to do in order to file a claim with Steve's inurance company. Since he didn't have to deal with any of those break-ins, he wasn't dealing with mine either, he'd already done more than he had to by giving me the crappy stereo, and if I didn't want to bring my cars in again that was fine also. Hmmmmm... Now how do I know that there was really a 'break in'?
It seems to me five cars broken into in the last month at your business could indicate an inside problem, a lack of security, and a plain "I don't care so just go away and leave me alone" attitude.
So, if you are brave enough to take your car to Barry Road Tire & Service Center, be warned, it may not come back with everything it went in with, it may not be in quite the same condition as when you left it there, and you better not even think about leaving your car with them unless you have full-coverage insurance, and you better plan on finding your own ride to the police station to report the theft, because as they will tell you "THEY did not break into their car, and it is not their problem."
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