Hyundai Dealer Closes, Secretly Tows Customer Cars During Lockdown

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

A former California Hyundai dealership is in hot water after it ordered nearly a dozen customer cars towed while they awaited service during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, allegedly because the dealer ran out of space, reports the LA Times.

When 26-year-old Olivia Vera dropped her 2019 Hyundai Kona off at Nissani Brothers Hyundai in March, she didn't expect her engine service to be delayed (and prolonged) due to COVID-19. Moreover, she didn't expect for the Culver City-based dealer to have her crossover towed away while it awaited service without any prior warning.

Vera is just the first of many Hyundai customers who had their vehicle towed at the directive of Nissani Brothers Hyundai. Like many of the other vehicles towed, Vera's Kona was stored at E3 Collision in Long Beach and was quickly racking up storage fees at the tune of $150 per day. By the time Vera attempted to rectify the issue, the towing company had already placed a lien on her vehicle's title and informed her that it would be sold off unless she paid the $6,000 she owed--in cash.

"This is absolutely not what I thought would happen when I dropped off my car at the dealer," Vera told the LA Times. "Who would have expected something like this?"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/hyundai-dealer-closes-secretly-tows-customer-cars-during-lockdown/ar-BB14n7ue?li=BBnbfcL

[dsc]

1. Looks like Hyundai is stepping up to the plate here

which is a good thing.

[dalton99a]

2. The Nissani brothers are scum

Nissani Brothers' parent company, owned by Hooman Nissani, has seen trouble before. The privately held firm reportedly had dealings with restaurants, car washes, and is said to currently own several showrooms for Nissan, Chrysler, and Chevrolet. In 2019, Nissani was ordered to pay $2.4 million in back pay and penalties after officials found that he allegedly "cheated" 64 workers out of minimum and overtime wages. The case is said to have been the largest wage-theft case ever brought on by the state of California at the time.

[TDale313]

3. It sounds like Hyundai is trying to make things right

But the owner of the dealership shut down, had vehicles they were servicing towed, cut their ties with Hyundai.(or Vice versa) Many vehicles were transferred to other dealerships, but not all. Company has also apparently been involved in lawsuits in the past for breaking labor laws.

[UpInArms]

4. What a horrible thing to deal with

More from your link ..

To top it all off, a number of the vehicles towed had incomplete service, were completely torn apart, or showed no signs of the service which was documented as being completed by Nissani Brothers Hyundai--in Vera's case, this was reportedly an entire engine replacement.

Trainor says that while the dealership may have closed down during the pandemic, the virus isn't to blame for its actions: "It wasn't the coronavirus, it was something else."

Nissani Brothers' parent company, owned by Hooman Nissani, has seen trouble before. The privately held firm reportedly had dealings with restaurants, car washes, and is said to currently own several showrooms for Nissan, Chrysler, and Chevrolet. In 2019, Nissani was ordered to pay $2.4 million in back pay and penalties after officials found that he allegedly "cheated" 64 workers out of minimum and overtime wages. The case is said to have been the largest wage-theft case ever brought on by the state of California at the time.