Hyundai got involved after Reid’s daughter posted about the situation on Facebook, complaining that Orangeville Hyundai in Ontario was refusing to cover the $2,000 cost to replace the stolen catalytic converter. Reid’s daughter said the dealer principal, Phil Richards, called police after she mentioned involving a lawyer and told another customer about the experience.
Richards told Global News in August that the theft was “out of our control” and that he refused to help Reid because of her daughter’s “demeanor” toward him. He said the store, which had been targeted by catalytic converter thieves several months earlier as well, had no security cameras.
Reid’s Veracruz was at Orangeville Hyundai awaiting a new alternator. The dealership that eventually fixed it on Hyundai’s dime concluded that the vehicle actually needed only a new battery.