Dealership Holding My Vehicle Hostage Indefinitely Due To Their Own Technology Issues - Any Recourse?
Location: Oklahoma
Brought my car in for an oil change today, usually a $70-80 service. During the course of the time they had possession of my car for service, the dealership’s computer system went down. It sounds like they perhaps got hit by ransomware and there is no ETA for getting their systems fixed - could be days, weeks, or even months. I have more than enough money to pay them for services rendered, but as a cashless service department, they cannot accept cash or check, and because the system is down, they cannot accept any of my major credit or debit cards. They also cannot give me a loaner, as that requires access to their system, which they don’t currently have.
It’s the most frustrating thing in the world. At this point they have my car at least overnight when this should have been a 1-2 hour service, tops. They refuse to release the keys back to me as I have not paid for the ~$80 service. In any other world that would seem reasonable, but it’s not that I don’t have the money or that I’m unwilling to pay. It’s that they will not accept any form of payment I offer them at this time, and this is indefinite until their MSP or whoever they use for IT can get things figured out. It was basically suggested that I Uber everywhere and “maybe save the receipts in case management can work something out, but they’ve already left for the day.” So I am Ubering everywhere and saving the receipts, but the dude’s answer didn’t inspire a lot of confidence I would actually be reimbursed. It’s adding up very quickly.
What legal remedies do I have here, particularly any that may be relatively quick? All I want is to pay the $80 and get my car back (by tomorrow morning I’ll have likely spent more than that on Uber), but if the legal process drags out for months, there’s a good chance the systems will be restored by then anyways and it’ll all be a moot point. Is there some way I can compel them to accept a cashier’s check and release the keys immediately? Or can I rent a car on my own and sue them in small claims court later for that + day one Uber charges?
I’m fully expecting the answer is I should adjust my expectations in a post-COVID world and that once I drop my car off with a service provider, they can pretty much keep it as long as they damn well please. But figured I’d check.
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