This could happen at any dealer or any place you take your car for service. This just happen to take place at my Mini Dealer while my car was in for service.

I know the signs say never leave "ANYTHING OF VALUE IN YOUR!" so it was my fault all the way.

I had left about $4.00 in change in the covered ashtray with the lid shut. After the service I drove straight home and locked the car as always. The next time I got in the car I noticed the ashtray was not in the holder all the way and guess what? My $4.00 in change was gone.

I sent friendly e-mail to the owner of the dealership telling him how happy I was with the service and just to let him know I had made a mistake by leaving money in my car and someone decided they really needed. No reply

I few weeks later MINIUSA called to see how my visit for service went and I told them I'm happy with the service yet I made a mistake and left money in car and it was taken while at the dealer.

Theft from customers cars does not fit in too well with the folks who call you for these surveys. They said they were sorry but then wanted to know if I was happy with this or that aspect of my visit etc. etc. etc.

I told them I have been happy with the service yet it only takes a bad experience to spoil the hard work done by other.

So let this be a lesson to you all.

Don’t trust anyone.

 

Fortunately for you it was only $4.00 in change that you are missing. I trust no-one after having $120 Oakley sunglasses stolen out of a previous vehicle (not a MINI) I had in for service. Now, as a rule, I completely strip my interior of anything valuable. I remove the face to my HU. I replace my Whalen with the stock ****. I remove my iPod. My sunglasses....etc.

Sorry about your $4.00.

 

I'm very lucky.
Good point about ipods and stuff we may tend to forget to take.

 

Wow, this really makes me think.....

I just had my car in for service last week and I left both a brand new iPod and $215 Oakley sunglasses in the glove box.

Thank GOD the people at the Saab dealer were honest, or just not very nosey.

If they had opened my glove box, someone would have had a field day.

 

I've posted the following text before, but since it's my own text, I think it's OK to plagiarize myself:

This is the main reason why I ALWAYS empty my car completely of any personal items - heck, anything that doesn't come with the car. That way there's less chance it will be "misplaced" (accidentally OR deliberately), and I get peace of mind knowing that all of my "stuff" will be at home waiting for the car to come back from service.

Sure, it takes a little extra time, but if the service visit is planned, you can be darn sure it will be as empty as possible when I drop it off!

Why tempt people unnecessarily?

 

that'll leave a sour after taste....


At least they didn't steal/exchanged your car parts while they
'serviced' the car........... or did they? jk

 

KRGMini05,
Where are you moving out here in AZ?? I am currently in the Tucson area, but will be headed to Prescott with my fam in June of '07.

Joel

 

I think I'm going to transfer to U of A, which as you probably know, is in Tucson.

I prefer the Phoenix area though, particularly Scottsdale, Awatuhkee, Chandler, Mesa.....that general area. My parents love it out there, so I may eventually relocate their permanently. I have some friends out there as well.

Prescott is nice. My friend's grandmother lives there, and I've seen pictures. Very different from the "typical Arizona".

I still think I'm going to end up in California though. I love it, my brother loves it, my parents love it...and there's already been some talk of moving out there as soon as my younger brother finishes high school.

I hate New England with a passion, so I know I'm not going to stay here.

 

I had a pair of REVO glasses stolen from my car (not MINI) while in for service once. They were removed from thier case so I didn't realize until I needed them days later. Now I empty my car of belongings every time.

 

Whats really sad is when I worked in Mobile Electronics (Car Stereo), people would be shocked when they had change left in their car after I worked on it. But I too have had my toll change ($10 roll of quarters) stolen at the dealers. I've learned after that not to leave anything that isnt bolted down.

 

Bummer .......on a good note - at least it was only $4.00....but hey - $4.00 is hard earned money - but still - it stinks to think you just can't trust anybody these days! I learned a long time ago - I leave NOTHING in my car that can be taken when it goes in for service.

Donna

 

Your right and I did not remember to remove my ipod.
Next time if there is next time I will remember.

 

I once loaned my car to a friend, but as a joke I filled the glovebox with small styrofoam peanuts. I asked him not to open the glovebox while he had the car, told him there were a few old personal letters that I kept in there that I was sentimental about.

Of course, when I got the car back there were styrofoam peanuts all over the place. It was worth vacuuming the car just to see his discomfort when he gave me back the car.

I have a slightly twisted sense of humor.

 

They got my change as well. A folded up $5 bill and a bunch of quarters.
The dealer didn't care nor the survey people. Later I learned leaving money in the ash tray is thought of as a tip.

 

Not in my book; it's stealing. Tips are not "left", they are given. My only exception is for chambermaids, whom I often miss. And even then, I wrap the tip in a note making the tip explicit.

 

Well, Don't that beat all! What a great excuse for larceny. Your Honor, my client costomarily collects "tips" left in the ashtray.

 

Anyone had their Whalen stolen at a dealer for service? That would be no different than someone trying to swap wheels or parts or ...? This would seem to be something that you could pursue with the dealer - they have to held accountable for something, don't they?

 

Trunk Monkey for Dealer Service Visits?

 

...we all know to give the dealer or any service techs ONLY your car key, right? Don't turn house keys over, especially if you leave reg or insurance with your address in car, or if it's a business where your address is on the invoice.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your money being stolen. Even if it's a small amount that still stinks. I never trust anyone period! However, when ever I go to the dealers I always leave something small in the Mini. I want to know if it will be stolen or not. Yes, it's kind of a test of character. I always want to know the kind of people I'm dealing with. So I'll leave maybe 3.00 or 4.00 dollars lying around in the car just to see what happens. So far I've had four or five trips to the dealers in which Mini was left behind. To date... I have yet to have anyone steal anything

 

LMAO

That is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Priceless.

 

Back in my day of IASCA, pre-mp3, it was common for us to roll with 600+ CD's in cases in the car. One day I couldn't find one of my favorite discs, and started sorting through the whole collection. Lo and behold I had over 50 missing, and the only place my car had been was my Pontiac dealer!


I expected a much worse post when I opened this thread - I'm glad you got away without a serious beating.

 

It's just the "car wash" guy, not usually a Dealer employee, but a minimum wage P/T employee. Same thing happened to an irate lady at the VW dealer. But she just had to put change in her ashtray twice on service visits just so she could cry "poor me" each time and try and get a free service or something out of them.

Here is how it works...During the vacuum he cleans the ash tray area very fast and absent mindedly sucks up all the contents into the vacuum. NOW does he check his vacuum at the end of every day for foreign material "folding, coin or otherwise"? Probably, but who can say? And what recovered property belongs to whom, it's all "together" now.

Is it "Robbery"? No way, no threat of force used to deprive someone of their property.

Is it "Petty Theft"? Probably not either, no "mens rea", or criminal intent, just a very efficient vacuum cleaner.

Negligence, maybe, recovery limited to damage.

Forseeable to the property owner? Certainly is now, damages split down the middle, offset by that "free" cup of coffee or two the owner had while waiting for vehicle or the pickup or drop off service.

Bottom line, know where your $'s are...

 

I am so doing the packing peanuts thing in the glovebox... Its GENIUS!

 

bad experience, sorry, what can I say............................................... .................................................. ..