Couple Outraged After Car Theft From Dealership

EASTON, Md. (WUSA) -- A Denton couple is outraged that a dealer won't offer the same deal they had before their vehicle was stolen from inside the dealership while it was being serviced.

The late July incident happened when Elizabeth Wise brought her brand new Toyota Corolla XRS into Toyota Koons on Ocean Gateway for a radio repair. Two weeks prior to that, they had purchased the vehicle from a Salisbury dealership. Wise said she was there less than an hour when the general manager came to see her.

"He said, 'I've got bad news," she said. "A car was stolen from our lot today. This has never happened to us before and that car happened to be yours."

Eleven days later and police recovered the stolen vehicle. It had 3,000 more miles on it and had been through crime spree across the state.

"It was involved in an accident and a high speed police chase so the title is marked now," said Kevin Wise. "The trash that was in it was disgusting. There was bodily fluid stains in the back seat. The rear bumper was missing. He robbed a jewelry store in Kent Island with the vehicle."

The dealer's insurance company handled the case and did not total the vehicle so the Wise's were told that legally, the dealership only needed to fix and return it. However, the general manager offered to give them a different model car instead, they said.

"He told us he looked for an XRS within a 200 mile radius and he found none," said Wise. "But we did our own search online and we found eleven."

So they took the results back to the dealer and asked what could be done. They were then offered the same model for what amounted to roughly $70 more a month than their original payments.

"In their minds they think they are giving us a good deal but in our minds, we had a certain type of car for a certain term and a certain payment and that's all we want," said Wise.

9NEWS NOW spoke with the general manager who explained that the incentives the Wise's obtained when they purchased the car are no longer available. In addition, the offer they've been given is more than fair given the value of the vehicle and the dealer's significant loss.

"I understand from a business standpoint that nobody wants to take a loss," said Wise. "But in this type of situation if you take a loss now you'll be gaining a lifelong customer."