His truck was broken into while it sat at a London Ford dealership, but the dealer says it's not liable

A London, Ont., man says he is stuck footing the bill for repairs to his vehicle's smashed window after it was burglarized at an east-end dealership last month. 

Kam Singh asked the staff at Highbury Ford to fix the rear door window of his F-150 pickup truck because the incident occurred on their property while it was there for servicing, but they told him they're not responsible for theft or vandalism.  

After a safety warning forced his truck's engine to shut down on Oct. 12, Singh had it towed to the nearest Ford dealership at Highbury Avenue and Dundas Street. Four days later, he received a call from the dealership informing him of the break-in and that some of his belongings were stolen, he said.

"I asked them who will cover the cost and they told me I have to cover the cost," Singh told CBC News. "Management said that my insurance should cover the cost because it was still active while the vehicle was at the dealership." 

Singh said he didn't want to submit an insurance claim because his vehicle is registered through the trucking company he owns and his $5,000 deductible would be higher than the combined cost of the damage to his vehicle and the items stolen. 

"My deductible is too high so it's worthless to go through insurance. Any damage less than $5,000 isn't enough and it's only going to increase my insurance next year," he said about the $90,000 truck he bought four months ago.  

Customers warned before break-ins: Dealership 

Peter Sandor, the dealership's director of parts and services, said he offered to do the repairs at cost and Singh would only have to pay for the parts, but Singh declined, alleging the dealership is liable for the break-in. 

Sandor said the dealership has an automatic "service greeting" that all customers receive, letting them know that break-ins can happen while vehicles are on the lot, which the dealership isn't responsible for because it's a risk to the owner. 

"The reality is that when you bring your vehicle into a service facility, no differently than if you go to a shopping facility or the movies, your insurance does not stop when you drive on our lot. Unfortunately, this is a crime and it wasn't due to our caretaking of the vehicle," said Sandor.  

"Someone broke into his vehicle and at that point, it's an insurance and police matter. We are empathetic to the fact that it happened but I can't control someone coming on the lot and breaking into his vehicle."

Sandor said the dealership is gated and has sensors but they are only designed to prevent people from driving off the lot. 

Singh said he paid around $426 to fix the window, but also lost hundreds of dollars worth of stolen truck parts and safety gear for his business. The broken glass has also caused scratches above the door handle which will be an additional cost, he added.

"It's really frustrating, I paid almost $100,000 for my truck and I don't want to pay dealership prices [for the repair]," said Singh. "I can't leave my truck with them because I don't want it unattended like what happened [during the break-in]." 

Singh has been driving a rental sedan for the past two weeks, paying $43 a day. Although the small car doesn't store parts for his business, Singh said he has no choice because renting an F-150 would cost upwards of $150 per day.

Singh said he has filed a report with the London police and the Highbury Ford has also submitted their camera footage to the police. Meanwhile, the dealership maintains it's not trying to profit off a crime, said Sandor. 

"We do feel bad that it happened but unfortunately, crime is not something the dealership can take responsibility for," he said. "We tried to do our best in a bad situation that we didn't create."