CLARENCE CENTER (WKBW) — In June Dorothy Tomborowski, of Clarence Center, brought her late husband's truck to CarMax on Niagara Falls Boulevard to be appraised. In order to move forward, CarMax's policy required her to put the vehicle's title in her name.
While Tomborowski worked on the title, she said she left the car at CarMax for more than one month. CarMax said she requested to leave it there, and signed a form saying the company was not responsible for damage. Tomborowski said she didn't request to leave it there, but a store employee told her to do so.
When Tomborowski returned to CarMax to get the truck six weeks later, she said it was missing two catalytic converters, two oxygen sensors and gas lines were cut.
"It had a horrible blasting noise," explained Tomborowski about the repairs. She said they were estimated at $8,500 worth of repairs. "The whole thing made everything so hard."
Tomborowski said when she had trouble moving forward with CarMax on her truck, she contacted 7 Problem Solvers.
7 Problem Solver Michael Schwartz contacted the company, and a CarMax representative answered immediately to address the problem saying, leaving Tomborowski very pleased.
CarMax sent this statement to 7 Problem Solvers:
First and foremost, we are very sorry to hear of Ms. Tomporowski’s loss. We know this is an extremely difficult time for her. Second, customer service is our top priority, and we were happy to look into her concerns.
Regarding Ms. Tomporowski’s titling concern, while it is not a legal requirement in the state of New York, CarMax’s policy is for the heir of a deceased vehicle owner to obtain the title in their own name to ensure smooth transfer of title. Not all states will allow CarMax to sell vehicles from deceased parties, so this helps ensure CarMaxwon’t need to re-contact customers post-transaction due to paperwork issues, ultimately providing a better customer experience.
Additionally, Ms. Tomporowski did sign a waiver indicating she understood the risks of leaving the vehicle in the CarMax customer lot. The vehicle was left for six weeks unattended and incurred theft related damage. However, in a gesture of goodwill to a customer, CarMax offered to purchase the vehicle for the original appraisal amount before the damage occurred which Ms. Tomporowski has accepted.
If you need a problem solved, email Michael at 7ProblemSolvers@WKBW.com
