Florida Dealer Refunds Customer…In Pennies.

In January of this year, in Jacksonville, Florida, Irana Mujakovic purchased a used 2003 Saab from a local dealership. After the sale, transmission problems were discovered. The dealership repaired the problems and sold a warranty to the customer. However, the transmission didn’t hold up and went out again, this time the dealership charged Mujakovic $400 for labor, saying that expense isn’t in your warranty.

The college student customer paid the bill off of borrowed money and also contacted the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. That government agency demanded that Mujakovic be refunded the money. It was later found that the warranty didn’t mention that labor was not included, a “loophole” that the dealer said that he left out. The dealership paid up, both in bills and about $85 worth of coins, including many pennies. The only quote attributed to the dealer is that the payment was “legal tender.” This payment method has caused a PR firestorm of negative online reviews. All seventy plus Google reviews for this dealership are for one star and have come in the past week. Who’s right in this situation may not be as important as what this dealer does to try to rebuild their reputation, both on and offline.