Georgetown Chevrolet in Delaware Totals Owners 2012 Camaro ZL1 - Refuses to Replace It

The story of the wrecked 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 #1635 starts back on December 15th 2013 when a service advisor at Georgetown Chevrolet broke into the closed dealership and stole the keys to ZL1 in question. The car had been dropped off earlier in the week by owners John and Debbie Hooper for some warranty paint work and they were assured that the car would be locked up for the weekend. It was locked up for the weekend but that didn’t stop Georgetown Chevrolet employee Eric Peterson from entering the dealership while they were closed and stealing the Hooper’s Camaro ZL1 for a joy ride. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Peterson proved to be a better thief than he is a driver and while on the joy ride in the 2012 ZL1, he lost control and hit a utility pole. The Camaro ZL1 owned by the Hoopers was destroyed around 4:47pm and according to a local paper, Peterson was fired on the spot for stealing the customer’s Camaro.

Sounds crappy right? Well, at least it is a Chevrolet dealership so they wont have a problem repairing the Camaro ZL1 to a like-new status? Right? Evidently not. Georgetown Chevrolet – which is part of the First State Chevrolet group – informed the Hoopers that they would work to find the couple another, similar 2012 Camaro ZL1 for them to buy. That’s right…the dealership expected the owners to pay for the replacement to the car which was totaled by a rogue employee while in the dealership’s possession.

According to John Hoopers’ posts on Camaro5, the couple waited until January 6th (22 days) for the dealership to get in touch with them when they found another 2012 Camaro ZL1 for them to buy. When the Hoopers got to the dealership, the car was black like their car but it had sunroof which they did not want, 34% more miles than their totaled car, different wheels than the totaled ZL1 and non-GM badging on the front and back of the car. Through CarFax, the Hoopers also found out that this was a two owner car (they were told that it was a one owner car) which had been involved in an accident so Georgetown/First State Chevrolet expected this couple to pay for a car that was used and previously wrecked because one of their employees totaled the couple’s ZL1. The couple refused this “deal” as they didn’t find it to be an acceptable replacement for their wrecked Camaro but the dealership and its insurance company has refused to do anything else for the couple.

If this all sounds like sensationalized forum chatter, it should be known that this whole ordeal has been reported by a handful of local news sources in the Delaware area and the service advisor Eric Peterson was charged by the police for the accident. In the end, the dealership was entrusted with the Hoopers’ 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and one of their employees totaled that car. Then, rather than just running it through their insurance to purchase the couple another ZL1 that is a true replacement for the car that the business allowed to be totaled – the dealership is trying to score a sale out of the situation. This is exactly the kind of crap that prevents so many people from trusting their local dealership with their vehicle because – as this story has shown – big business with a powerful insurance company can literally destroy your car with no repercussions.

The folks at Jalopnik spoke with the general manager of the thieving Chevrolet dealership and he reiterated that they had done exactly what was instructed by their insurance company and that the Hoopers could either take the deal or not. The slimy GM went on to explain that because the couple wanted more cash due to the differences between their wrecked ZL1 and the used/wrecked ZL1 found for them but the dealership and their insurance company both refused to accept that demand. As it stands right now, the Hoopers are without a 2012 Camaro ZL1 and it doesn’t appear that Georgetown Chevrolet or First State Chevrolet will be making this right anytime soon…while the Hoopers continue to make payments on a car that was literally stolen by a dealership employee.

With any luck, all of the bad publicity for Georgetown Chevrolet and First State Chevrolet will encourage the low class dealership to man up and replace the Camaro ZL1 which their employee destroyed but regardless of what happens – this should serve as a stark wake-up call for anyone who lives in the Delaware area. It is important to know what kind of company you are doing business with and a dealership that totals cars and refuses to replace them is surely one that I would avoid.

Source: Jalopnik

Image: Camaro5.com