Vehicle owners can't locate missing tires after Thornhill auto shop closes
· Toronto Sun
Customers of a Thornhill auto shop were stunned to learn that the summer tires they kept in storage went missing after the business abruptly shut down.
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Vehicle owners who attempted to have their tires changed this spring at Tire Depot and Auto Service, located on Doncaster Ave. near Yonge St. and Steeles Ave., were met with locked doors and a sign taped outside the entrance that says it is now closed.
Thornhill resident Betty Niznik, a longtime customer, is one person who claims didn’t get her tires back after paying $200 a year to store them there.
In addition, her tires were on their original rims, which she said cost thousands of dollars, and she can’t afford to replace them and would have to find a cheaper alternative.
Niznik said her sister notified her in early April that the store had closed for good when her sibling attempted to change the tires on her vehicle.
“I’m a bookkeeper and I’m in tax season, so all of this is going on and it’s just a lot to deal with and a lot to handle,” Niznik said.
Despite her busy schedule, Niznik asked on Facebook if others in her circle of friends were affected by the store’s closure. She then set up a private group on the social media site for anyone who didn’t get their tires back.
Many affected by shop’s closure
She soon learned that many people who entrusted the shop to keep their tires safe between seasons, including her nephew and a lawyer, were also affected.
The Google page for the shop also states it is permanently closed. Two customers complained that they are without their tires.
“Accepted my tires for fixing but he closed down the business and never returned any of my calls,” one person wrote in a review three weeks ago.
“Visited the location multiple times and left notes with my contact info to get my tires back but … the person never (returned the) tires back.”
Negative reviews were also left on Yelp by an additional two customers who claimed they didn’t receive their tires back.
“There are many people who have left summer tires and rims with them for storage and there is no way to contact the owner to get them back,” one person wrote. “[Many] customers are out a great deal of money.”
Attempts by the Toronto Sun this week to contact the owner via email and social media about the missing tires went unanswered.
Doors opened up to locate missing wheels
Niznik said she pushed to have the property manager, Wycliffe Property Management, and a provincial bailiff open the doors, which they did for a three-hour window last week, to allow affected customers to locate and retrieve their missing wheels.
However, of the dozens of people who showed up in an effort to claim their tires, more than two-thirds of the customers didn’t get them back, Niznik alleged.
While her sister managed to find her tires, Niznik and her nephew left empty-handed.
“The property manager … mentioned that the tire people didn’t go bankrupt,” she said. “The property management closed their doors for failure to pay rent.”
A check of the property management’s website shows units at the commercial building at 34 Doncaster Ave. command at least $6,800 a month in rent.
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Niznik also learned many of the tires were possibly not stored physically at the property, but were instead inside trucks.
After seeking answers from the property management company, Niznik said she finally received a voicemail message on Tuesday that said it was out of their hands.
“I wish you luck in finding your tires, but at this point there’s nothing the landlord of 34 Doncaster can do to help you out here,” the company rep said.
One avenue for customers affected by the shop’s closure is a possible class-action lawsuit for damages.
Niznik said she has heard some people filed police reports, but she has yet to lodge a complaint due to her hectic spring schedule.
An inquiry sent to York Regional Police asking if an investigation had been launched over the missing tires or if authorities were treating the situation as a civil matter went unanswered.
“What does it say for small businesses?” Niznik said, adding she has used their services for at least four of her vehicles.
“It’s making you apprehensive about continuing to try to do business with a small business.”