to the OP, I would have done the same thing, which is to notify the dealership of what had happened to your vehicle while in their posession. It seems like they took everything else in their hands after that. WHICH IS HOW IT SHOULD BE. I work in HR and personally know that such actions can be a huge liability for an organization.

Each organization has their own policy and own way of handling them. It is ultimately up to the dealership to make the final call (regardless on any suggestions you may have. ie: i do not want this tech fired but only used as a learning opportunity). Anybody can say that but if the dealership does not find that up to par within their set policies, then further action will be taken (which should not be held accountable by the person who brought up the case of their vehicle being abused).

This was just a very unfortunate situation that did not tend well for the tech that was let go. But it is what it is...In this case, his learning opportunity is to be fired for his actions.

 

some of the replies here are quite amusing.

so in short:
- tech did something wrong (took customer's car for joyride)
- customer reported to dealership
- dealership made the decision to fire tech

and there are people who think this is wrong and OP should have just moved on? unbelievable. forget about car culture or internet for a moment. how about be an adult and lives up to your own mistakes. every action has a consequence, and a lot of times consequences don't come with "chances" or "forgiveness". one can think how little one thing is when you are an outsider, but all it matters is how your boss feels about it. keep in mind they are the ones who feed you.

imagine you go into an restaurant and see an employee leaving the bathroom without washing his hands. meh, big deal, more than likely you won't get sick and even if you do, it's probably not life-threatening. not to mention tons of other countries won't give a damn about this. so i guess we should just let it go?

you drop a piece of gum here on the pavement in the US and probably no one would care. you do that in singapore and you better get your naked butt ready (at least in the past). all it matters is how your superior / boss think and you know it

 

Well said!

 

I hear you. The fact that some put blame on the member whose property was misused is outrageous. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

 

Its not like the OP deliberately told on the Employee and wanted him fired... He had a recorded video and brought it to managers attention... What happens after that is out of OP's control... Simple as that... to many people are rewarded for stupidity in this society... Do dumb ***** pay the consequences.

 

I totally agree

 

I think the saying "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" fits here. Be prepared to be fired when you take a customers car for a joyride. Its none of my business how the dealer handled their internal issues.

 

What I don't understand is what gives these tech's and valet guys the idea to smash on cars when there's obviously a camera mounted on the front windshield? Do they all assume that they're never on or recording?

 

people are dumb and dont see the camera sometimes. Like the idiot that lives on my street and stole a package off my front porch...with two obvious cameras there.

 

Agreed. I find it unbelievable as well that people are inferring that the OP did something wrong. Call me mean, etc., but dude being fired would be just the tip of the iceberg regarding action I would take with that dealership. I'd be demanding free service for life, free warranty etc., etc. OP has the power to drag the place through the mud.

One of the reasons I pay double and triple for dealership service is bc I like to think things like this won't happen from a Lexus dealership staff member. I'd never trust my car under the care of anyone other than a dealer, and that's why I pay more.

The fact that the car didn't even need to be driven (if it was just a interior mirror issue) makes it even worse.

You play, you pay. There are consequences in life.

 

that would **** me off. i had this happen a few times. actually one of those time, someone posted out front when the mail man came and said he lived at my place and took the package.

 

^^^^^ over here in southern cali , they call them folks porch pirates .

 

Can you guys hook me up with an ISF so I can take a joyride and push it 120+? It can totally handle it and it's just a car... you can always have insurance get another one if I crash it. It's my dream car so I can't help it but to get a taste. I'll even let you slap me on the wrist afterwards and I won't do it again; At the end of the day, the car is not worth more than my livelihood. Thanks.

On a more serious note, none of us have enough context to know whether this tech is a repeat offender, and that this may have been the final straw. Regardless, intentional reckless driving is serious enough, but this person recklessly drove another person's car to boot. There are very serious legal, liability, financial, and safety implications especially from the perspective of the dealership. This is not a mistake or an error in judgement. This is an intentional and planned action to take a customer's car out of the dealership and find a road where you can take it that fast and try not to get caught. It reflects a lack of character, respect, and integrity, all required for a professional, but especially important in the customer service industry. Even if this is an isolated incident for the tech, this reflects badly on the rest of his/her work.

 

One of the first lessons in Air Force basic training - it takes just one aw sh_t to ruin 50,000 attaboys.