The investigation is progressing into the file of collector vehicles which were declared stolen in Ontario, after the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrived in Quebec last week to seize around twenty cars.
With the participation of the Sûreté du Québec, OPP police officers went to the homes of Quebec owners to take back their classic vehicles which had been declared stolen by the Ontario dealership Grogan Classics in recent weeks.
Among them, there is Denis Bachmann who saw his 1962 Ford Thunderbird being towed before his eyes. In addition to giving him the official search papers, he is informed that he can file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Office (OPC) against the Sherbrooke dealership that sold him his car.
The other option offered to him was to reach an amicable agreement with Grogan Classics for the repurchase of his vehicle. The Ontario dealership has already made him an offer of $22,500 to keep it, after he bought it for $15,500 in 2021. In addition, he invested more than $13,000 in improvements and repairs.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous so I refrained from responding,” says Denis Bachmann bluntly. It’s a scam.
“I don’t know where he got that price because he doesn’t know the amount I paid him initially. There is no question of me giving another penny.”
Denis Bachmann finds that “it’s a scam” to pay an amount of several thousand dollars to the owner of Grogan Classics.
Photo provided by DENIS BACHMANN
According to our information, the OPP and the Sûreté du Québec were not able to recover all the vehicles on the list of their search warrants. The vehicles have been towed to a local impound at this time.
Ready to pay
More than thirty of the vehicles reported stolen in Ontario are said to have driven without problem on Quebec roads in recent years.
During this time, owners have invested significant amounts of money to get their vehicles back into working order. They also replaced several parts with original parts which are very expensive.
The majority become very attached to their vehicles. So much so that she is ready to do anything, even pay large amounts, to keep them.
“It’s a crazy thing,” said a victim who requested anonymity. I hadn’t slept for two months. I decided to buy peace by reaching an agreement with Grogan even if the amount represents half of the sale price.
He is not the only one in this situation. Several would have imitated it, in the last days, to avoid seizure.
A legal vagueness
It is not easy for victims to find their way legally. When a person buys a car in Quebec, the purchase is governed by the laws here.
“If the purchase was made from a merchant who has a permit from the Consumer Protection Office, the seller is required to sell vehicles free of any link that could affect his title of ownership,” says the spokesperson. word of the OPC, Charles Tanguay. Otherwise, the merchant would be responsible.”
However, in the current case, the Quebec dealers who are affected by the fraud that was committed against Grogan Classics purchased their cars in Ontario, so Ontario laws prevail.
An attempt was made to contact Jason Grogan, the son of Larry Grogan, owner of Grogan Classics, located in the suburbs of London, to obtain his comments on the matter. However, he did not respond to our calls.
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