As much as I don't have time to do my own maintenance or modifications on any of my vehicles, I truly hate going to a dealership or mechanic for anything I need done. Not only is it about the lack of funds I have for said work, or the general belief that I can handle just about any repair, but I've been burned by those places too many times to count.
And through all my years reporting on cars, motorcycles, and other powersports, I've yet to hear about a dealership or mechanic that hasn't at one time or another screwed over their clients. I also used to work for two dealerships in my teens and trust me, I saw a lot of it firsthand.
But that doesn't even start to describe the hell that this Oklahoma-based dealership has put this widowed Polaris RZR owner through. Strap in and get your pitchforks ready.
Mechele Abbot is the owner of a 2019 Polaris RZR that once belonged to her and her late husband. James, Mechele's husband, had modified the RZR to his own individual specifications, but passed away in 2022. She inherited the UTV and, after taking it to the same dealership that James had used for the RZR's servicing, got a phone call she never thought she'd get, as on the other end of the line, the dealership informed her that her RZR had been in an accident.
According to Mechele, who spoke with KFOR Oklahoma City, one of the techs for Maxey’s Motorsports took the RZR out for a test drive and totaled the UTV. A police report obtained by the local outlet states that "The employee saw a child near the road, a father came out telling the employee to slow down, and the employee quickly turned to avoid hitting the child. Then, the report stated the RZR flipped and caused massive damage."
Since the accident, Maxey's hasn't fully repaired the vehicle and, according to the shop's neighbors, the techs and service people drive fast along the city streets, ignoring that there are children playing in the area. Likewise, Mechele told the outlet that Maxey's has a policy that any damage incurred while the vehicle is being serviced isn't the responsibility of Maxey's, which is a helluva cop-out given the shop nearly destroyed this woman's UTV while they were likely hot-dogging it on city streets.
The outlet also reached out to Maxey's and, when presented with evidence and questions concerning the techs' reckless driving habits, changed their stories, answered indirectly, said they'd talk to those workers, and then referred the outlet to the shop's General Manager Tony Maxey. He never responded to their calls.
To Mechele's credit, she doesn't want anything more than for the RZR to be fixed. "I just want whatever their insurance would give," she told KFOR, adding, "and I want to keep my husband’s RZR and walk away from this."
Hopefully, they do right by her and fix her RZR. But more than that, maybe they shouldn't be joyriding in other people's rigs? Least of all on busy city streets where children are present.
