Has anyone ever managed to get response from Hyundai?

[Laszlo]

A year ago I received a letter from Hyundai about a class action lawsuit, which offered a settlement to customers, who had purchased a Hyundai car, believing the advertised horse power rating. This turned out to be false, which lead to the settlement offer of Hyundai Motors America.

On 05/28/2004 I sent back the paperwork (proof of ownership and the claim form) to the given address (Hyundai Horsepower Class Action Center, P.O. Box 20802, Fountain Valley, CA 92728) but have not received the requested Dealer Shopping Card, promised to be issued pursuant to the settlement. I have photocopies of the submitted papers, which were sent with our office correspondence.

I called Hyundai Motors America on December 30, 2004, 4PM EST. They claimed they did not receive the paperwork. Hyundai had requested the use of regular mail (i.e. not registered or certified mail). I suspect they misplaced my claim form, maybe, because it arrived 2 months earlier than the deadline. The person on the phone refused to deal with the problem, saying that the deadline already passed. Since I could not achieve anything on the phone I sent a couple of emails to Hyundai Motors America. I also filed a claim at the Better Business Bureau, but neither they nor I received an answer from Hyundai. Then I sent emails to the lawyer handling the class action lawsuit (hyundaisettlement@girardgibbs.com, Daniel C. Girard, Girard Gibbs & De Bartolomeo LLP and to his secretary), but received no reply.

Do you think I can do anything more? The request of Hyundai to send claims in regular mail opens up the possibility that they intentionally loose some of them. Even if loosing my claim was not intentional, they should have answered at least one of my many complaints.

I should like to warn all potential customers, that Hyundai does not treat them with the minimum of common courtesy. Hyundai lied about the horse power ratings and only compensated a selected few. Think twice before doing any business with Hyundai! :mad:

[gard2]

I would also complain to the CA State Attorney General's Office, they may have an interest.

[mchastek]

Just wondering - has this situation been resolved? Did you get ahold of Hyundai at all? I'd love to know the outcome!

Thanks,
Mark

[Laszlo]

Unfortunately, I still have no reply from Hyundai, or from the class action lawyer. I would post any news immediately when they arise. If someone contacted them in my behalf, at least we could learn if they generally don’t reply to anybody or they just don’t like me. (I have two Hyundai cars, but seeing their behavior I won’t recommend anybody to do business with Hyundai.)

[Laszlo]

After more than 7 months Hyundai did send a short note to the Better Business Bureau, replying to my complaint. They wrote:
>> Customer was advised that Hyundai would consider a late submission if he could provide verification that he had mailed it. -- Customer upset because he said he submitted a claim form for a class action settlement, and Hyundai has no record of ever receiving it. Program end date was very specific due to court involvement, and late submissions are not allowed. Customer was advised that Hyundai would consider a late submission if he could provide verification that he had mailed it. <<

It is not clear, what they mean by "Customer was advised...". I never received any response, so literally it is not true. In case they meant that I was advised by their current reply to BBB, I have mailed them the photocopy of my original paperwork. Let’s see if they are willing to communicate, but BBB has already closed the case.

[mchastek]

Wow what a runaround - good luck, and keep us informed!

[Laszlo]

Another couple of months passed since I mailed the photocopies of my already submitted paperwork to Hyundai. I have not received any response. Obviously their letter to the BBB was a damn lie.

[kristi]

On 05/28/2004 I sent back the paperwork (proof of ownership and the claim form) to the given address (Hyundai Horsepower Class Action Center, P.O. Box 20802, Fountain Valley, CA 92728) but have not received the requested Dealer Shopping Card, promised to be issued pursuant to the settlement. I have photocopies of the submitted papers, which were sent with our office correspondence.

I called Hyundai Motors America on December 30, 2004, 4PM EST. They claimed they did not receive the paperwork. Hyundai had requested the use of regular mail (i.e. not registered or certified mail). I suspect they misplaced my claim form, maybe, because it arrived 2 months earlier than the deadline. The person on the phone refused to deal with the problem, saying that the deadline already passed. Since I could not achieve anything on the phone I sent a couple of emails to Hyundai Motors America. I also filed a claim at the Better Business Bureau, but neither they nor I received an answer from Hyundai. Then I sent emails to the lawyer handling the class action lawsuit (hyundaisettlement@girardgibbs.com, Daniel C. Girard, Girard Gibbs & De Bartolomeo LLP and to his secretary), but received no reply.

Do you think I can do anything more? The request of Hyundai to send claims in regular mail opens up the possibility that they intentionally loose some of them. Even if loosing my claim was not intentional, they should have answered at least one of my many complaints.


Wow, Laszlo--that's got to be frustrating.

Do you have any idea what the compensation provided to those they settled with amounted to? If it's under $5,000, can you take them to small claims court--which sees cases for under 5k?

Also, did you send any of your postal communications via registered mail (adds like, a buck to the shipping cost but requires a signature when it gets to the other end and ensures that the mail is received)? Perhaps this is the kind of proof a judge would need to see to really take these guys to the wringer.

I know how difficult it can be to deal with huge conglomerations, but perhaps if the compensation received by others in the class action suit is high enough for you to justify pursuing this further, you could seek counsel from another lawyer (not the one involved with the class action suit) and follow up in small claims or another court.

C'mon, a company valued in the billion dollar range can shell out a couple thou for a repeat customer. And thanks for the warning. I won't be buying from Hyundai anytime soon.

[Laszlo]

The compensation is a lousy $300 Dealer Shopping Card, usable only at Hyundai service stations. It is not worth the effort pursuing it in a court, to say nothing about paying a lawyer. My point was that Hyundai explicitly requested the use of regular mail for the claim, so I cannot prove anything in the court. Clever, is not it?

My post was meant to warn others, that Hyundai has a horrible, unfair customer care. They even lie to the Better Business Bureau, in writing. They don't care, knowing that nobody would sue them for $300.