An Ontario woman says she bought a used vehicle recently and was shocked to discover after she made the purchase that it had been used as a former rental car. “The ownership was actually for an enterprise rental company, which had not been disclosed to me,” said Brooke Shaw, of Simcoe, Ont. Shaw said while buying a 2024 Volkswagen Taos, she was led to believe the SUV was a lease return. However, she later discovered through paperwork she found in the glove box that it was a former daily rental. Shaw said a former daily rental car was not something she wanted to buy. “The fact that it was a daily rental, I just feel like there is more that could go wrong with it,” said Shaw. When Shaw contacted the dealer, they apologized for what they referred to as confusion or miscommunication, but they told her she had signed her initials on the contract where it said, “previous daily rental.” Shaw agrees she signed the contract but said in the heat of the moment buying the car, she signed papers where she was told to sign, and no one mentioned the vehicle was a former daily rental car. “When you get in a room and you’re excited and you want the vehicle and you have someone saying ‘sign here, sign here, sign here.’ But nothing was explained to me,” said Shaw. When she complained, the dealer told her since she signed the contract, it was a done deal. “I just feel like every step of the way with this purchase nothing was transparent,” said Shaw. When buying a used car, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) told CTV News that dealers, under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, “are required to disclose certain information about a vehicle’s history and condition before a sale.” “Mandatory disclosures, including whether a vehicle was previously used as a daily rental, must be provided in writing on the bill of sale,” OMVIC said. “Car buyers are encouraged to carefully review the entire bill of sale before signing and make sure they understand the information provided. If anything is unclear, missing, or different from what was discussed, buyers should ask questions and seek clarification before signing a contract.” Other disclosure requirements include if a vehicle was used as a police cruiser, emergency services vehicle, taxi, or limousine. When Shaw told the dealer she had contacted CTV News, the dealer agreed to review her case and decided to refund a portion of the cost of the SUV. Shaw told CTV News she was pleased to get some money back and feels her case has been resolved. “I’m very grateful to have this behind me and look forward to driving the car and moving on,” said Shaw.
