Mom outraged after car dealer picks up daughter with Down syndrome to make sale

A mother is thankful to be reunited with her daughter who has special needs. The mother says she came home from work and her 26-year-old daughter with down syndrome was nowhere to be found. After frantically searching for her daughter, she later learned a car salesman from All Star Honda of Abilene picked her daughter up.

“Her father who lives in Tuscola got a text repeatedly from Honda asking him something about buying a car for Hope,” Angie Martin said.

Martin says she immediately called All Star Honda of Abilene, and they confirmed her daughter Hope Martin was there.

“I was like how did she get there,” Angie Martin asked? “He was like I came and picked her up. I said, I don’t know you. You’re a strange man, you drove to my home, and you took my daughter. You saw someone who was vulnerable, you took her to the dealership, and tried to sell her a car. Nothing about this is ok.”

The mother says she is not disputing the fact that her daughter called the dealership multiple times, but Angie Martin says it is obvious when talking to her daughter that she is not capable of making decisions for herself. The mother says when she called the non-emergency line the officer told her if a sale had been completed it would have been an exploitation of a disabled person. Angie Martin says even though no crimes were committed the failed deal went too far for comfort.

“To the point of where they were looking for a cosigner,” Angie Martin said.

But Nicholas Varela, the vice president of All Star Auto Group says the attempted car sale didn’t go far at all. When we asked the vice president if Hope was looking for a cosigner, he refuted that claim.

“That is not true,” Varela said. “She did not go anywhere in the car buying experience when she got to the dealership.”

The All Star Auto Group vice president says they also contacted the mother after the incident.

“We asked her how she felt we could’ve handled the situation better, and how she would’ve felt if we would’ve refused service to her daughter,” Varela said. “She refused to answer the question.”

“That’s the wrong question completely,” Angie Martin said. “The question is common human decency. Our communities are only as safe as our most vulnerable citizens.”

Varela went on to ask more questions.

“What I want to know is why was she left alone since her mother claims she’s so cognitively impaired,” Varela asked?”

“I’ve already been criticized,” Angie Martin said. “What was she doing alone? She’s 26-years-old. She loves this time. She’s in constant contact. This has been so empowering for her but because of what happened to her she’s going to lose that. That’s on the community.”

All Star Honda posted the following statement on their Facebook page.

At All Star Honda we pride ourselves on our commitment to serving every customer with respect, dignity, and fairness— free of discrimination of any kind. Recently, an incident occurred that we feel it is important to address directly.

We are prohibited by law to discriminate or refuse service to anyone based on their membership in a protected category, as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We are currently addressing this matter internally to ensure that we uphold the highest standards of inclusivity and respect. As a family-owned dealership, we do our best to act in the best interest of our customers and deeply regret any harm this may have caused.

We apologize for any concern this may have caused and appreciate the community’s understanding and support while we navigate this matter.