windsor dealership accepts return of new car from man who claims to forget buying it
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carey storey is shown in his room at st. joachim manor in lakeshore on friday, july 17, 2026. storey struggles with short term memory loss. he recently bought a $70,000 vehicle which he then could not remember making the purchase.
dan janisse
hyundai canada has agreed to take back a brand-new car and forgive the loan, after an amnesiac windsor man complained he can’t remember buying it.
carey storey and his daughter don’t deny he signed the purchase papers. but they claim he didn’t have the capacity to make such a big decision after a series of strokes and seizures left him with amnesia.
“i guess i went out and bought a hyundai, which i don’t remember doing,” said storey, 62. “my long-term memory is not too bad. it’s just my short-term is cooked.”
carey bought a new elantra from windsor hyundai on june 10. his daughter, lauren d’aloisio, said the car would have ended up costing around $70,000 including tax and interest, after he signed up for multiple upgrades. his payments every two weeks would have been $341.48.
scotiabank said it cannot comment on individual client matters for privacy reasons. hyundai canada confirmed recently that it would accept the vehicle return.
carey storey is shown in his room at st. joachim manor in lakeshore on friday, july 17, 2026. storey struggles with short term memory loss. he recently bought a $70,000 vehicle which he then could not remember making the purchase.
dan janisse
“although doing so will result in a financial loss for the dealership, they have agreed to take the vehicle back and is actively working with the customer to help resolve the situation,” said nitish bissonauth, hyundai canada’s senior manager of corporate communications. “the dealership has been in contact with the customer and remains committed to supporting him through this process.”
that good-news update followed weeks of stress for storey.
he and his daughter said they pleaded their case with medical documents that show he previously suffered acute stroke and has anterograde amnesia, or the inability to form new memories. the medical reports also state he has chronic damage to blood vessels in his brain, which can increase risk of stroke, dementia and cognitive decline.
after buying the car, storey suffered another stroke in june.
“he wasn’t mentally capable or cognitively capable of making the purchase at the time,” said d’aloisio.
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storey said he also provided a note from his family doctor confirming he suffers from amnesia following the strokes.
“he cannot remember purchasing a car,” the doctor’s note states in part.
the windsor star reached out to windsor hyundai, hyundai canada and scotiabank about carey’s case. by that afternoon, hyundai canada responded that it agreed to take the car back.
“this decision reflects windsor hyundai’s commitment to treating customers with empathy, respect and understanding, even in circumstances that fall outside of its legal or contractual obligations,” said bissonauth.
d’aloisio said the dealership picked the car up the same day.
during his attempts to get out of the purchase deal, storey said the dealership told him he seemed fine when he bought the car. bissonauth confirmed that opinion, suggesting storey could have had “buyer’s remorse.”
“at the time of purchase, the customer did not disclose any cognitive impairment, nor were there any observable signs that would have indicated he was unable to understand or complete the transaction,” said bissonauth.
“dealership staff interacted with the customer in the normal course of business and, like any retailer, cannot make assumptions about an individual’s medical condition or discriminate based on perceived disabilities.”
storey had his first stroke in 2021. in 2025, he suffered a focal seizure. a person having the seizure can remain conscious but lose awareness, freeze in position, stare blankly or make repetitive involuntary movements.
“i was at work and i hear someone call my name out,” said storey. “i look up and there were two paramedics sitting there. they said your buddies have been trying to get your attention for an hour.”
last february, he was rushed to hospital after collapsing in a belle river arena at his son’s hockey game.
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in the hospital, he suffered two grand mal seizures. they cause a loss of consciousness and violent full-body muscle contractions. the seizures are commonly a sign of epilepsy, which storey was eventually diagnosed with.
after that, he temporarily lost his licence. it was reinstated in early june.
“i think what happened was once i found out i was good, i went and bought a brand-new car,” said storey.
he said he was “ecstatic” to learn hyundai canada had agreed to let him out of the deal.
“oh, the relief,” said storey. “i can’t explain how strange it is to not know you did something like that.”
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