Woman 'cried in car' after seeing racial slur on oil change sticker—then another dealership's response stunned her

When dealing with people, especially as employees in the service sector, a person must be respectful and professional. Communicating diligently is a must-have skill for the job and a trait people must possess in general. Unfortunately, we often come across racist people who look for opportunities to put others down. 33-year-old Makayla Starks went to get her car serviced at Kunes Buick GMC in Oak Creek,  per PEOPLE. Unfortunately, she returned to find her car with a sticker holding a racist comment. When she felt disrespected and downgraded, the community stepped in to ensure she got an apology and an apt response that helped her feel accepted.  

“While they were supposed to be servicing my car, an employee typed up a racial slur [the n-word] and put it in the comment section of my oil change sticker,” the woman recalled. When she saw the sticker later that day, she was hurt and disappointed and “cried for 20 minutes” in her car. The issue was brought to the notice of the dealership, and they took action. The company not only fired the employee who did that but also personally and publicly apologized. They genuinely replied with a post on Instagram with a long apology and a message of inclusion. “We want to be unequivocal: this behavior and the hateful sentiment it implies are absolutely against our values as a company. There is no place for racism or discrimination within our dealership or community,” the post read. 

Along with the apology, Kunes Buick also offered “credits for future services at all locations.” “We recognize the seriousness of this matter and accept our responsibility to ensure a safe, welcoming environment for every person who walks through our doors,” the company added. It was also ensured that action was taken to put the aforementioned promise into practice through the reinforcement of values and other initiatives. The company took the matter seriously and made amends, but the community expected more for Starks, who went through the unacceptable racism.

The story spread and Ramzey Rizk, owner of Family Nissan, another dealership in Inwood, was made aware of the situation. His thoughts were, “How can we help this person? How can we add more voices to her voice?” Rizk noticed that the community was in complete support of Starks and wanted to add to it with his power and position as an owner of a car dealership. “And then you hear somebody say, ‘Let’s give her a free car.’ And then you hear somebody say, ‘Not just any car, an electric car.’ And then I ask, ‘Why an electric car?’ And they said, ‘Well, because she never has to get an oil change again,’” he remarked.

Adhering to their suggestions, they presented Starks with an electric Nissan Leaf. Initially, when she heard about an “offer” from her attorney, she thought it was just more media coverage and interviews. However, when he broke the news to her that someone actually wanted to do something for her, she was in disbelief. A footage captured Starks completely baffled and in awe of the gesture, per News 12. “After this incident with the Kunes dealership, I could absolutely walk around with the attitude that people are terrible and nobody likes me. [But instead], I’m just trying to focus on people who are supportive and any good that has come out of this,” Starks concluded from her experience.