Kansas Man Finds Racial Slur on Oil Change Sticker After Ford Dealership Service: ‘It Felt Humiliating’
A routine oil change at a Wichita Ford dealership has left a Kansas man grappling with a racial slur that he says was printed on a sticker attached to his truck’s windshield.
Larry Martin of Wichita told WBRC 6 and KAKE.com that he took his pickup truck to Rusty Eck Ford about two months ago. The service seemed uneventful: He got the oil changed, paid for it and went about his business.
Then, about two weeks ago, the dealership called with information he described as shocking.
“They told me they had an employee who had made a derogatory statement on my windshield. Not just mine, several other customers. They wanted me to check,” Martin recalled.
When he went to look, he found an oil change sticker printed with the N-word.
“I looked at it. I looked at it, and said, ‘This can’t be real,’ ” Martin said. “It felt humiliating.”
“I felt embarrassed that someone would say that and put it on my truck,” he added.
His daughter, Kelsey Martin, said she was shocked when she learned what had happened—especially because her father had been visiting the dealership for years.
“I was completely shocked,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Dad, are you sure?’ It’s Rusty Eck Ford. He has a great relationship with them.”
Kelsey later voiced her anger to KAKE.com.
“It’s inappropriate. It’s inexcusable. It’s disgusting behavior,” she said.
Larry added that the incident has stuck with him and is not something he can simply shake off.
“It carries a lot of weight. Every time I get in my truck … It doesn’t go away. I feel belittled, and I just want to know why,” he told the outlet.
Rusty Eck Ford did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In a statement shared with WBRC and KAKE.com, a representative for Rusty Eck Ford said, “Rusty Eck Ford became aware early last week of concerns regarding alleged inappropriate conduct. Rusty Eck Ford does not tolerate racial, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate conduct in the workplace.”
“Upon learning of these concerns, the company promptly initiated an internal investigation. Based on information developed during the investigation, the company terminated the employment of one individual,” the statement continued.
“Rusty Eck Ford takes these concerns seriously and remains committed to maintaining a workplace and business environment in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect,” the statement concluded.
The Ford dealership also said it met with the Martin family to address their concerns and that the incident remains under internal investigation.
Kelsey, however, said she is still not satisfied.
“No one deserves to be humiliated like this,” she told KAKE.com. “An apology just isn’t enough, and it doesn’t suffice for the embarrassment that my father has experienced.”
The episode highlights the reputational and emotional stakes for businesses when employee misconduct reaches customers. Even after a worker is fired, families can be left asking how a routine interaction turned into a painful reminder of racism—and whether enough was done to prevent it.
Read the original article on People.