A sign in the driveway of a Penticton golf course threatening to shoot car salesmen doing business on site has prompted a response by RCMP.
The sign, which read ‘Car salesmen doing business on this site will be shot’ outside Penticton’s WOW Golf Course was eventually censored by request of the RCMP. It now reads that they will receive a $2,000 penalty.
Included on the sign are logos of Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Ford.
Penticton RCMP confirmed that in speaking with the manager/owner, part of the sign that read “shot” would be taken down.
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As to what led to the creation of the sign, that remains unknown. In an attempt to contact WOW Golf Course, the line was dropped. They were not available for further comment.
According to RCMP Const. James Grandy, the manager/owner complained about people using his property for test drives.
RCMP say the current golf course owner alleges the sign was in place prior to him purchasing the business. Former owner of WOW Golf Course, John Chapman, denied such a claim.
“Wow,” he said. “It has not been in place since we sold it in 2010.”
Chapman is now the manager of Pine Hills Golf Club, close to WOW Golf Course in the West Bench area.
“Everyone is welcome at Pine Hills,” he said.
Penticton Honda sales consultant Kirk Gardner said he was shocked when he was sent a photo of the sign.
“I’ve had dealings with the guy there at WOW before, I had clients that drove in just to switch drivers, and he’d come running out like a mad man, and like blocking us, blocking the cars so you couldn’t get out.
“This sign is just crazy,” he said.
Gardner said Honda does not sell cars off-site, and certainly not in a door-to-door salesman fashion. In the past, about seven years ago, Gardner said Honda sometimes used the parking lot as a turnaround point during the winter. However, he said they haven’t done so for quite some time. He said he couldn’t comment on what other companies are doing.
Even if they are, Gardner said the sign is unacceptable.
“You can’t be putting up signs, threatening people,” he said.
Speaking to the $2,000 penalty, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen confirmed it’s unlikely a private business would be able to issue a fine, but this depends on what rule they are accused of breaking. If individuals are accused of breaking a municipal law, the fine would have to be issued by an RDOS bylaw officer.
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