Hi everyone! I just bought a 2011 Prius II (Winter Gray) last Friday. Absolutely love the car! My wife and I picked up the car Friday afternoon and when we finished the paperwork, she headed back home in the old car and I drove the Prius home. The next day, she asked if I had both keys. I told her that I only had one, which the salesman handed to me. I assumed that the salesman handed the other key to her; but she said that she never got a key. Our 8-year-old son remembers seeing the 2nd key sitting on the table next to the new Prius prior to our leaving the new car area to sign the paperwork. After paperwork was signed, she heads straight home and I go back to the new car area to drive home, with the key I already had in my possession. Fast forward to Monday morning, and I call the salesman and tell him I only have one key and that we must have left one at the dealership. All of a sudden, he becomes unhelpful and defensive saying that he handed both keys to us and we must have lost the key. He said that he'd look around the dealership, but said it in a tone of voice that suggested he was done dealing with me. My wife visited the dealership yesterday to tell them in person that we never received the 2nd key and she was given the cold shoulder treatment from the same salesman, who suggested that maybe it's somewhere in the Prius (which it isn't because then it should turn on if I don't have the key). Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on next steps? We paid full price for this Prius, and now we feel like we're being screwed twice. Also, we have never lost or misplaced a car key before and we even turned the house upside down to make sure we didn't have the key.
Go directly to the Sales manager or general manager of the dealership and explain it to him/her don't deal with the salesperson
Hmm... This is sort of a difficult situation, since your 8 year old son "thinking" he saw the other set of keys isn't a strong starting place. But basically, you're saying YOU were given 1 set...and never received the second. What is really wrong here, is the attitude of the salesman. Unhelpful and defensive is not correct. Even if HE thinks he gave you both, even if he thinks you are wrong, as a representative of his dealership and Toyota, he has no place becoming defensive, combative or unhelpful. If the problem doesn't just resolve itself? In other words, if the key just doesn't show up? Then I'd second the advice to climb up the ladder at the dealership. You are the consumer. You just made a big purchase from them. They should be helpful and understanding NOT defensive and unhelpful. Unfortunately just another story about how crappy dealerships can be....
I'm amazed that they are being so unhelpful, especially since you haven't completed any of the surveys yet. My dealership seemed to live and die by what my survey responses would be. Good luck. Definitely climb the chain of command.
My story is different but still very frustraiting. I bought the car on 3-2-11. It took 14 phone calls, 9 emails, and 3 trips to DMV to finally get my plates on 4-6-11 (driving around with expired temp plate since 4-1-11). Then I get another call on 4-6-11 asking if I had finally gotten "my plate problem" fixed. I told the manager yes but it was bull pucky having to go through all of that. He said he was sorry but glad everything worked out, BUT on another note did I know that I had a past due payment. WHAT! I am waiting for the paperwork from you telling me witch bank and all of the details. He said it will not affect my credit if I give him my card number and make a payment over the phone. Said no problem but this is more bull pucky and their screw up. I will never let anyone I know go their to buy a car. I just hope they will send me the info about payments and the bank. Service before the sale was good to great. Service after the sale HORRIBLE!!! Love the car hate the BS
Last year, I had some "problems" when buying my car. Mysteriously the surveys never showed up??? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think the dealerships have a way of making sure "if they want" that you never get those surveys. How hard is it to "accidently" enter in the wrong address? Unfortunately? It seems with MOST...not all, but most dealerships, your leverage disappears the Nano-Second the ink of your signature appears on the purchase or lease contract.
Thanks for the suggestions. I will move up the chain and see what happens. And I hope I do get a survey...few things boil my blood more than poor customer service.
I never got a survey from my purchase either. I wondered if it was related to my writing Toyota Financial Services requesting that they cancel my GAP coverage and refund my money as I didn't request it. I'm just saying.....
I purchased my Prius on 2/25. Since then I received a survey from Toyota on my purchase experience (received 3/16), and then another survey from Toyota on issues/problems/quality on the vehicle itself (received 3/30).
Your FOB has a key number on it. Be sure to give your dealer that key number so they can use it to help them locate your 2nd key. My next step after the General Manager is to contact Toyota Customer Service (number in the owner's manual) and explain the situation. The dealer will get this figured out in spite of your salesman. Welcome to PriusChat and congrats on your new Prius. Enjoy the high MPG's, technology and low-emissions.
Funny. I just got a call from the dealer just now while reading this. I didn't recognize the phone number so I almost didn't answer it. He was just asking how I was doing and thanking me for my purchase. I asked him if he could disable the reverse beeping, and he said that he didn't know. Oh well. I'll just take it in sometime next week...
+1 After a few horrendous dealngs with my Chevy dealer's service department (5 distributors, 3 A/C compressors) I noticed on my receipt that EACH customer data firld had been changed, e.g. street address from 2255 to 5522. Just enough so they hoped I wouldn't notice. I got it touch with corporate headquarters. Bottom line, the extended warranty was extended from 60,000 to 100,000 miles, and the money I had already paid fro the extended warranty was refunded. MORAL: Don't be afraid to climb those golden stairs. P.S. The dealership was very nice to me after that.
Thanks, Tom. This is helpful. Seems like, at the very least, the salesman should have been sincere enough to take down the key number to help locate the key. (I am loving the Prius. So far the computer MPG is in the 48-50 range on the first tank. Gotta love that!!)
Hey, sorry to bug ya, but shouldn't your location quote be, "Is This Heaven? No, it's Iowa." At least that's how I remember the quote, but at my age, the membery gets fuzzy. By the way, as you probably know, a replacement FOB cost a few hundred so I'm sure your salesman covering up his tracks since he may have lost the original!
Thanks for the guidance here! I contacted the general sales manager of the dealership and things have been resolved. The salesman called me up and offered his apologies and he said that they would provide the second key. It's good to know that, for some, customer service is still alive and well! (I just hate it when you have to fight tooth and nail for it, though!) (Still on first tank and am now up to 52 mpg! :thumb
Thanks for the update. I've been anxious to hear that you succeeded in obtaining your rightful 2nd key. It's too bad you had to jump hoops, holler and hammer the dealership. Make sure that 2nd FOB works before you tuck it away. Drive your new Prius in peace!
