Toyota doesn't care about us

I can see as well as read. My point is, are they the only US Toyota dealer?

 

Well, I've read all the post about this. Seems to me if the MSRP of the car was around $26,550, and you got 20% off that would bring the price down to $21,240. BUT, if you paid cash, there was a $2000 penalty, as stated, that would still make the car cost $23,240 which is a pretty sweet deal--at least a lot better than what I got with my Prius 3...remember, only two people ever go into a watch--and one of them is a jeweler. You aren't going to be a car dealer at his own game! Good luck!

 

Dealerships are independent businesses, not part of Toyota. This is a requirement of law.

Furthermore, what the dealer did is not illegal. It may be underhanded, crummy, and generally slimy, but not illegal. The OP is free to complain to Toyota, but shouldn't expect any satisfaction. Toyota is unlikely to reprimand a licensed dealer for business practices that are legal and common.

The best way to deal with this sort of marketing gimmick is to vote with your feet: buy from a different dealer, even if you have to go out of state.

Tom

 

Well said sir.

 

Who cares what dealer does what ... do the math and make your decision ... whining about various sales practices won't do a thing ... in ANY industry .... it accomplishes NOTHING. These things are going to happen for the rest of our lives ... in all facets of our lives .... do the math ... make a decision .... and move on with life. End of story.

If a company's practices or terms are so onerous to you that you can't deal with it ... LEAVE. It is NOT TOYOTA'S FAULT.

REV

 

I agree with qbee42 on this.

It's not that I don't think you have read the fine print and discovered a sleazy practice.

I think I was defensive primarily because of the assertation that because of a lack of action from Toyota Customer Service, you made the assumption that Toyota...the whole company...doesn't care.

If you can get Toyota...or probably more likely your Attorney Generals Office to look into this practice? More power to you.

But the truth is dealerships of all makes...have been playing deceptive shell games for about as long as hideous polyester plaid jackets have existed.

 

None of us like it. It's a crappy way to do business. On the other hand, most of us would object to the government setting prices for all car sales.

It's a fine line between too little regulation and too much regulation.

One of the best new weapons in the consumer's arsenal is the Internet. Social media, such as this site, allow ordinary consumers like us to share information - both good and bad. Bad dealers will be outed, while good ones gather more customers.

Tom

 

Just about every retailer in America offers additional discounts for using their credit arm to make your purchase. Macy's is the best, start with 20% off, then another 15% and if you open a Macy's charge another 15%. It's always a choice though and I just say no thanks. Target, Home Depot and on and on. It's just another form of revenue stream in a free market economy but it's voluntary and there's nothing deceptive about it.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

It is pretty simple - if a deal is too good to be true then it likely is. Anyone that falls for it is just greedy or stupid or both.

 

ya!! F'ing Nissan, all we get is... hmmm?

oh crap!! wrong site. thought i was at mynissanleaf.com page

ya, ok. Toyota is the same. i think they could manage their personal much better. instead of hiring some flunky right off the street to answer questions, they should get the actual engineers on the phone to talk with us so we could get someone who actually knew something.

after all, its not like they are busy developing a full EV

oh, btw did i tell you!! i got a job selling used cars! for Ford. their customer service is MUCH better than either Nissan or Toyota

 

Like others have stated, I really don't understand what you are complaining about. The promo was black and white. It is a buyers respnsibility to know what is on the table. If you don't ask, they won't tell. Dealer's get a cut from financing by raising your interest rate and then you get the price of the car at a discounted price. It's a no brainer. I had the same issue with you on that if that is the case but also had a contingent plan if in case they treat me this way and they sure did. I would like for you to look at the financial contract and if you look at the top center, it says "RETAIL INSTALLMENT CONTRACT - SIMPLE INTEREST". By scrolling down on your contract just below the APR rate, Prepayment . If you pay off all your debt early, you will not have to pay a penalty. With that said, all you have to do is get preapproved from another bank or credit union with a lower interest rate and payoff the loan amount from toyota financial. This practice is not new and it's been going on since I have bought my first vehicle. Make it a learning experience and learn to be smarter than the dealers.

Cheers.

 

I totally disagree, 10,000%. The promo was not black and white. It was more like advertising a "Buy one, get one free" deal by advertising only the "Get one free" part. It is not ok to defraud a consumer simply because they are inexperienced at car loans or the sales process. It's not ok to cheat a consumer just because you can get away with it, and that's exactly what they do when they bury a term in mouse print and don't mention it until after you've fully committed to get the car. Consumers shouldn't have to be cheated once in order to understand the process.

Everybody needs a car. If you're going to buy one, you're going to buy one. It's not as if being honest to consumers will prevent them from buying cars, nor will it reduce car sales. These kinds of car salesmen should be run out of business.

Every business has to run on trust. When the odometer says four miles, you have to trust its true. When you hire an employee, you have to trust them. When you log into your Google email, you trust Google. I trust Toyota to do everything they can to make their cars safe and reliable. I trust that they'll abide by their warranty. Trust is part of business. It's not ok for a car salesman to gain your trust and then try to cheat you, and the car manufacturers should not permit it.

 

Toyota, and most car manufacturers, have little control over the dealers. Just look at MSRP, that stands for manufactures SUGGESTED retail price, yet a dealer can charge thousands over that if they wish! Sony can't control a particular stores practices, nor can Stouffer's dictate how the employees at your supermarket behave! The OP was buying the car with cash, they could have negotiated a equivalent or better deal by going to a few dealers and getting a price matching battle going! This particular offer was through their financing, stated in the ad, and the OP knew that fact going in!

 

Incorrect. Anybody can sell a Sony TV, but you must have a franchise agreement in place with Toyota. No doubt Toyota has a contract with each business which allows Toyota to terminate the agreement if the dealer behaves unethically.

 

Is the $2000 fee penalty stated in the contract or was it just verbally stated by the gen. manager that you pay the fee? If your payment stub has to be mailed to toyota financial services, toyota financial services has a simple interest loan agreement with no penalty for early payment. I suggest that you read the fine print again in your loan agreement. If you are not sure about it, let a lawyer look at your contract.

 

The promo is still black and white no matter how you look at it. We only get to see or hear one side of the story. The OP needs to read his loan agreement. In my contract, it says that the lender of the loan is my local toyota dealer where I bought my vehicle from but I send my payment to toyota financial services. If the OP sends his payment to the local dealership which I would highly doubt or other institutions other than toyota financial services, then that to me it is a binding contract to pay full payment with interest. My guess would be that the OP calculated the total payment for the # of months he has to pay and sees the rise of interest paid over the term of the loan. The OP needs to read the fine print of his loan. I will believe him if he post a photo copy of his loan agreement'. TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES LOAN AGREEMENTS ARE "SIMPLE INTEREST" LOAN WITH NO PENALTY FOR FOR PREPAYMENT.