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Issue with my Plug-In order and my nightmare

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by delz, Mar 31, 2012.

  1. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    Outstanding job Tracksyde, my only regret is the problem resolved too fast and I did not have time for a nasty letter to "Garden Grove"How can this dealership ever recover from this nasty experience to its reputation? It CAN'T. In my mind I will always associate it with "HELLS Garden Grove":mad::mad::mad:
     
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  2. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Man you guys are amazing.
    If I'm ever in a fight I want you guys in my trench.



    Am I reading right? You guys actually got the dealership to sell the car at the agreed upon price WITH the options?

    I bet they don't "accidently" pre-load, a "pre-purchased" vehicle again.
     
  3. three33

    three33 New Member

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    Wow,

    This is weird...so I have 2 stories about Toyota Place. I went to Toyota Place with my roommate because he is looking for a Prius C (I told him to go through Dianne but they had the color he wanted). They tried to pull the same crap with the tint,"security system", and some type of sun protection. He thankfully did not get the car from them but when I did pull into the dealership with my own phev - I think I parked next to yours delz! It was a winter gray one, I scoped it out and saw the extra addons - funny because I also took a picture of the window price and was going to post on here.

    I discussed your plug in with the salesperson and they said they were waiting for you to comein and would sell to the next person on the waiting list if you didn't want it

    I also have another story about them and how they fumbled my friends order when he first pre-ordered the plug in. He eventually switched to Dianne
     
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  4. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    I don't think this was a "mistake" at all. They knew when the car came in that it was pre-ordered, and went ahead with their usual business practice anyway. It only became a mistake when they got called on it. It isn't like PHEVs are falling off trees and they are getting so many that they can't keep track. I think Delz should definitely go ahead with the transfer to Carson and have Dianne handle the sale, along with a complete inspection by Carson's service dept to make sure that whatever Garden Grove's people have done to the car has been done properly, with no damage.
    That outfit owns dealerships near LAX, and I think there were problems with one or more of those stores that were the subject of investigations within the past couple of years. Sounds like a bunch of unscrupulous people to me. In a word- CROOKS.
     
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  5. Jozo

    Jozo PIP PIP HOORAY!

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    I don't know how much help they can be, but I'm always an advocate of reporting unscrupulous businesses to the appropriate state agency - in this case it's the California State New Motor Vehicle Board,NMVB Home Page, and at least letting them know what's up. FYI, the Better Business Bureau is a member-driven organization that businesses pay to join. They are really a business-oriented group and they rarely, if ever, advocate for consumers. They are a waste of time in most cases.
     
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  6. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I agree, I'm very suspicious that it was a mistake. But saying it was, is at least Semi "Plausible Deniability".

    To me the "crappy" part, and undefensible part, is trying to strong arm the OP into purchasing what he did NOT order, at a Price he did NOT agree on.

    Even if I suppress my suspicion that it wasn't a mistake, and give the dealership the benefit of the doubt, IMO there is no excuse to call the OP and give him threats and ultimatums. If a sincere mistake was made? They should of been working with the OP immediately, in as friendly and supportive a manner, to find resolution. Instead, they threatened to sell his vehicle out from under him, because THEY had added thousands of dollars of Add On's the OP didn't order. Yep Crooks.
     
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  7. HaveNoCents

    HaveNoCents Conservative Tree Hugger

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    I'm very skeptical about this "accident". There is no way I would buy a car from a dealership with these practices. There is no way this was a mistake. They knew the car was his or they wouldn't have called him threatening to sell the car to someone else if he couldn't come up with the money. This is not rocket science. A car was ordered at an agreed upon price. Any attempt to get more is unscrupulous.


    iPad ?
     
  8. mikenewmediary

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    I been following this thread for the past day, and was happy to hear that this should get resolved and Delz will finally get his car.

    I am waiting for my car to reach port, and felt that this could happen to me as well. This made me sick, and cant imagine how Delz felt.

    Been part of this forum for 6 weeks, and never miss a day of updates.

    Looking forward to my very first Prius, and its ELECTRIC!:D
     
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  9. plchung

    plchung Junior Member

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    I went to check Gen 3 Prius at this dealer last year. Most (if not all) of their prius have all this kind of add-ons and mark-up prices. It looks like part of their routine work. As far as for me, I would not let the dealer to do any kind of modifications to my "brand-new" pre-ordered PIP. Even if they end up give me those add-ons for free, I would prefer to get a brand new "untouched" PIP. It is my own opinion. I am glad this gets resolved.
     
  10. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    Yeah, don't waste your time with the Better Business Bureau. I have worked with them when I had problems with car repair work. They have no incentive to help you and lots to lose if their services are unfavorable to the business.
     
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  11. jaymac

    jaymac membore

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    Already moved up one place ! The "Santorum" effect ! This board is awesome !

    When I tried to pre-order a PIP my local dealership just ignored me ( twice). Maybe I was lucky after all.

    John
     
  12. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    That's the beauty of the process - you can research and TALK to your dealer well in advance when placing that order. If things don't work out, change dealers. Not to harp on the OP, but I wonder how much talking and research took place for this to happen in the end? It's not right, but given the number of bad reviews, this may have been preventable.

    I'm actually a bit concerned for the car - unless the alarm is installed w/ harnesses, the scotch-lock type wiring they'd have used wouldn't leave the car in original condition. My dad got forced into an alarm on his 2010, and still hates it (it goes off if you use any sort of Smart Key unlocking outside of the driver's door).

    Those who are moving forward w/ future orders (whenever the pipeline clears) can still pick a better dealer. I second that, while poor Dianne is very busy, she's the only choice in CA I'd consider.

    Here's to hoping that you get your car unmolested and for the price you agreed upon - preferably from a DIFFERENT dealer.
     
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  13. delz

    delz Member

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    Three33, that one is indeed mine! Toyota Place had told me they only got one order in before mine and mine is the Winter Gray Metallic. Do you mind posting the photo you have? I still won't be able to see it until tomorrow.
     
  14. delz

    delz Member

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    Yes, I greatly feared that I was on a lose-lose situation if they weren't going to back down, so I've been doing everything I can.

    Btw, I am a "she." :)
     
  15. delz

    delz Member

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    I agree! I actually dislike window tint because I wear only polarized sunglasses. I am also particular about the way my car looks but at this point who knows what freedoms I have if the damage is already done.
     
  16. delz

    delz Member

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    HTMLspinner, I agree with you on this. Unfortunately though, I made a big rushed judgment error and didn't do my research. On ordering day I was on an airplane and rushing through the process just to get the order confirmed as quickly as possible. This was my first time ever ordering a car and I am ashamed that I didn't learn the ropes on the best way to do it. I ended up going with a dealer I was familiar with and in my area that usually does great service on my current vehicle, but I did not prepare well in ordering the Plug-In by talking with them first.

    Alas, this is my new learning experience and now--albeit a little too late--am learning an entire world of the car-buying process. :)
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i just went, it was #6!
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    personally, i don't think the process was that well done by toyota. i may have dropped the ball, but i never realized i could go out and negotiate with dealers before the ordering process began. and, after it began, we only had 72 hours to make a deal and finalize with toyota.
     
  19. Prius Team

    Prius Team Toyota Marketing USA

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    Wow, I leave for the weekend and look what goes on! Sorry I'm late to the party, got the thread, got the PMs, thanks. I'm on it. Obviously this is far from the experience Toyota Corporate is/was aiming for. We'll get this sorted out. Thanks everyone.

    FWIW, you're all correct in that you have contracts that protect against adjusting the price, adding accessories without consent and releasing the car before the 14 days are up (unless you cancel of course).

    Best,
    Erica Gartsbeyn
    Prius Product Manager
    Toyota USA
     
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  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    #5 now. Keep on clicking! :)