Devestating experience at the dealer/ done with Toyota?!

actually, this sounds like a problem of YOUR making...trusting people is sales...verbal promises...your credit score...all conspired against you and your lack of shopping savy really shows. YOU should have been in control from the very day you set out to buy...and most importantly, you should have had multiple dealerships working against each other, not have all your "eggs"/balls in one dealership. A smart consumer would have never become embroiled in a jam like this in the first place...you have however, recieved some valulable lessons for Next Time.

 

OUCH So sorry to hear about your situation. When I shopped for my prius, I went dealer hopping at several dealerships in the area, and found the professionalism and service quality to vary greatly at each dealership. I wonder why that is. The worst place was Oakland Toyota, where it took them 45 minutes to write down a price quote on a piece of paper, because they were trying to figure out how much "premium" they can charge me. It pissed me off so much that I sat down with them and wasted their time until the moment came when they thought I'd pay the deposit, and I walked out. I said, "actually I change my mind. I'm going to the other dealership who told me wouldn't charge premium, and whose announced MSRP matched the value I saw on the internet exactly"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 9 2006, 02:01 PM) [snapback]252279[/snapback]</div>

Let's make the best of a bad situation and find these ladies some cars!!!

Silver pkg 7 with grey interior
Silver Pine Mica pkg 7 with grey interior

Anybody find any???? ANy in AZ?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 9 2006, 09:08 PM) [snapback]252496[/snapback]</div>

VERY. In July 2004 I contacted 8 dealers within reasonable driving distance through the Toyota 'contact a dealer' web site (OK, I drove to the local one). I sent them all the same message - MSRP only, refundable deposit and the packages/colors I was willing to take. First one with a car wins the sale (you aren't doing me any favors at MSRP). I didn't say that part . I figured I was in for a 6-8 month minimum wait as was common at the time. I put deposits at 4 places - those that had wait lists/avg cars coming in per month that were shorter than others. I had a car in 6 weeks, 300 mile round trip nice fall day drive, contacted the other dealers immediately and got my deposits back no problem.

You certainly got a raw deal with the saleslady, but don't let her put you off the car. You are looking for a higher end package. My advice to you is get out of town Dealers in smaller areas are less likely to have customers with $28K to put into a car but will still get them in allocations. That is how I got mine.

ANY salesperson who says "I can get you this package Prius in this color with this interior in this timeframe" is a LYING SACK O' (BAD WORD HERE) unless they are going to call all the other dealers in the country until they find an unclaimed match and they sure as heck can't promise a date on THAT. The regions (at least the NE region, I presume they all work the same) are allocated some number of Prii twice a month. They allocate them to the dealerships on the 1st and 15th. These are the NUMBER of cars the dealer will get, the individual sales person may not know WHAT they are getting for a few days. From that list they can then see if the car they promised you would get in "n" days is coming, no one in the list before you will take it and (assuming they are honest) they won't sell to someone below you for more money. The available Prii in NE for April (saw a newspaper article) calculated out to < 10 per dealer though they are not necessarily doled out equally. What are the odds that the ONE combination you are willing to buy will show up in a specific time period at your ONE dealer and no one in front of you has it on their 'will take' list?? I wouldn't bet the bank (nor sell my old car) based on THAT process

My wife should be getting a Barcelona in the next week or so. For hers, since the general wait isn't so horrendous as in 2004, I just put in a deposit a the local dealer. She came to the top section of the list in the April 15 allocation (2.5 months wait). The dealer usually gets 5-8 per allocation, only got 1 on April 1 (April Fool!!!) but got 8 on the 15th. Since it is now 3 weeks later, I'm guessing the allocation was done when the cars were getting loaded on the boat in Japan. We had 2 packages and 4 colors in the "will take" list. A friend got lucky on a 'not first choice color' buying a new '06 off the lot in January.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(inventor00 @ May 9 2006, 07:14 PM) [snapback]252536[/snapback]</div>

Head north to Nevada...try Carson City Toyota--that's where I got mine and they bent over backwards almost to help me and get me mine.

Good luck on your quest.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 8 2006, 07:45 PM) [snapback]251916[/snapback]</div>

Joy;

I am so sorry to read of your difficulties. FWIW, let me give you a little insight into how I got mine...
I looked at over 20 local Toyota dealers. This was done on the web. I also looked through Edmunds.com, and they recommended 5 dealers near to me, so I looked at all of them.

Dealer #1 didn't want to sell me a Prius...he wanted to sell me something off the lot. He didn't have a Prius on his lot, but furthermore he told me that it was a mistake to buy one So, he was off the list.

Dealer #2 didn't have a Prius on the lot and was very interested in the payment plan. However, he had no idea as to when the car would come if I ordered...6 months, maybe? He was off the list.

Dealer #3, like the others, didn't have a Prius on the lot, and really didn't know much about them. He didn't seem to care. He was off the list.

Dealer #4 had a Prius on site, which I test drove. I took his business card, exchanged phone #s, and moved on.

Dealer #5 was simply suspicious. I was going to pay cash (well, ok, a check). He didn't want me to. Like most of the others, he didn't have a Prius onsite. He was off the list.

I further pursued #4 (Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA), and asked an awful lot of questions. There were a few things that bothered me, such as he didn't know the price, and he was honest in telling me that the car would come probably before July, and he apologized for the lateness. Later I found that at the time, nobody knew the price of an '06 Prius because it hadn't been released yet.

One thing I did do is play hardball. To each of these dealers I made sure that they knew what I wanted and that there would be no compromise whatever; that if the car were delivered and it was the wrong package it would be refused on the spot, even if it were a more advanced package than what I ordered. (I have a #3 '06). I also inspected the car before taking delivery...looking for dings and such. The dealer knew that if there was a ding that I would reject the car, period.

Your dealer sounds very suspicious, and I think that you did the right thing by writing a letter to the various agencies about it. It would help, also, if one of the TV 'problem fixer' guys could also be brought into the picture. I wish you well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 8 2006, 07:45 PM) [snapback]251916[/snapback]</div>

Based on my experiences so far (I'm expecting to get my Prius today), and the cumulative experiences of buying at least 50 vehicles over the past couple of decades, I can tell you that your experience with Toyota dealers in general is not uncommon.

If you are in the Phoenix area Avondale Toyota is probably the only straight-forward, customer centric dealership there is. My experiences with the others have always been horrid.

I would recommend talking with AVondale and seeing what they can do - I believe they only have a wait of a few weeks right now...

 

Joy,

if you still wanting a Prius, I would highly recommend giving Bred a call from Right Toyota. They are located in Scottsdale but I am SOOO satisfied with their performance that I'm sure they handle you to your satisfaction. When buying from them I only had to wait 4 days for the car. Let them know that Val Tamarov sent you and they will do your windows tinting and a cargo net installed for free (just make sure you ask for them)

Brad Pringle
Internet / Fleet Manager
(480) 778-2334 Direct Line
(480) 818-3273 Cell Phone

 

I would defintely send a copy of the letter to the State Attorney's General Office with the GM's as a cc. Let them determine if the dealer is scamming or reselling for a higher premium, but I would mention my suspisions that this is happening. Don't acuse just surmise. Along with what happened they will most likely inverstigate. And I would follow up daily with TV station and reporter, asking if they have exposed this operation yet since more and more people will be wanting hybrids due to gas cost. Hope you find one and can get it soon.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 9 2006, 09:08 PM) [snapback]252496[/snapback]</div>

After reading some of the bad reports on here, I decided to "hedge my bet", and put a $500 deposit at one dealer, and $1,000 at another. It was only after a few months, when I could see which dealer was really working with me, had a good grasp on when the car was coming in, even called me with other cars coming in sooner, etc, that I went and got my deposit back from dealer A. Seeing as how they never deposit the checks (at least in my case) I had nothing to risk.

 

Joy, I hope you are able to get into that new vehicle via another more ethical salesperson and dealer. BTW I have heard a few negative comments about Miller's Salt Lack City Dealerships.
Quite a disconcerting string of information. I recently sold my car knowing that it would take time to acquire a Prius. I figure that I will ride a bicycle to work and night school for a few weeks and enjoy not filling up a forty gallon tank at $3.40 a gallon then only getting 9 mpg.
A few weeks ago I ordered a Prius from Wallace in the Internet Department at Longo who took my deposit and claimed I would be driving home in 6-8 weeks. Now, I am 3-5 weeks out.
However, I received a hard sell phone call from the internet manager (Tom) at Tustin Toyota. He used a combination of lies about the expiration date on the Hybrid Tax (on which he was incorrect), informing me that the HOV stickers in CA would be gone (which is not a concern) and finally telling me that the dealer was just taking me off the market with the deposit. I let him know that the Tax Credit is not removed, but rather decreased and that my only concern is finding a Prius at MSRP. He was notably flustered and continued to speak too fast with a rather lame hard sell letting me know that his information is correct, but I just do not want to hear it. He then went further, telling me that Longo - Wallace would never honor our e-mail and verbal agreement and that my incoming vehicle would be sold to the highest bidder. Hence, the $3000 + premium that was going to put on a Black package #7 that could be mine in a couple days through Tom in the Tustin Toyota Internet Department.
I had originally e-mailed a salesman at the Tustin dealership named Fred whom had sold a Prius to a friend of mine last year at MSRP and still works at the dealership.
I ended up getting an 8pm phone call from Tom and was graced by the marketing anathemas of lying, coercion and general misinformation coupled with abrasiveness.
Hopefully, Wallace over at Longo can pick of the Customer Service slack that his Toyota brethren Tom has certainly lost grasp of in explaining to me the economics of high demand to justify the premium (GOUGING). Oh boy. Any thoughts or suggestions on relaying my experience to Toyota or at least the dealership owner?
Joy, I truly hope your dilemna with Larry Miller is resolved ASAP and you can get on with driving a new Prius.

[

[/quote]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tmorrowus @ May 9 2006, 02:57 PM) [snapback]252278[/snapback]</div>

I was orignally responding to this and had not realized that Joy had updated tonight. I sure hope the dealer gives you a fair shake - He should give you free rental and probably thow in your cargo net and tinting gratis as an act of good faith. Buena Suerte.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joy @ May 8 2006, 07:45 PM) [snapback]251916[/snapback]</div>

Wow, sorry to hear this. My friend had a similar situation in So. Cal. He was told his car would be in by Saturday. He stoppped by Saturday night and it was being off loaded. Metalic Grey package #8. So he sold his 2005 Prius Sunday to a buyer he had lined up. On Monday he was told they sold the car to a guy who offered $5000 over MSRP.

 

I think some posters are being a bit harsh. If you are new to car-buying or a decent, honest professional in your own line of work . . . then the lying and conniving at some of these dealerships is unexpected. I don't treat others this way, not personally and not professionally, so its hard for me to accept that dealers routinely treat their customers in this way.

Joy, I too have had bad experiences at dealerships and sometimes the response I get is, "Why did you believe what they told you, what they put in the contract, what they assured you of verbally and in writing, etc." Huh?? I mean, what kind of consumer transaction requires you to assume that the person you are dealing with is a lying, swindling, cheating, manipulative scumbag out to rob you of every last dime and that no assurance, even in writing, is valid? I am no mary poppins but nothing I have done in life - - not buying a house, not getting a mortgage, not purchasing consumer goods that cost as much as a car - - has equaled the car dealership experience.

And, I would like to add that there have been empirical studies that have shown that women get worse deals than men and that minorities get worse deals than whites (this study involved scripts given to subjects so the amount of bargaining, the back and forth was held constant). I actually do all our family car negotiating by email in my husband's name . . .

TOYOTA IF YOU ARE READING THIS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SELL DIRECT! If gateway can do it, why can't you . . .

 

I can't believe this is the only dealership you can buy from. Why are you still dealing with these people? What makes you think the GM is any more ethical than his salespeople?

You have internet access. That allows you to search inventories of any dealership that has theirs online. It also allows you to e-mail the internet managers to enquire what they have available. I find negotiating with the internet manager way better than the salemen at the dealership.

Be willing to travel.

You don't want to wait? I'll bet you could find a car in So. Cal and drive home.

We have many dealerships in San Diego, not a bad drive back to Arizona.

I recommend. Howard Sheehy at Kearny Mesa Toyota. They get big allotments and they never charge more than MSRP and there are no add ons like etching. I'll bet if Howard doesn't have the car you want he could find one and trade for it.

Howard Sheehy, the Internet/Fleet Manager at

Kearny Mesa Toyota,
4910 Kearny Mesa Road,
San Diego, CA 92111

ph: 858-335-5815,

email: [email protected]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ May 12 2006, 08:45 PM) [snapback]254557[/snapback]</div>

Well put. I loved my car buying experience at Carlsbad Toyota and have sent many there to talk to Gerald. I have issues with Bob Baker Toyota but have heard wonderful things about every other SD county dealer. To continue to work with this dealership is just asking for trouble. Use the information provided here and get your car.

 

Joy-

Hopefully you haven't given up on being a Prii owner. I'm a bit late on this reply, but as you in the Phoenix metro area, I can give you a tip on a decent Toyota dealer, Big Two in Mesa.

They let me drive a demo car, I ordered at straight MSRP, and it came in just about on the time expected. Only snag, it came in as a Pkg 7 instead of 3. At first I didn't want to take it, and they offered to swap me a Seaside #3 from a Flagstaff dealer. One drive with all the bells & whistles hooked me though, plus they knocked $600 off for the mistake. Now, I am GLAD for the mistake, am loving the NAV, bluetooth, and HID lights!!! The sales guy who helped me was Bob Benson. Good luck with your search!

Infidel