How to Complain about a dealership advice.

Joe Bink

Joe Bink

Member
Without going to too much detail, I bought a 2013 Tacoma 10 days ago and have determined the finance person really misrepresented a lot of the add on packages we bought with the truck. I am writing a letter to the finance manager (Who, if history is a guide will simply ignore it), but would also like to know who else I should cc for maximum effect. The BBB? a general manager? Toyota themselves? One example is we bought what we were told was a Toyota extended warranty for the "rock bottom price" of $2800, Later I found out it was not through Toyota at all, and the exact policy with Toyota would be a third of the price. I am not normally a complainer, so do not know who to contact requesting a refund. Thanks in advance. And yes, I was unprepared and an idiot not to be.
 
Not sure just how you would go about that one. Start with the finance manager and work your way up is about all I can say. You have to be very careful with the stealership and get everything in writing so your not screwed. Hope you get it resolved. Best of luck to ya.

I had that same problem with the Hyundai stealership I bought my '06 Tacoma from in Jan. The finance officer kept trying to add extended warranties to mine which I kept refusing. His last offer was for an $8k (cost to me) 36k mile warranty. He said the salesman told him I wanted it which was a bunch of bull. He then went and talked to somebody and then came back (pissed) and printed a piece of paper out that I had to sign to decline all warranties except the 30 day one that they had to give for no extra charge for the drivetrain. I also told him that if anything went wrong with the drivetrain I would fix it myself since their mechanics didn't have a clue how to repair the rear bumper pad where there was a ball installed. I had them buy the new parts (I went with them to Toyota) to order them, and then picked up and fixed myself. Their mechanics said it was broken, it wasn't they were just incompetent fools, reason I would never take it in for them to work on so why would I buy a warranty from a company that employs mechanics that don't have a clue on how to work on a Toyota.
Oh they also tried to get me to finance it thru them several times, I said so sorry I'm paying cash full payment!
 
I work closely with a few dealership mechanics. I say most are competent but they get really restricted when dealing with "inventory" I really don't know how far up the complaints should go. Maybe as high as the dealership owner?
 
I will clarify my post about the Hyundai mechanics, their top mechanic said that this was how the rear step pad is installed on a tacoma notice the 2 big eyelets below on either side of the ball. He said that was how the pad was held in place, 1st photo.

On the second pic this is after I replaced those with the correct pushpins from Toyota that held it in place and the 2 screws under it that screw into the bumper crossbar. And yes I have installed a receiver since then.

The Hyundai mechanics probably know how to work on Hyundai vehicles just fine but not a Toyota. Toyota mechanics I have no problem with. Even the salesman after I took him to Toyota to order the parts and saw the diagram was surprised that his mechanics could not figure that out after 3 times, even after I took them the diagram and showed them. Kept saying it was broken, it was not. Just missing the caps, 2 pushpins & 2 screws.
 

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Not a mexhanical thing but heres my dealer story: bought my tacoma in april. It said they had a $500 rebate for recent college grads (i finished school thru my employer in march, hence i qualified). My salesman originally told me to get my rebate i had to go thru toyota financial to get it, no problem. Call TF, they tell me it should have been knocked off my final price or added to my down payment, either or. So I went back to my dealer..college transscript in hand and passed it on to the finance guy. Stay tuned im still waiting to hear back on what they're gonna do for me.
 
I wrote a 2 page letter listing all 7 irregularities, and what I would like done to correct the, I wrote to the finance manager, owner of the dealership and the general manager. I also files a complaint with our local BBB. I feel a bit stupid now, but we were talking about some pretty serious lies, and omissions. We shall see what happens, but I suspect very little if anything. Mostly, I just want to be refunded for the packages I purchased, that do not even apply to my vehicle.
 
I had a bad experience with the dealer I bought from and got nowhere. Contacted Toyota Corp. and they wouldn't/couldn't do anything. :censored:

My brother bought a Tacoma from the same dealer after I referred him there. Was supposed to get a $100 referral fee. NOT! I haggled with them over the course of about a year and finally gave up. Bad business on their part because I will not only not refer anyone to them, I have actually told people I wouldn't buy from them :censored: All over a measly $100, not even pocket change to them. :rolleyes:
 
I had a bad experience with the finance dept. The finance guy forged my signature and lied about the overall cost of gap insurance. I contacted the GM and told him i didn't want the car, I was going to contact the DMV and file a complaint which the dealer hates and I emailed the dealer owner. Most importantly I wrote a bad review on Yelp which the GM hated and politely asked me to remove it. They took back the car, gave me my old car back, gave me the monthly payment for my car which I had to make. Plus they offered to take a year off of payments on the car I bought from them.

Go straight to the GM, owner and DMV. Don't waste time with anyone else. All the finance guys are shady including the boss.
 
luckily for me and the wife we never had a problem with the dealership that we bought the truck from,we traded our Saturn Vue SUV in for it..at the time my wife worked for them ( Saturn that is )so she knew all the ins and outs of a dealership and we were able to haggle on the price to pay for the truck..paid off what we owed on the VUE and got a decent good monthly payment on the truck :thumbsup: :thumbup: ..Sometime's It's not always a case of who u know but what u know!!:laughing:
 
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The best price I found (on line but still somewhat local) for the best 8 year 120k bumper to bumper zero deductible warranty was $1400.. I feel that was a good deal. In your case, you CAN cancel your warranty and buy the one you really wanted. This early in the game, I see no reason why you shouldn't get 100% of your money refunded
..
 
I'd go to the dealer and complain
if that doesnt work, go directly to corporate, make sure you know the name of the managers and the name of the dealership
 
Has ANYONE ever had a good purchase experience?

I mailed 3 letters to the dealership yesterday, one to the finance manager who caused this uproar, one to the GM, and another to the owner. The more I think back at my experience, the more pissed off I get. When I buy groceries, a computer, or even a house I do not get sleezed into this or that package, or add on so why do dealers do it? Even our salesman said we were getting ripped off on the value of our trade in, not a good sign. What is it about the auto industry that thinks twice about screwing people over for relatively small amounts of money? I don't get it.
 
Easy to answer: Those in the industry get paid by Commission. The more they tack on to you the more $$ they get. Same as Real Estate.
 
Ever notice that when you go and buy at the stealership, how "Rare" their vehicle is, yet, when you take that same vehicle in, it's a "lump" and they won't even come close to low book?
 
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