New Prius! Love the car; the dealer? Not so much...

[nerdninja]

Hi, all. First time poster here!

I bought an '08 package 2 last week and I love it so far. I traded in my '06 Hyundai Sonata (I hated that car, always in the shop more than on the road) and I'm getting over twice the gas mileage already.

I appreciate PC! Some of the discussions about the car's noises and quirks have kept me from worrying as I drive.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by nerdninja

Hi, all. First time poster here!

I bought an '08 package 2 last week and I love it so far. I traded in my '06 Hyundai Sonata (I hated that car, always in the shop more than on the road) and I'm getting over twice the gas mileage already.

I appreciate PC! Some of the discussions about the car's noises and quirks have kept me from worrying as I drive.

Welcome. Toyota will send a survey so you get a chance to tell them what you liked & disliked about the dealer. Word is that these surveys are taken seriously as there are financial consequences.

[Bill Merchant]

Welcome to PriusChat, nerdninja! I think the sounds of a Prius are the hardest thing for many people to get used to.

[N3FOL]

My old 95 Taurus SHO definitely has more noise than the Prius. After 5 months of ownership, I think I am used to all the weird noises of the Prius.

I wonder why you did not like your dealership so much...

[nerdninja]

I actually had the whole dealership story in my post but decided it was whiny so I took it out. The short of it is when I got my Prius home I discovered they forgot to put the antenna on the car. I asked them to send a replacement (its more than an hour drive just to get an antenna). They said they sent it but after a week its still not here (I get mail from across the country much faster than this, much less the next county) and they refuse to give me one if I drive down there now because it apparently falls upon me to prove I didn't get the one in the mail. All of this over an antenna.

What really ticks me off is that the salesman first told me they wouldn't send one because they were out of stock, but when I called their parts department they told me they have them. They also told me that they have no more Prii to take one from, but Toyota's stock tracker shows a used 2008 in stock. I suspect they forgot to send it until I inquired about it after a week and it will magically show up next week. If not, I called Toyota customer service and they are supposed to call me back next week to follow up and send me one if this doesn't work out.

I'm curious about what happens with bad surveys. I was asked time and again (even two days later over the phone) to answer "excellent" to everything (begged even). The salesman also showed me a framed thank-you note from a former customer at the end of the day and hinted that he would appreciate it if I sent him another so he can show it to his boss. That made me really uncomfortable as I was not thrilled with him even before this happened.

I traded in a Hyundai. I expected better from this dealership, considering my last four purchases were Hyundais.

[winebuff08]

Wow ... I am really sorry to hear of your experience. That type of display on behalf of the dealership is inexcusible.

You will receive that survey in the mail within a few weeks and indeed Toyota takes those surveys quite seriously.

You may also find that a well-placed call to the owner of the dealership will get you some action.

I've always been a firm believer that a good relationship with your dealer is paramount to an enjoyable ownership experience. I visited many dealerships before pulling the trigger. Some came in a few dollars less on price but was a high-pressure, sleazy operation while others may have been a few dollars more but were as relaxed as sitting in my recliner at home sipping a scotch.

In the end, I went with the dealership that gave me the most comfortable buying experience and a good deal as well.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by nerdninja

I actually had the whole dealership story in my post but decided it was whiny so I took it out. The short of it is when I got my Prius home I discovered they forgot to put the antenna on the car. I asked them to send a replacement (its more than an hour drive just to get an antenna). They said they sent it but after a week its still not here (I get mail from across the country much faster than this, much less the next county) and they refuse to give me one if I drive down there now because it apparently falls upon me to prove I didn't get the one in the mail. All of this over an antenna.

What really ticks me off is that the salesman first told me they wouldn't send one because they were out of stock, but when I called their parts department they told me they have them. They also told me that they have no more Prii to take one from, but Toyota's stock tracker shows a used 2008 in stock. I suspect they forgot to send it until I inquired about it after a week and it will magically show up next week. If not, I called Toyota customer service and they are supposed to call me back next week to follow up and send me one if this doesn't work out.

I'm curious about what happens with bad surveys. I was asked time and again (even two days later over the phone) to answer "excellent" to everything (begged even). The salesman also showed me a framed thank-you note from a former customer at the end of the day and hinted that he would appreciate it if I sent him another so he can show it to his boss. That made me really uncomfortable as I was not thrilled with him even before this happened.

I traded in a Hyundai. I expected better from this dealership, considering my last four purchases were Hyundais.

Your dealer & salesman should be doing a much better job of kissing your butt. If they spent as much effort on improving their service and cutting their sleaze then they wouldn't have to beg for "excellent" surveys. I'm surprised the salesman didn't have a "satisfied customer" form letter so you could just fill in the date and sign it. Don't complete the survey until the part is delivered.

I doubt they just dropped the part in the mail. It was probably sent UPS. Ask them how they shipped it and get the tracking number.

[charansr]

Originally Posted by JimN

Welcome. Toyota will send a survey so you get a chance to tell them what you liked & disliked about the dealer. Word is that these surveys are taken seriously as there are financial consequences.

On the note you mentioned about the Survey, I sent in my honest opinion on the salesman who was "ok" and the finance guy who was "horrible". I got a call back from the salesman last week and he was furious with me for reviewing them honestly. i was like what the hell... I was just being honest. Truly, i wish some one in Toyota really cared about Customer satisfaction. My previous car from the honda dealership was really nice.

Ratings based on my prior experiences with dealers.

Customer satisfaction Honda : A+
Customer satisfaction Toyota : C-
Customer satisfaction Lexus : C
Customer satisfaction BMW : A
Customer satisfaction Mazda : B+

[nerdninja]

Originally Posted by JimN

I doubt they just dropped the part in the mail. It was probably sent UPS. Ask them how they shipped it and get the tracking number.

He assures me it was put into a padded envelope and sent in the mail. No tracking... how convenient.

[EJFB1029]

My experience with Toyota Dealerships has shown me that Toyota has lost control of their dealership experience, I've dealt with 6 dealerships in 3 cities, and there is NOT one of them that I would recommend as excellent, and only one as ok.