Recall Nightmare: My Day is Gone

so you went to Symes or no? I called yesterday and the guy said he didn't expect the fix to come in until the end of the month... which I believe was inaccurate

 

well, i will probably call ahead to make sure it takes "60-90 mins"

 

Amazing. You called Toyota at their Headquarters in Torrance and Toyota gave you an appointment at a local dealer and Toyota told you it would take two hours?? Wow that's amazing that you got through.

I'll go along with the prior poster. You are 'buying high' by rushing out and having it done at the peak of hysteria when the risks are infinitesmal to zero. Why would you subject yourself to joining an hysterical crowd? Please don't give financial advice.

 

Smart and level-headed. The agita is reduced immeasurably by being so.

 

Great reponse, car guy? Yep, it's smug attitudes like this that got Toyota into the HUGE mess it currently finds itself in.

 

I disagree. It's the mass media and customer hysteria that got Toyota into this mess. You seem to want Toyota to dig a bigger hole for themselves by catering to them.

I'm afraid you're the one with smug attitude, as evidenced by your telling Paradox not to answer your questions.

 

LOL. My issues with paradox, and his censorship, has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. Nice try.

I'm still waiting for YOU to educate us on the way of the car business? Still waiting? You opened this door, so I'll be around as long as it takes to hear your response.

Toyota is doing a horrible job at handling this mess. Whether it's due to their smugness, or whether it's due to poor advice from those that are handling their PR machine....just a huge fiasco, that doesn't seem to be abating.

As I said, if YOU think Toyota is doing a good job, you are a fool.

 

I have my appointment set for next Wednesday. My dealer actually had a news blurb on the local internet news on Yahoo, before the official letters came out, saying they'd perform the service without the letters. They told me it would take two hours. I've been to this dealership before, and they usually "set expectations" low, and then deliver high. They did ask me if I'd be dropping it off, and I asked to wait. They have a nice waiting room. I'll report back after it's finished.

 

It's not my job to tell Toyota what to do. You, on the other hand, are telling Toyota how to run their car business, which you know nothing about. You're saying Toyota should do this and that, and drop their gloves while they're at it.

 

"Drop their gloves"? What? On the contraty, I'm saying Toyota needs to be more pro-active. They need to get more out front of this...rather than sit back and play "rope-a-dope" (if you know anything about boxing phrases).

It's just GOOD business practice to:

(1) Listen and respond to your customers...especially when many of those complaints/concerns were made years ago, and involved what the customers percieved as safety issues.

(2) Be honest with your customers. I think Toyota is just now getting that message, but it's crystal clear that they haven't been totally honest with their customers. If anything, they've been dismissive, or shall we say, smug.

(3) Get out in front and address - to the public - all the mis-information that's been put out in the press. Toyota's response - to date - has been to release one commercial that basically said: "we're sorry and we'll do better in the future". IMO, that's a totally insufficient reponse.


I heard on tonight's news where a Senator (I believe) from Indiana accused the current administration as helping to furment the hysteria because the administration has a financial stake in GM. Is this whole mess politically motivated? Don't know, but as most detective TV shows will tell you - look FIRST at "who stands to gain the most". Clearly GM (along with Ford and Chrysler) stands to gain the most from Toyota's stumbing. The Indiana Senator said, if Toyota is at fault, then fine, they should face a stiff fine...but the "smear tactics" need to stop. I found his comment very refreshing, and was the first comments I've read - from anybody - that was attempting a counter-punch of all the pummeling Toyota has been undergoing the past few weeks.

There's much that Toyota could do to instill confidence in their products, and help correct all the mis-information - both directly and indirectly in the media. They are doing very little to this point. That's my point, and that's my criticism.

 

As I see it he is telling toyota that since he bought a product from them he expects customer service.

That includes taking concerns seriously, and not just passing it off as driver error.

Informing customers how long service will take.

Apologizing if they do something wrong.

Please read Mr. Toyoda's editorial from tuesday. The president of the company thinks they need to do this a lot better. Why do you think shotty customer relations are good or noble?

By the way, my dealership had me out in an hour. They said it may take up to two since only one person was doing the updates. Managed expectations and did the work on time. I considered it good customer service. They are learning.

To the flip comments on accidents: If you get a fix in a reasonable period of time and get in an accident you still pay your deductable and increased rates. If you ignore maintenance and it causes an accident you may get an extra fine from the police and dropped by your insurance company. I find it mind shattering that you know no accidents will be caused (the reports to the nhtsa must be falsified right?)

Over 90% of accidents are caused by drivers that think they are better than average drivers.

 

G&O,

Exactly. Collectively, Toyota has done a lot of things wrong.

I just have to laugh when I read post after post about the service interval for oil change. Is it 5K or is it 10K? Who the F knows? Some dealers, including my own, say it's 5K with synthetic oil. Others on this site say their service department says it's 10K. OK, which is it? Are these service departments working for different car manufacturer? :doh:While this is just a very small example of what I'm talking about, it clearly points to a bigger problem with toyota....

NOTE TO TOYOTA: Get your act together. :deadhorse:Really.

 

Thought you're a hockey dad.

One thing for sure, if it were an American company, Secretary of Transportation Lahood would've kept his hole shut than say "stop driving the cars immediately and take them to the dealer."

 

My warning for the next dozen or so posts in this forum:





I'm going to start handing out Xanax and anti-depressants.

 

I am, but that does not preclude me from following boxing. You are aware that most hockey players know how to fight/box? Usually taught at the Midget/Jr level.

Inglewood Jack:

 

Further evidence, albeit indirect, that part of this hype/hysteria is political. That said, Toyota, even if through it's 3rd parties, needs to counter and not just sit back and get beat up. That's especially true if some of these complaints are not warrented.

 

The braking issue is merely suspected as the cause of these three (or was it four?) accidents, but it provides for a nice scapegoat for careless driving as you say that over 90% of accidents are caused by drivers who think they are better than the average driver.

I got rear-ended driving my brand new Prius a few months ago due to careless driving of the other party, but I'm pretty sure if it were a 2010 Prius that hit me it'd be among those reports even if the driver is at fault.