2018 Toyota Prius Purchase with a Theft Code line item charge?

Mine doesn't have that charge. I bought mine few weeks ago from Tustin Toyota.
If you look at the sales contract, it is listed under the "Optional" line. So they just added that. Maybe all their cars have that?

 

Maybe its an aftermarket alarm or something? Like Lojack or KARR alarm?

 

Doesn't sound very "optional" to me...

 

when you have 3 ppl from the team tell you over and over it’s mandatory what do you do—- it’s like .... how can I challenge that...

In this example they used psychology to bulldoze you. They all said the same thing because they have meetings where they are all taught to say that exact thing. They did it smoothly because they have done it a dozen times already this month.

Dealers will not hesitate to lie to you. Quietly sticking little things into the bill at the end of the sale is an easy way to add pure profit to a sale that you are so involved in that they figure you won't be willing to back out now. These things usually have names that sound good at first glance, but if you drill down into what it means, you find out that

"It’s the theft registration code. Pre installed on all vehicles."

really just means that they wrote down your VIN number somewhere. These things in practice are treated as being legal.

 

optional (adjective)

1. available to be chosen but not obligatory.
   

mandatory (adjective)

1. required by law or rules; compulsory.

So, which is it? LOL

 

Contact the bureau of automotive repair and ask them. They might be the wrong people but they would know who you should talk to. A dealer tried that with me once said they put this device in every car they sold. I tilt them I didn’t want it and to take it out. They just gave it to me

 

Did they etch your windows?

 

Dealers will etch your windows with either the car's VIN or a code and tell you it's registered with a security company and they charge you $200-300 for the favor. It costs them $15-18 dollars to do it.

 

Before completing the customer satisfaction survey visit or call the Sales Manager or higher to discuss this BS fee. If you can't get satisfaction then slam them on the survey. Is a "poor" survey worth $198 to someone at the dealership? Time to find out.

 

Our car has little security ID stickers all over it. I don't know the history, suspect a sale fell through or something. Anyway: they never mentioned it in the sales process, lucky for them...

 

Once I bought a used Corolla from a local dealer and they tried to stick me with a window etching fee. When they said they do this to all the vehicles they sell, I pointed out that this used car originally had been sold to its first owner by the same dealership (the wonders of CarFax) so that person had already paid this "service". The fee was immediately removed from my bill of sale.

 

You should have mentioned it to Toyota corporate.

 

The dealers tell you that you get a discount on your insurance with this service. I asked my insurance company and they said the discount is $5.00.

 

Maybe filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or the Cali Attorney General office might get their attention.... or maybe calling corporate Toyota and complaining to them... I've heard people tell me that corporate Subaru can be pretty intense when it comes to customer service complaints...