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Have you had exceptional service from a Toyota dealer?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Skateruk, Feb 12, 2014.

  1. Skateruk

    Skateruk Member

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    ,In my experience car dealers in general are a bit "hit and miss" and I find it hard to trust them. So far, of the 3 Toyota dealers I've dealt with, 2 have not been up to expectations, and the third, was above my expectations. One tried to disguise the passing of time by offering me copious amounts of coffee and biscuits, and the other could hardly be bothered to deal with me!
    So, if you have come across a Toyota dealer going above and beyond what you expect, should we acknowledge this by listing them somewhere so other owners might benefit?
     
  2. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Many here in the US try to avoid the dealership (commonly referred to as "stealership") whenever possible, even for the free Toyota Care services.
    That should tell you what many car owners think of dealerships...
     
  3. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    I have a different experience in that I really like my dealership.
    They sponsored my old Scion club and I got to know a ton of the people there, including the owner and sales manager. They've turned a blind eye on mods on the xB to take care of warranty repairs that any other dealership would've charged me (like replacing wheel bearings when I clearly had hub spacers in place) and their service dept doesn't try to upsell, or anything like that.

    Low pressure sales staff and all that too. The finance guys are kinda jerks, but I guess that's to be expected.
    It depends. Most dealerships are reflected negatively, but occasionally, they do cool stuff. (Like having Troy Sumitomo out for a car show with his FiveAxis one-offs)
     
  4. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    The dealer here in Bowling Green (Gary Force Toyota) is just outstanding all around. I have always been impressed with their knowledge and straight shooting ways. Of course they charge high labor rates but, what do you expect, its a dealer.
     
  5. GBC_Texas_Prius

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    The power of the internet should get us better service if we all pull together. When I was ready to trade my Matrix in on a Prius, I first called the closest dealer and tried to schedule maintenance on my Matrix. No answer on the service phone. When I called the sales number, it went right through. Didn't give them my business, bought the Prius from another dealer that passed my test. Sit in their service waiting area for a bit before giving the sales people your business.

    Fast forward to now. I went to a dealer and they charged a really high price for an oil change. Went to another on the next change and they were half the price and didn't try to push anything. When it comes time to make a purchase, I'll go for the second dealer.

    If we all voted with our feet, capitalism will force out the bad.
     
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  6. ddiamondd

    ddiamondd Junior Member

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    I had quite the up and down experience when I bought our 4Runner 2 years ago. The dealer we went to had a (used) 4Runner we wanted. We bought it, and a week later the CPU went out. This NEVER happens, according to everyone we talked to about it. The dealer at first was standing strong on the "no warranty, sold as-is" point of view, but I talked them into splitting the cost of a replacement with us. Better than nothing. I will however, be using a different dealer for the Prius. I figure try out the one that is in town. Have my first appointment on Monday. Fingers crossed, but up until now the staff has been very friendly and helpful with great communication, which seems hard to find these days.
     
  7. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    My local Toyota dealers are great. They bend over backwards to assist too. They're one of the top Toyota dealers in the UK and for good reason. A lot of their staff have been there decades, they know you by name and it's genuinely like they're friends when they greet you.

    It's just the old fashioned values; treat customers with respect, admit if you messed up but make amends, do what you say you're going to do and don't rip people off. Simple really. My girlfriend got rid of her Honda Civic and bought a Toyota because of the positive experiences I'd had. She's happy with their service too. The customer service at Honda was shocking - a complete contrast!

    Do the Toyota dealers get it right every time? No, they've made mistakes like we all do. It's how they correct and resolve the mistake that's important.
     
  8. Skateruk

    Skateruk Member

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    Totally agree with your comments Grumpy. The sales guy at Inchcape was useless! I'd gone in to test drive a Gen III when I was looking to trade up. He left me sitting in reception like a lemon for nearly 40 mins - I got up and walked out. I only stuck it that long because I wanted to check out the III.
     
  9. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Ha ha, funny you should say that. About 10 years ago now I was looking for a new taxi. The mark3 Mondeo Ford Mondeo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia had just been released a year or two earlier and I loved the look of it (it was quite something at the time :) ). I went into the local Ford dealership and saw a salesman stood around looking at his shoes. With nobody else about I went over to him and asked if I could look at a new Mondeo. He said "there's one" and pointed at one behind me. I quickly glanced behind me to see what he'd pointed at and within those couple seconds he'd disappeared off through a door!?!?! I thought "you funny ******!". At first I'd thought he was just being humourous, not taking the ****. I looked around for someone else but nobody was about. I'd driven some distance so wanted to test drive this new car, so waited about 10 minutes when another door opened and another salesman came out, saw me (a potential customer) and quickly turned round and went back through the door! I was unimpressed and left, drove down the road to the Peugeot dealership and bought a new car then and there.

    That isn't the end of the story though, and the reason I'm telling the story follows ;)

    About a year later I'd picked up a couple from a nice house out of town and was taking them to a posh restaurant. They were well dressed etc. The bloke was quite chatty and obviously had the gift of the gab and the subject soon got onto cars. He asked how I found the Peugeot and I said it was ok, a good work horse etc etc. He then asked why I didn't have a Mondeo like lots of other drivers in the area. I told him I actually wanted one and related the story above. This is when his attitude changed and he questioned me further about the circumstances. I asked why, and he told me he was the area sales director (or something senior - I can't remember exactly now) for said dealership and showed me his business card to prove. lol. He was who he said he was! Needless to say he went ballistic, and I mean incandescent with rage, wanting to know what these salesmen looked like etc. A couple days later a salesman from the dealer rang me offering a fabulous, and I mean fabulous deal on a new Ford. I declined. The damage was done, the trust lost and I've never been back since.

    But it does go to prove that sloppy service does catch up with you :) Hopefully that bollock juggler you came across at Toyota will get his comeuppance sooner than later (y)
     
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  10. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    I have had a great experience with y dealership and my service adviser. Every once and a while, a give him 10 bucks. But, it more than pays for itself because he gives me a discount on everything!
     
  11. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Hey, having been on the receiving end of tips, I can tell you they work!?! :)

    If you ever see the salesman in the pub or in town, buy him a pint, be his best mate and then when it's time for a new car..... (y)

    Reminds me of one of my favourite situations in the taxi trade;

    When I'd arrived early for a pre-booked passenger they'd say "Oh, you're early", I'd reply back "Yeah, we look after our best tippers" and then keep a straight face. You could see the surprise or concern on their faces thinking "oh, erm am I?" lol.

    And it usually worked too (y)

    The things you do to alleviate the boredom lol
     
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  12. Bingee

    Bingee Member

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    Salesman outstanding after purchase , I wanted the reverse beep removed , service
    Said $ 50.00 ... Salesman took over , still service said 50.00
    Salesman told me to have a seat in the show room drove the car back of service center
    15 minutes got me .... No more beep ... Apologized for service center ,,
    As for the dealership , I'm loving the $ 9.99 synthetic / filter oil changes
     
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  13. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Nope...can't say I ever had "Exceptional Service" from a Toyota Dealership.

    Well close, marginally, that one time when I brought my Prius in for an Oil Change. I started talking to the service adviser, Tony, Barry, Brett..can't remember his name, making small talk and I happened to mention that my Barn had burned down. Well to my surprise after the Oil Change he recommended going on a small test drive with me, to check and make sure the Oil Level was correct and the vehicle was running correctly.
    So we drove to my home. Once arriving he saw my barn.
    "Would you like some help rebuilding that?"

    Well long story short, for the next 3 months Barney worked 5 to 6 hours a day, after work and on weekends rebuilding that barn. His work was near exceptional, restoring the barn to it's original condition and even adding central air conditioning and a home theater area. His hand carved craftsmanship on the entry way arc was amazing.

    When he was done, I said "Ted, how much do I owe you?"

    "This one is on Toyota." he said. "Just glad your happy with the oil change".

    It broke my heart to have to tell Brenton they had overfilled my Prius. Once he got started on the Barn, he never did check. But they did fix it later. A few weeks after that I got one of those "How Did We Do?" postcards from the dealership in the mail. On the back was a evaluation section where you could mark on a scale of 1-5 how good you thought the experience was...I gave Brian a solid set of 3's...

    Would you recommend to a friend? ... I filled in "Maybe".

    I don't think I'm going back as I got the feeling Tom was a little upset for some reason.
     
  14. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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  15. lenjack

    lenjack Active Member

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    Been dealing with Bobby Rahal Toyota in Mechanicsburg PA, since 1996. 5 Camry's, 2 Prius's. Outstanding service in every aspect. They went out of their way for me more than once. No, I don't work for them.