HELP I got scammed by dealer

1. Leave.
Never EVER go to that dealership again. Advise Toyota's North America Customer Care person that if Toyota permits this standard of service that you might consider another brand.
CERTAINLY do not ever let them actually work on your car!
Crooks in the front......Crooks in the back.

2. ReFi.
Columbus has more than one Credit Union.
Pick one, and perform a refinance of the car loan. Be advised that (in my opinion) big banks are not much better than your Toyota dealership.
In your case I would actually pay a little more money rather than paying an organization that I object to.
In your case the dealership might be deprived of a loan quota if you re-finance quickly enough, and I'm thinking that even loaners like Toyota Financial Services do not charge a penalty for early payment.

3. Advocate.
Tell your story to others!
There will probably be no legal recourse (your lawyer's opinion might differ, but remember.....THEY are not without their crooks either!!!)

But......you can lodge a complaint with the BBB, and contact your Chamber of Commerce. You might also seek the advice of your local city officials (council members) and state officials since there might be Ohio laws that have been fractured.
Just remember that they're bought and paid for by large local businesses..........................like Toyota dealerships!

Go make some noise, but try to have fun with it!

Tip: Fax machines....a relatively ancient invention....can carry messages past locked doors.
More important tip: ......wording is important!! Slander laws might apply against YOU!
Remember......even car dealerships have rights!


Good Luck!

 

This is just an insurance policy against expensive repairs. In most cases with all insurance we lose money but are protected against a big loss. It is worse for these incorrectly called extended warranties. They are almost always money losers, especially with cars of the quality of Toyota. These service contracts are sold on fear. If one sleeps better at night with one, buy it. Otherwise, just budget some money for future repairs and save money in the long run.

 

Any licensed auto repair shop can do ordinary required maintenance--save the paperwork for possible warranty documentation. During the two year period of free (actually prepaid) maintenance and inspections, do use a Toyota dealership. Never buy anything extra from them. You can always find it cheaper elsewhere...well maybe a few exceptions, but very few.

The Prime's maintenance requirements of 5,000 mile inspections, fluid top-offs, and tire rotation, and 10,000 mile oil changes, are easy. In general maintenance at the dealership is just bait to get one into the habit of getting all their future service done at the dealership. Don't take the bait! The dealership makes a low margin on new car sales. The profit margin on used cars is higher. The service department is the gold mine.

 

I agree that the dealer service department their gold mine. I tried them for my free 5K mile maintenance. I was so impressed I did the 10 K mile oil change maintenance myself. The dealer did not even fill out their paperwork accurately!

IMO the prepaid maintenance period is just to give the dealer service department an opportunity to upsell unneeded services. I only visit the dealer for warranty repairs & recalls.

 

Yowsa. OP went in with a preaproved Chase loan, which the dealer rejected and insisted the OP use Toyota's financing and purchase the extended warranty....and the OP followed their orders?! Just like with used cars, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry when buying a car.

As far as the extended warranty- Toyota's customer service (Toyota North America) has always been good when I called. Just call them and cancel the extended warranty.

Ironically, in a strange way, it gives me a peace of mind that they're pushing the extended warranties so aggressively. It tells me that they have data that the Toyota owners rarely use them. They've got to be pure profit.

 

Just for whatever it’s worth (perhaps not much), with our P.Prime, we decided that the extended warranty they offered was OK. It was a close call, but our reasoning:
1. The P.Prime is a new model with an unproven track record and some unproven and less-proven tech.
2. We talked the price down to ~$2100, not a huge increase atop the price of the car itself including tax and all.
3. Unlike third-party extended warranties, which are carefully designed to exclude everything that has any meaningful chance of breaking, the coverage was fairly decent.

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

I am sorry you (the OP) are going through this.
Not all dealers are crooks, but some definitely are.
The minefield of crooked dealerships is one of the reasons I won’t do business with dealers.

 

Is yours 10year/100k miles? $2100 seems a little high

 

Yes. 10/100K.

It was kinda “on the hairy edge,” so to speak, but it’s not hard to imagine the radar, camera, or ultrasonic sensors, or the ol’ 11.6, starting to get a little flakey by then. Also our Gen-2 had a couple “little surprises” in the inverter-cooling system shortly after it went off its regular warranty.

Plus, there’s also its rather-complex AC/heat pump, which gets a workout summer **and winter**...

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

Did you give them any money yet?
If so, can you get refund or stop payment?
Sounds like total BS. You need to give us particulars: did Chase give you a check or tell you when/where check is coming? Are you leaving the country? If so when?? Etc., etc, etc.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

I would suggest reporting your experience to your state’s Attorney General’s Office.

While they get plenty of reports about car dealers, yours stands out.

Especially if the dealer’s crazy comment about you needing to prove that you would be in the states for the next 5 years could have been driven by your race or perceived national origin.

That would be considered even more egregious in the eyes of the state, and could put your case on the top of the pile.

 

He bought out of state so that might not work out

 

If you do your own oil changes during the warranty period what is the best way to document it? Obviously keep the receipts and keep a logbook, but if you buy the oil and filters in bulk I'm not sure how that works. Maybe best to purchase the oil and filter each time you do an oil change, even if that costs a little more it will be easier to prove that you did the oil changes and when you did them.

 

Video yourself DIY???

 

100k miles seem a bit low. The Platinum with my '14 provides coverage up to 125k miles. Did the coverage change recently, or are dealers able lower the miles when the premium is also lowered?

 

As previously mentioned be sure you avoid that dealer if at all possible.

 

Agree, if one chooses to buy the extended service plan, only buy the plan from the manufacturer. If the third-party underwriter goes bust, you are left with nothing. Always negotiate hard on the price. Check with other dealerships on-line for the price. You can buy exactly the same plan from any dealership in the country--the only difference will be the price. You do not need to buy the plan the same time you buy the car.