Toyota doesn't care about us

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

I must agree the way Toyota treat its customers,I found by calling Toyotas customers service line at least for my problem they were completely useless, i have always said the reason Toyota is doing well is because of the success of the prius,if it wasnt for that fact,They would be a useless car company, Thats how i feel about Toyota,But i do love our prius !

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Help me understand this. The ad says you must finance through SE Toyota to get the advertised promotions. You don't want to finance through SE Toyota, yet you don't understand why they won't give you the promotion--that they clearly state requires financing through SE Toyota? I don't get your logic.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Hmm...I'm all for constant improvement of customer service.

But? Did you really expect a call to any Customer Service number was going to somehow connect you to Toyota's highest management? To the President of Toyota himself?

Your complaint, is your complaint. And I'm not hands on familiar with the situation you are complaining about.

My only question would be, when you went to sign the contract was the fee hidden?

If not? Then while the practice might be deceptive, and clearly unadvantageous to someone paying cash for their vehicle. I don't know if you could call it fraudelent. If the fee was revealed on the purchase contract, then I'd think you had the freedom to back out of the purchase at that point or question the fee at that point.

Maybe your actions in the matter would lead to a more open revelation of the reality that you have discovered in your specific dealings. But I think it unfair of you to expect that Mr. Toyoda would be on the other end of the line, or become personally involved in the purchase of financing actions of a specific dealership, even if there actions are somewhat deceptive.

If the fee wasn't hidden? I think you have a tough road proving it was in any way illegal, even if it is argueably deceptive or obviously not advantageous to those lucky enough to be able to pay cash for their vehicles.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Where I'm coming from is, based on the facts you presented, I don't understand what you're getting all fired up about.

Of course dealers make money on financing, which is why this 20% off promotion is conditioned on your taking financing with them. Seems to me that since--based upon your own description--this was disclosed in the ad, that while you may not like it, I personally don't see anything "flim flamy" about it.

Did you really expect to get 20% off a new car (much more than the dealer profit involved), with no conditions (including without the conditions clearly stated in the ad)?

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Yes, but as revealed. If the offer of 20% off is contingent on financing through the dealership? And YOU are NOT financing through the dealership?

As far as a Higher Interest rate than available at a Bank? Probably true.

But that is buyer beware as well. Most people spend time evaluating a automobile purchase BUT not evaluating the cost of financing.

I agree that it is a marginally deceptive practice.

I just disagree that you have much leverage outside of deciding NOT to purchase from that dealership.

And I don't think the specific business practice of one single entity and Mr. Akio Toyoda's failure to get back to you on that, translates directly into meaning Toyota doesn't care.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

SE Toyota also charges an additional fee on all Toyotas that other areas don't charge and I believe they also pile unwanted options on cars that other markets don't tolerate.

So, I don't know why this particular practice has got your goat.

Playing whack-a-mole with a company is pointless. If you really want to do something, either don't buy a Toyota or take your business to another area that doesn't pile on the crap and then help other people do the same.

This is the age of the Internet. Buying from another part of the country is easier than it's ever been.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Couldn't you just have financed through the SE Toyota, gotten the %20 off & then when the first payment comes in you pay off the full amount? Or where there clauses that some how would prevent you from paying off a loan in the full amount.

My Toyota dealership said there was no penalty at all. I could pay off as much as I wanted & end the terms when I wanted. It wasn't like a home mortgage where I would have to refinance.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Makes perfect sense as long as you have the $30 k in cash.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

I've only had to call Toyota Customer Care once, but I had a very pleasant experience. The person who helped me could not answer my question, but she got the answer and called me back in about 15 minutes. It wasn't the answer I wanted, but that wasn't her fault. As a customer service rep, she did a fine job.

I fail to understand why, when the conditions of a discount are clearly stated in the ad, you somehow think that you should be able to get the discount without meeting the conditions. I have yet to hear of any auto dealer that runs their shop as a charity.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

Which, I'm thinking, could be obtained from a local credit union or other bank offering a competitive rate.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

The problem is that the requirement for financing with Toyota is in tiny print that is obscure and difficult to read. It is similar for the $39 oil change and other service ads that the local dealer sends me every couple of weeks. The tiny print, that I can barely read, states that synthetic oil or service for the Prius may be higher. In addition to Toyota knowing that this service is higher for the Prius, the also know that My Toyotas are Prii that don't qualify for their bait and switch offer.

 

I agree that Toyota should step in and prevent their dealers from engaging in deceptive business practices. I know that a dealership is an independent business, but they have contracts which no doubt forbid the dealer from all manner of shenanigans, and Toyota ought to take the side of the consumer and tell this dealer to stop with the fine print ads.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

It's called marketing and advertising, and as you say.... "sales practices".
It's nothing new.

Does your McD's burger ever look like this?
Of course not. This is the same difference.
Actually it's not. There is no fine print on the McD's ad stating that your burger will look crappy in comparison. +1 for your dealership.

 

Re: Toyota doesn,t care about us

OK so let me get this straight, you are complaining about a car you purchased based on a dealer ad. And you read the disclaimer that stated that you must finance through the dealership in order to receive the full discount. And when you didn't finance through the dealership and did not get the discount you became angry and thought that you were somehow going to resolve this with the president of Toyota?

What you should have done is just financed the car through the dealership, gotten the 20% discount and then if you were not happy with the rate gone and refinanced the car with another bank. A auto loan is not like a mortgage, you do not pay all of the interest up front. I do not know of any bank that charges a prepayment penalty either.

You argument has no basis. If you knew that you had to finance through them to get the 20% off and you didn't then its your own fault. Why did you still buy the car? It's not a shell game. Toyota is not going to do anything for you. Neither is the attorney general. You just get to stay home and be pissed off that you didn't follow the ad to get the 20% off. Haha

 

If the dealer had not disclosed the terms of the deal, then you would have a legitimate complaint...