AutoNation Toyota/Scion

Review: see Attached documentDesired Settlement: see Attached document

Business

Response:

Mr [redacted] had issues with the starting of his [redacted]. It was all covered under his warranty and our shop tried multiple times to duplicate the problem. The service manager, myself, and 2 master techs repeatedly tried to make the car do the same thing and never could. On one occassion, Mr [redacted] left his car and we loaned him another one, and he let Parnell drive the car home each night and again, no duplication of his problem could be found.

We offered Mr [redacted] 2 options in late November. One was to turn him over to pursuing the Lemon Law which is his right to do. That course is between Toyota Motor sales and him as the owner of the car. My store has nothing to do with that course and it is turned over to the court. The other option was we offered to trade him out of the car and into a new one. He chose that course. He put 2900 miles on his old one as was traded into a new one for 1500 difference plus his applicable fees. He and his wife left satisfied with that course of action instead of pursuing the lemon law.

He had already done the calculations at that time for the lemon law route as was fully aware of the difference in re-embursement, time involvement,etc and made a fully educated decision to take our offer to just trade out of his problem and into a new one. I can provide you will all paperwork to the new purchase along with his release of interest in the old car he said he had issues with.

We feel we went well over the call of duty to trade him out of his [redacted] and into a identical one at a more than reasonable amount that he fully agreed to at the time.

By the way, we have since sold the [redacted] he traded in and the new owner has had zero issues with the car.

Review: This is an email I received from Autonation with Autonation logo telling me of an appointment for my Toyota. When I called and told them I did not make an appointment they told me that based on my estimated mileage these appointments are sent out. I have included all of the text of the appointment and there is nothing in the text that indicates this is a "courtesy" appointment. I have no doubt that many people, especially older or those not familiar with car maintenance, would just show up and pay what ever was told them for the required maintenance suggested to them. Email text is below. I have removed my name and the type of vehicle from the email but it was addressed to me makeing it look official.

My Name,

This is a friendly reminder that the service appointment for your Toyota is on Wednesday, December 11, 2014, at 1:30 pm.

If you have any questions or need to change your appointment, please contact us at

###-###-####.

We look forward to seeing you.

Service Date & Time: December 11, 2014, at 1:30 pm

Location: [redacted] ###-###-####Desired Settlement: That there is a clear and visible statement/wording in the email that this is a courtesy appointment and that the service/maintenance on the vehicle may not be required at this time.

Business

Response:

I am not really sure how to respond to this. I have never seen a complaint for a courtesy reminder for service. The vehicle purchased has basic maintainence included at no cost to the customer. We wouldnt know the exact miles on the customers vehicle but would know the time frame so based on the maintainence intervals in his owners manual we would send out reminders in that time frame. If he doesnt want the reminders all he had to do is ask. Seems very petty to me to complain about that.I will remove him from reminders and please let us know if we can do anything else. Sincerely, [redacted]GM

Consumer

Response:

Revdex.com, I am not interested in continuing this complaint but feel the response is far from courteous and far from trying to build customer relations. This response is indicative of why consumer dissatisfaction of car dealership is just above dissatisfaction of politicians The appointment notification mentioned nothing of being a courtesy appointment. I still feel this type of unsolicited appointment notification tricks individual into unnecessary work and expense. Please see copy below. A simple "courtesy appointment" mention would be easy to add and eliminate any confusion.Thanks,

Hi,

I've had my Toyota serviced at Autonation for the last 7 years and never had a bad experience. I can't say that for the other Toyota dealerships in the Spokane area. Prior to having the cars serviced by Autonation I was considering going to an independent business.
As a retired aerospace engineer with a background in reliability, systems, and quality engineering I was looking for a customer focused business. I wanted one that explained what maintenance actions my cars required to insure safety, reliability, longevity, and a business that I could depend on.
On my very first Autonation visit I noticed the names and ASE Certifications for their technicians right where the customer's could read them.
ASE stands for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. It's a third party certification which requires the technician to pass tests proving their competence. In other words, ASE certifies individual technicians and not the repair establishment. Certification is not for life. To remain certified, technicians must be re-tested every five years. It's comforting to know that my car is being serviced by an ASE Certified Technician and one that specializes in Toyota's products.
I found the repair facility neat, well-organized and designed for efficiency. It's also good to know that when I have my car serviced by Toyota my service history is available at dealerships across the nation.
In 2013 Autonation moved their customer waiting area to it's new location. The old waiting area was small and at times there wasn't enough seating room for their customers. Their new waiting area is roomy, comfortable, and well designed.
Since my first visit I've dealt with [redacted], Autonation's Assistant Service Manager. On that visit [redacted] handed me his business card which provided me his business phone number and e-mail address. I understood that if I had a problem with my Toyota I would get personalized service.
[redacted] does an excellent job of explaining all aspects of service my Toyota's require and what service they'll need in the near future. In addition, I'm always briefed on the status of all factory recall actions. When my service is completed I leave the dealership knowing that if there are any known engineering nonconformances, they've been corrected.
I've never had a breakdown and my vehicles run like precision Swiss clock movements. That's engineering reliability! And, I should add at a very reasonable price.

Review: Come here if you want someone from the dealership calling you on your personal cellphone to harass and lose their temper at MIDNIGHT on a weekday. Read below:

On March 2, 2014 I found a new/unsold 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In listed on [redacted] for $29.997.00 at AutoNation Spokane Toyota with 7 miles listed. VIN # [redacted]. Please keep in mind I am a HUGE automotive enthusiast and I was buying this car sight unseen from Los Angeles. I've done this a few times with other cars.

March 2, 2014- Made initial contact with [redacted], agreeing to buy the car at asking price of $29,997.00 after second phone call. I then informed them that the car will be paid for via cash within the 7-10 days. I called later to let [redacted] know car will be in my mother’s name. He says that is ok, he requested some documents be sent over. I inform the dealership I am in Los Angeles, car needs to be shipped and I need the paperwork done quickly as I am trying to make the California HOV sticker cut-off. Was then informed car was a dealer ‘test car’ with 306 miles on it instead of 7.

March 3, 2014- [redacted] sent request over for Mom’s Driver License, 2nd form of ID, Insurance Card, social security number and form of payment for deposit. I get that over within the hour and email him back an [redacted] CC for a $500.00 deposit. Was not given receipt for $500 deposit even when requested.

March 4, 2014- Informed about being OK to leave $3,000 payment on CC by [redacted], I informed the dealership to not charge my [redacted] card and instead I will use a new [redacted] Credit Card offer I received. [redacted] tells me to take my time. I reassure him the latest would be Friday/Saturday, he said not to hurry. I applied for the [redacted] CC via my [redacted] Private Client Tuesday at noon and received the Credit Card Thursday morning via [redacted] Critical Overnight.

March 6, 2014- Called at 10:00 am to leave $3,000.00 payment. Informed by receptionist only [redacted] can take the payment as he is working the deal and knows what’s going on, unfortunately he is not working that day and I had to leave him a message. In that voicemail I asked [redacted] to call me back Friday morning as I have the $3,000.00 payment ready.

March 7, 2014- Called dealership at 8:00 am, I was informed that [redacted] is not in until 10:00 am. I left a message with the receptionist to have him call me back when he gets to work, she says ok. I did not hear back all day, I called again at 3:00 pm, got a hold of [redacted] after being on hold for 5 minutes. Gave him the CC number, he asked when the remainder will be ready, I inform him anytime after Monday. I ask if he has a contract or some receipt he could provide. He tells me he doesn’t but they’re AutoNation so I don’t have to worry. I then ask him to setup the [redacted] notarization for early next week he agrees.

March 8, 2014- I called at 9:03 am and talked to sales person [redacted] ([redacted] was not in yet) and I asked if it was possible to pay for the vehicle via [redacted] Travelers Check. He says it should be fine, asked to double check with [redacted]. I called again at 1:00 pm spoke with [redacted]. [redacted] tells me he said he is not sure, but he thinks I can. He will inform me when he finds out. He says, “I will ask the girls on Monday when they are in the office and get back to you first thing Monday morning.” I informed him that it is fine and if they do not, I was going to get a cashier’s check anyways.

March 10, 2014- Called at 10:42 am, was told [redacted] was in the office but unavailable to take my call, left a msg. with receptionist. Was told he will call me back ASAP. I did not receive a call throughout the next two hours. Called dealership again at 1:00 pm, left another message with receptionist. I do not hear back once again. I called [redacted] again at 5:22 pm, once again [redacted] is busy with customers. [redacted] returns the call at 5:32 pm, very irritated he asked me what I needed help with. I asked if he got the “[redacted]” notarization company setup. He says, “No, because you’re paying with travelers check and we do not take that.” I asked why he did not tell me this earlier as I was going to pay with a cashier’s check anyways, his response was, “you were supposed to call me and find out if we can take it Monday morning.” I was informed I would get a call Monday morning from [redacted], I did not, I called him throughout the day and not once did he attempt to call me back until multiple missed calls. Feeling slightly irritated at this point I informed [redacted] I was always intending on paying with a cashier’s check I was just curious to see if you took travelers checks. I proceed to ask him to give me the exact amount and title I make the cashier check out to, [redacted] replies, “AutoNation Toyota $30,105.72” I tell him this will be ready tomorrow. He tells me [redacted] will call me on Tuesday, March 11 by the end of the business day THE LATEST guaranteed to schedule a date to sign the papers.

March 11, 2014- 10:00 am, I have the cashier’s check for AutoNation Toyota for $30,105.72 ready. Under the assumption that ‘[redacted]’ will contact me today, I do not bother [redacted]. By 2:00 pm I was getting the impression that ‘[redacted]’ will not contact me. I call AutoNation at 2:07 pm, the receptionists’ answers. Was on hold for 3 minutes, couldn’t locate [redacted], she took a message for me. The receptionist assures me that he will call back within the next 30 minutes. At 5:31 pm after receiving zero calls, I call AutoNation again, was on hold for 6 minutes, once again [redacted] is unavailable. Receptionist proceeds to tells me that [redacted] will call me back after he is done with his current customer. She tells me [redacted] leaves at 8:00 pm today but reassures me that someone will contact me back from [redacted]’s team. It is now 7:24 pm, I have not heard back from the dealer or “[redacted]”. I call and proceed to be put on hold while the receptionist looked for [redacted]. After a while she tells me nobody can help me and that [redacted] just took in another customer right when I called. Being frustrated by the lack of customer service, misleading information and poor treatment after I made the initial payment I told the receptionist this is unacceptable to me. I would like to cancel the deal if I don’t hear back from [redacted] by the end of the day. I asked if I could speak to a manager or [redacted] very quickly she proceeds to tell me, “What do you think our managers do all day? They don’t just sit around and wait for you to call and answer your calls at your convenience; they have customers to deal with.” Perplexed, I said that is fine, I guess I am not a customer. If I do not hear back from [redacted] by the end of the day I would like to cancel the deal. End of day = 8:00 pm when AutoNation Toyota closes.

At 11:41 pm I get a call from a 509 area code (Spokane, Washington) I decide to pick up. [redacted] immediately starts asking me what I wanted to do with the deal and that he heard I was irritated at him. I simply asked him if he is aware of the time. He says he does and that he is just returning the call because he said that is what I want. I told him that is borderline harassment for him to call me so late. Who in their right mind would call a client at 11:41 pm? To me that is completely rude and unprofessional. Throughout this entire conversation, [redacted] is extremely angry and continuously raised his voice multiple times. I inform him the deal will not go through. He asked me multiple times why I didn’t want to do it. I inform him it was due to the poor customer service, the delays (I wanted to get the HOV stickers), the lack of communication and the changed customer service after I made the initial payment. He denies everything and says I caused the delays, that he called me back during XYZ time, I inform him my phone logs and emails show a different story. He stops accusing me at that point starts telling me that I can just take the car or leave. Keep in mind this is a dealership calling me at midnight. He is speaking in such a angry and loud tone others in my house asked were shocked at the actions of this man. I begin to inform him multiple times that I would like to cancel this deal. He begins to ask me why once again. I said because I simply am not going to buy a car from someone harassing me at midnight. He tells me this is not harassing and that I requested for him to call me back and he’s doing exactly that. When I told him I will cancel it and stop harassing me he says “OK FINE” I asked him to refund the $3,000 he’ll do that sometime this week but I will have to “file a lawsuits to their dealership” for any charges incurred for services that were provided to me if I wanted to get my full $3,000.00 back. I called [redacted] right away ([redacted] Preferred) and they agreed that this was outrageous and they shouldn’t have been able to charge me without any paperwork. Lesson learned, I’m never buying a car from AutoNation or AutoNation Spokane to be exact. I am sure your experience will vary, but I’ve bought multiple cars both in and out of state and NEVER had a dealership treat me like this. I will GLADLY take my hard earned money and business elsewhere.

Business

Response:

After hearing from [redacted] (the car is actually in his moms name), I personally called him to help sort out the issues. He was calling from California on a car advertised online. We ended up giving him a price adjustment and finished up his deal. He flew up from Ca. last week and took delivery of his car. He told us it ended as a good experience. I thought he would contact you all but I guess he didnt.

I think he is very happy now.

Sincerely,

General Mgr.

Autonation Toyota Spokane,Wa

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business' response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Revdex.com,

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Buyer Beware of Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles. I bought a certified pre-owned Toyota Camry. The Maintenance light went off at 5000 miles unfortunately when I was on vacation about 600 miles from home, 4 months after purchase. I took it to a dealer and they found that one brake pad on one rear wheel was worn at an angle and I could not drive it without doing major damage to the rotor. Neither AutoNation in Spokane or Carter Toyota in Salem OR would cover the damage even under the extra warranty I purchased. TOYOTA would not cover the damage even tough it is clear (I have shown the pad to 4 different mechanics) that the brake caliper was defective/damaged from the date I purchased the vehicle. I was advised not to drive the car and ended up paying over $300 to Carter Toyota in Salem to replace the brake pads...and get this...the dealer in Salem didn't fix the problem either. This is BS and I anticipate I will be stuck with the same problem in another 5000 miles. AutoNation makes you feel very important up until you leave the lot, then you as a customer are disposable. BUYER BEWARE!!!!

I purchased a used Honda from AutoNation Toyota in Spokane, WA. on 9/12/14 Sales rep told me I had to fill out a form titled "credit application" which he said was a standard form required for the title work. "It's all because of 911" He assured me it was not a credit check. It was. Within a few min he showed me my credit score on a paper that said the marketing dept would get that info and I can't refuse. I had a same as cash check from my credit union. The business office person told me to sign completely blank forms and all the paperwork had the wrong date. She did not hide her irritation with me when I asked that the forms be completed and then only put the VIN and odometer reading. She said she had to have the terms of my loan in order to complete the paperwork for the title. She then tried to sell me extended warranty with those terms added. The transaction took place on a Fri.They gave us a permit to drive the car until Sun. No DMV is open on the weekend. Business office woman told me I had to take the paperwork to the DMV myself in order to license the car. She insisted she mails nothing. She was immediately "out of the office, gone for the day, or unable to be found in the building" depending on who I asked. On Mon, I took off work, drove to the DMV who said AutoNation has to mail the title papers.I tried to call back later. No mgr is in. No calls returned. Called the corporate office in FL: same thing.