Girard Toyota

Date of dispute = Nov 3, 2023. We took my vehicle to Girard Toyota in New London for a routine oil change. The service department also performed a multipoint inspection. The servi We took my vehicle to Girard Toyota in New London for a routine oil change. The service department also performed a multipoint inspection. The service department advised me that the front brakes were in the yellow zone. This would indicate the brake pads were measured by the technician at 5 mm. This was odd to me and I questioned the customer service representative on my way out. It caused concern because the front and rear brakes and rotors were replaced 3,000 miles prior at another (reputable) shop. Without being sure if Girard was pulling a scam or if the other shop was, we took it back to the shop who performed the brakes. The vehicle was put on the lift, front tires were removed, and they visually had us inspect and photograph the brakes on their premises - the brake pads are essentially brand new, 10-12 mm thickness. This resulted in a call back to Girard service department. Prior to telling them we had just been to the service station that had performed the brake and rotor replacement, we were passed on to a manager who confirmed that a technician did indeed measure the brake pads and performed this multi-point inspection and indicated the front brake pads were 5 mm and the rear pads were 7 mm. This was not the first time Girard botched our multi point inspection. In fact, with our other vehicle, they failed to check and adjust tire pressure even though it was on the outgoing report. We did confirm that if a service is listed on the outgoing report, that indicates it was definitely performed. The manager was apologetic and indicated there would be follow up with the technician and then again with us - we never heard back. They lie to unsuspecting customers. Based on these interactions, we believe Girard service department is running a dishonest operation and trying to scam those who do not know better. I submitted a complaint on BBB website and the business response: We have met with our staff and have implemented additional quality control procedures to ensure information is accurately being recorded and communicated. Girard Toyota apologizes for any inconvenience. More

I purchased a new 2023 Rav4 Hybrid Woodland on December 29. When I paid for it and ready to leave Mark the General Manager gave me one key fob. He said the factory will send me on someday. Shortage on key 29. When I paid for it and ready to leave Mark the General Manager gave me one key fob. He said the factory will send me on someday. Shortage on key chips. I asked for an IOU for the key or something in writing. He refused. Not very professional. He could have told me no 2nd key before I purchased the vechile. Typical salesman. I am going to purchase another Toyota soon. Guess who I won't buy from. What is the expression screw me once. I will be writing reviews till I get my 2nd key. More

My wife took her Prius to Girard after the catalytic converter was stolen. From the police photos (see attached), it was clear that the wire to the oxygen sensor was cut (I even had an estimate from th converter was stolen. From the police photos (see attached), it was clear that the wire to the oxygen sensor was cut (I even had an estimate from the parts dept 2 weeks earlier showing the cost to replace the catalytic converter AND oxygen sensor), BUT Girard had to "inspect" the vehicle. They then charged us $125 and $10 for shop supplies to give us an estimate (also attached) that DID NOT include the oxygen sensor. Here are some questions for Mr Lenny Galante (service dept manager): 1) How did your technician (A45), service advisor (Hilliary Drexler), and you miss the cut wire to the oxygen sensor? 2) What shop supplies were used when you "inspected" our vehicle? No work was done on our vehicle, so no shop supplies would have been used. 3) We never gave written approval for an estimate over $50. Why do you and your service advisors operate in violation of state law? 4) How long did it take your technician to take photos of the damage? Doesn't a 1-hour diagnostic fee seem excessive? 5) Why did you threaten "storage fees" when you never contacted us after you inspected our vehicle? 6) Why did your technician, service advisor, and you provide a materially deficient estimate which DID NOT include the replacement of the oxygen sensor? 7) How often are "fuel lines damaged" when a catalytic converter is stolen? This was the excuse that your service advisor gave us as to why our vehicle needed to be inspected. Even the insurance adjuster laughed at this explanation. 8) Why did you threaten to charge us "restocking fees" when we never authorized any repairs to be done? Ultimately, we paid $143 for an estimate that told us less than we already knew from the police photos of the damage. Why would we ever have you or your service department work on any of our vehicles? How can overlook such incompetence and/or willful negligence? More

Thank you for the great service. We loaned a RAV4 to our grandson who is at the Coast Guard Academy when it broke down. Here we are in Northern Vermont so I called the closest Toyota dealer. I talked with grandson who is at the Coast Guard Academy when it broke down. Here we are in Northern Vermont so I called the closest Toyota dealer. I talked with Nick in service long distance about the problem. It was the battery indicator icon on the dashboard. He talked me through the repair steps along with cost. He transferred me to Asa in parts. Who went over parts cost to include a rebuilt alternator at a $500.00 price reduction. He Also recommended new belts since no extra labor would be needed. My grandson got it to them. Rose in service called the day of the scheduled service having done the diagnostic work early. Confirming the repair service which was then done. Upon completion of the repair the system was then test which confirmed that the battery was fine and did not need replacement. Pretty Great! Again thank you.. Chris More

Car buying should not be stressful or regrettable. Here's my story . I dealt with Syed, salesman, and Sean Wells, sales manager. In February I went to look at new truck. After some time I thought I came to my story . I dealt with Syed, salesman, and Sean Wells, sales manager. In February I went to look at new truck. After some time I thought I came to an agreement for the sale and trade-in. NOPE. I went to the dealership after work to sign paperwork. I was told that the price was this amount and trade was this and finance was this amount. I was HAPPY. Then I got there, wife left work early also to accommodate them, had to sign paperwork. Syed had me sign the paperwork as to the amount of the sales price. Also he had me sign the paperwork as he put it was STATE LAW about meeting the Service Manager and touring the service department. I was then sent into the finance office to sign paperwork. I asked the finance amount of the sale. I was told a totally different price then settled upon with Syed. When I asked to see the paper I signed about the price it disappeare, never to be seen. Then Syed crossed his arms and said in a very smug way " I do very very well here and I'll give you the difference to make this deal happen ". Both Syed and Sean threw temper tantrums that would make a three year old in a candy shop told "no" look like a SAINT. When we arrived it was about 6pm at night in March, finally left about 9 at night. Both Sean and Syed were about 20 feet away when we started to leave. They YELLED turn your lights on. I was never given a walk around the vehicle or an overview of the controls. I could not inspect the car in dim light, nothing was done to it. They knew at 130 that afternoon that I would be picking up the car after 5:00. When I picked it up it was missing the owner manual, floor mats and all the plastic on the seats were still in place. NO DETAIL. I had to wait two weeks to go back and have the car detailed. I informed them that there was a chip in the paint on passenger side door. They said prove that- it was there when you picked it up. I was also bribed by Sean to give all 10s on the review because their bounus depends on my review. I got a call from the satisfaction manager, Ryan. I recounted the details of my experiences and expressed all of my concerns to him. He seems very honest and genuine. He said that he would pass this all on at the next managers meeting. I called him back three times in a two week period to get no response. The last call I stated I wanted to talk to the owner. This did get a response. Two days later I received a call from Marc, the person claiming to be the owner. Website says John is the owner. This Marc was no better then Syed and Sean. I was put on speakerphone and berated and yelled at by both Marc and Sean. I asked to be taken off speakerphone so I could have a decent one-on-one conversation with the owner. Marc refused and stated that this is the way he conducts all of his business. Marc called me a liar and threw a bigger temper tantrum than the other two. Very poor customer service and professionalism. In short buy in Rhode Island where you have protection with the Dealers Board at the DMV if things like this occur. What a poorly managed and operated dealership this place is. Be careful and forewarned. More

Mike Needs to Take a Hike!! (I did send this review to the dealer and all of their top management and NO one even reached back out to me. Clearly, customer service is not a prio (I did send this review to the dealer and all of their top management and NO one even reached back out to me. Clearly, customer service is not a priority here - Stay AWAY!!!) My recent experience at Girard Toyota started out so well and then I had to deal with the Finance Manager, Mike. This is a gentleman that clearly did not want to be at work yesterday. Honestly, management should show this fellow the door or require him to attend some customer service training before he steps foot in that dealership again. While everyone is under stress with Covid-19, providing excellent customer service should be a top priority. . The car buying business model is changing and if you are not riding the wave of change you are under it. This was my first interaction with this dealership and not surprisingly my last. In what should have been a happy moment, I was yelled at and brought to tears. I wanted to tear the paperwork up and leave but could not face starting the process over again. I probably should have: why would I do business with a company that employs such a poor representative of their brand and now I have such a negative feeling toward that dealership. I have bought multiple cars and usually, the piece with the finance manager is the easiest. You sign the papers and leave happy. This interaction just left me angry and anxious to get out of there. The craziest thing is that he was yelling at me over something that the salesperson offered to do for me. We live about an hour away but, they had the car I wanted so I made the ride. The salesperson was nice and helpful. I knew what car I wanted so I did not need to be "sold' and they respected that. However, it ended up that I needed my husband to co-sign. My salesperson told me to bring his license down and then offered to have someone bring the papers up to my husband so he did not have to make the trip down. This was something that the sales manager offered, I am not some diva expecting them to drive up the paperwork. I was actually really impressed at that point with the level of service. The finance manager did not like that idea at all and said it would be weeks if we did it that way. He told me they have runners but, they are busy with other things. Again, another point where I should have left. Clearly they are too busy for my business. Then the finance manager goes out and argues with the salesman about the paperwork. I can hear them arguing and was just sitting there. The finance manager comes back and angrily tells me my husband has to come down today or I am not getting the car. Again, I should have walked out. I asked the Finance Manager why he was getting so angry at me when it was the salesperson he was mad at? Thankfully the general manager came in at that point to help diffuse the situation. He asked if I wanted to work with someone else and while choking back tears of anger and frustration I said yes. What I wanted was to leave. The worst part is that I could still hear the finance manager going on about how he was right. It was a totally bizarre situation. So I sat there for an hour waiting for my husband. They did give me a key chain so I guess I should be happy with that. More

Worst dealership in New London. Had a contract/down payment to buy 2019 Camry. Day of the sale Mike Collins wanted $8k more, freakin rediculas. payment to buy 2019 Camry. Day of the sale Mike Collins wanted $8k more, freakin rediculas. More

Since moving to the area we’ve regularly brought our vehicles to Girard for service. Rose and Caitlin are always very friendly and develop a personal relationship with each client, rather than treating vehicles to Girard for service. Rose and Caitlin are always very friendly and develop a personal relationship with each client, rather than treating them like just another service appointment on their schedules. Each time we’ve been greeted with a “good to see you again” or “how’s it going?” before even getting down to business. They take the time to find out why you’re bringing the vehicle in, take detailed notes of anything you’re concerned about, and will thoroughly discuss any issues found or upcoming service items without trying to push you into doing something or confusing you with complicated technical jargon. Rose and Caitlin are amazing to work with and we would definitely recommend them. More

Horrible Dealershsip Very clear fake reviews here…wow. I wish I could give zero stars. I am not impressed by the level of customer service that I received when working Very clear fake reviews here…wow. I wish I could give zero stars. I am not impressed by the level of customer service that I received when working with this dealership. I specifically worked with Sean Wells and Ali. I’m not upset about the fact that they couldn’t find me a car that meets my criteria within my budget. I am however upset about the fact that they continuously showed me cars that didn’t have my requirements (AWD was my main requirement as I do a lot of driving through storms because of my job). Sean tried to convince me that all I needed was traction control (which my 13 year old car does have). To me, them showing me cars that didn’t meet my criteria was a waste of my time. They also called me in one night to “finalize the deal” on a car that supposedly fit my budget. After getting there, and waiting 45 mins- 1 hour for them to meet, they presented a car that didn’t meet my requirements, but also was $100 a month over my budget, as well as having to put more money down. This to me was also a waste of my time. They would say that they would call me the next day, then I wouldn’t hear back from them at all, until I called myself multiple times a day and left voicemails. To me that’s unacceptable. A lot of the time I wouldn’t hear back unless I actually went there in person, and then I was waiting for 45 minutes-2 hours for them to assist. Also, when we had “appointments”, I expect the salesman to block off a window of time that we have agreed upon to work with me, not make me wait for 2 hours while they help other people and do things in the back. Not impressed at all. They were also VERY pushy, when they knew from the get what my budget was. I would rather them tell me that they couldn’t help me rather than dragging me along with them for about a month. I also wasn’t impressed by the low key sexism that I experienced. A lot of the time, they were speaking directly to my boyfriend, only making eye contact with him… when I’m the one that is buying a new car. They also tried persuading him to cosign for me while I was in the restroom multiple times after I had made a big point of saying that I am doing this myself and that it is my car, so it should be my experience. I ended up parting ways with Sean and Ali after my experience earlier this week where they insisted that I should be grateful that they have worked so hard to find a vehicle that meets my criteria, and also the fact that they were willing to inflate the price of my trade-in without informing me that they were also inflating the price of the vehicle that was $3,000 over the Fair Market Value. At the end of the day, they failed to find a vehicle that met my criteria. I am working with other dealerships who can get my monthly payments to what I need them to be staying within my requirements for a new vehicle (about half as much as I was quoted at Girard Toyota). To me, they wanted to make more money on me, instead of working with me and meeting my needs. Just overall a bad stereotypical sleazy car dealership experience with poor customer service skills. More

Poor dealership Thursday, June 20, 2019 6:45 PM Car buying should not be stressful or regrettable. Here's my story .  I dealt with Syed, salesman, and Sean We Thursday, June 20, 2019 6:45 PM Car buying should not be stressful or regrettable. Here's my story .  I dealt with Syed, salesman, and Sean Wells, sales manager. In February I went to look at new truck. After some time I thought I came to an agreement for the sale and trade-in. NOPE. I went to the dealership after work to sign paperwork. I was told that the price was this amount and trade was this and finance was this amount. I was HAPPY. Then I got there, wife left work early also to accommodate them, had to sign paperwork.  Syed had me sign the paperwork as to the amount of the sales price. Also he had me sign the paperwork as he put it was STATE LAW about meeting the Service Manager and touring the service department. I was then sent into the finance office to sign paperwork.  I asked the finance amount of the sale. I was told a totally different price then settled upon with Syed. When I asked to see the paper I signed about the price it disappeare, never to be seen. Then Syed crossed his arms and said in a very smug way " I do very very well here and I'll give you the difference to make this deal happen ".  Both Syed and Sean threw temper tantrums that would make a three year old in a candy shop told  "no" look like a SAINT. When we arrived it was about 6pm at night in March, finally left about 9 at night. Both Sean and Syed were about 20 feet away when we started to leave. They YELLED turn your lights on. I was never given a walk around the vehicle or an overview of the controls.  I could not inspect the car in dim light, nothing was done to it. They knew at 130 that afternoon that I would be picking up the car after 5:00. When I picked it up it was missing the owner manual, floor mats and all the plastic on the seats were still in place. NO DETAIL.  I had to wait two weeks to go back and have the car detailed. I informed them that there was a chip in the paint on passenger side door. They said prove that- it was there when you picked it up. I was also bribed by Sean to give all 10s on the review because their bounus depends on my review. I got a call from the satisfaction manager, Ryan. I recounted the details of my experiences and expressed all of my concerns to him. He seems very honest and genuine. He said that he would pass this all on at the next managers meeting. I called him back three times in a two week period to get no response.  The last call I stated I wanted to talk to the owner. This did get a response. Two days later I received a call from Marc, the person claiming to be the owner. Website says John is the owner.  This Marc was no better then Syed and Sean. I was put on speakerphone and berated and yelled at by both Marc and Sean. I asked to be taken off speakerphone so I could have a decent one-on-one conversation with the owner. Marc refused and stated that this is the way he conducts all of his business. Marc called me a liar and threw a bigger temper tantrum than the other two. Very poor customer service and professionalism. In short buy in Rhode Island where you have protection with the Dealers Board at the DMV if things like this occur. What a poorly managed and operated dealership this place is. Be careful and forewarned. More