My Review Of Spitzer Toyota Scion:
I have a 2010 Camry LE lease and I wanted to buy it out thru your dealer on 1/17/13. Jim Engler told me that if I go thru the dealer I need to pay an additional $200 fee and he said he doesn’t exactly know what the fee is for, and he said some is for the state emissions and some for the safety inspection etc. I agreed to pay the fee. He said since the lease car is currently registered under my and my wife’s name, my wife needed to be present as well. I told him they can go thru their inspection and I would come back with my wife after 5-6 pm. I left and I called him back again around 10 AM. I told him the car is also due an inspection and wanted to make sure that $200 covers it, he said he doesn’t know what part is for state and let me know. Later in the day around 3.00 PM, Jennine from Service called me and she said they would charge another $95 for the inspection, I told her not to do it because I could get it much cheaper elsewhere.
Around 5:30 PM, I came back with my wife, Jim was busy and he asked Pat Laughlin to talk to us. Pat was an allaround nice guy and I don’t really have much to complain about him. I asked him what the $200 is, he said the dealer needs to make sure that the car is safe and also the paperwork. I said OK. We also told him that we have a 4 week old son at home and is there any way we can send my wife faster, he said she needed to be there.
Then came their finance manager, Jim again I guess with APR’s and else. He first came with 3.99% for 5 years I disagreed and he came up with 2.99% for 3 years and my credit score is 810. I told him I don’t like the rates, then all of a sudden we were taken to service to pay $200 and buy the car elsewhere. Apparently, $200 was nothing to do with Toyota it was for dealer only. The nice guy Jim Engler who doesn’t know what $200 was for told me that I did not need to pay anything if I got my own loan and purchased from Toyota, but since they so called inspected the car, I needed the pay the $200, he went back to sales from service and disappeared for 15-20 mins without saying anything. Then my wife and I went back to the sales and told him 2.99% - 3 years is fine, we don’t want to wait any more. Let’s get done with this thing.
After another long wait, their finance manager got available and he said that my wife did not need to be there after all, and I need to sign the paperwork. I also told him I want to know what service was done for the $200 and he would not know and wanted me to go check with service, all of them were gone so no receipt for whatever was done in the car. I also asked this guy about the $200 he said it is thru Toyota, and if I buy it there or anywhere else, Toyota asks customers to have the car safety inspected before it is sold. I also paid an additional $131 for document fee. I thought it was included in the $200, three different answers from the three guys!! So somehow these guys managed to rip me off.
Around 8 PM, I went out to see poor Pat trying to change my plate, I told him why can’t I keep my own special plate, he said it has to be done, Toyota requires it. They did not tell me anything about it, I have registration until Nov 2013, why would I repay it!. Because apparently finance manager took the registration from both of us and transferred it to me. Now I will have to change it back again. He could not take the old plate out, and now the screw is worn off, I can’t take it out either, pfff. Further, I told him, I am paying $15K for a car and they just can’t wash it let alone put gas in it.
I came home called Toyota Financial, called Toyota Motors to find out there is no fee for so called service inspection, they don’t know about changing the plate either. All I know is one of my buddies got a 2010 Accord thru another dealer, got 2.4% for 5 years, life time free state inspections, and kept his old plate.
All and all, this was by far the worst customer service experience in my life. The worst part is they kept my wife three hours for absolutely nothing while our infant son is at home with his grandma. They need to educate their staff on what their fees are for, or they need someone be there present or not to sign the paperwork.
Another note, I bought the car from Michigan and these guys were the sole dealer servicing it for the last three years since I moved to area, why would they try to rip off an existing loyal customer? Also with the fact that I brought my friends to buy cars from them and one recently did. I can’t find words to describe my feelings.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes | No
Thank you