Toyota of Gastonia

A Year and a Half Later - Dishonesty/Lack of Ethics Read all of this to the end...lengthy but important: Hugo is a great salesperson. I developed a personal friendship with him when I went through my bu Read all of this to the end...lengthy but important: Hugo is a great salesperson. I developed a personal friendship with him when I went through my buying experience, however, a year and a half later and what I feared would happen the day I bought the car came to fruition. I am credit challenged. You've all heard sob stories, but I got a divorce and things went south for me financially for almost 6 years. Silly me...my divorce occurred in 08-09 so we know where the economy was at that time, though I was living beyond my means while married and that is 100% my fault.. I was in a desperate situation with my current vehicle and I was going to buy a car through Car Max because I needed a car when Hugo called me. They won my business that day. I cried through the entire process because I just couldn't afford a car payment, but I was assured that they would take care of me from here on out. They would finance this car and prepare me for my future car buying and credit repair. I was thrilled, but here were the terms of the program they laid out for me...high interest on a Corolla and after 1 year of perfect payments they would refinance me into a Camry at their prime Toyota rating.This was a brand new program through Toyota. I kept my word never being even a day late with a single payment even working 7 days a week for awhile to make sure that my bills and this car payment were made month in and month out. I learned a hard lesson when I was married and subsequently divorced and I am careful with my bills. My life changed after 2 weeks and I was in a much better financial situation. This is a matter of faith and I will tell you that I was provided for by God. The blessings were amazing and I was restored to my previous posterity. I was being provided for and I continued making my payments. Nothing new other than 3 credit cards, one secured and two unsecured both paid in full on time month over month. I go in after a year.....oh Tracy we can't do the program because you don't credit qualify. What do you mean? I credit qualified a year ago when things were worse and I hadn't made payments on time on my car for a year and made far less money. There is nothing new that is derogatory on my credit since I bought the car and everything on my credit is positive that is recent. I also have a 2% DTI. Well here is what your credit is and in order to qualify for the program you qualified for a year ago without being at this number, this is what your credit needs to be. So another 6 months. I do it. I reach that goal and milestone. Again, my blessings began and all started when I bought that car, but according to a credit counselor it is also hurting my credit because the balance is not going down with my payments so I NEED Toyota to honor its word as I am not fully restored yet to refinance. So back I go again. Oh well Tracy...the Corolla's have decreased in value and you are 6k upside down in the loan we wrote for you and so we can put you in a newer Corolla at a better interest rate and your payments will go up. Now, the program was a new program through Toyota to assist people recover their credit. This high interest rate loan was promised to not be a problem for me by both Hugo AND the finance officer. I asked. I was an emotional wreck but I asked, repeatedly. I verified...after ONE year and don't worry about the interest rate because you are in this program...PRIME rate....lower payment and a Camry. I kept my word and then some. I have been early with my payments month over month and I will continue to be month over month because this is MY credit, but unfortunately Toyota and I will never do business again. My financial situation HAS changed and I intend to buy a house in a year so my credit worthiness will continue to go up..and I will pay the car off early and I will take my business to a company that tells you...if you do these things we MAY be able to do this for you in a year...DEPENDING on all the things it is dependent on. I needed a hand up out of a bad situation...not a hand getting into a worse one. Now I am upside down in a loan and I will eat all of that, so instead of digging myself out of a bad situation I have put myself in a worse one, where my timely car payment is helping but the high interest rate and lack of decrease in balance is hurting my credit. Instead of being able to repair it through the Toyota they are actually causing me to work twice as hard to recover. I am told I am on my own. Refinance. Hugo used this program and it worked for him...not sure if it is because he worked there or why...I do not believe Hugo tried to deceive me...maybe I am blind but I don't think so. I still believe the best about him, but this is an integrity issue. Was I naive to believe them? Maybe...obviously....but these are corporate rules...not Hugo rules and I will not do business with a company that does not meet my standard of ethics. My message to you? If you are fortunate enough to never have experienced a hard time financially that hurt your credit feel comfortable dealing with Hugo and Toyota. If you have...if you have struggled and had a hard time DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY TELL YOU. Buy the car that is MUCH less expensive. In the long run it will pay off better for you. They are NOT going to help you rebuild your credit. More