Valdosta Toyota

Horrible, unprofessional, rude, and quite possibly racist In a nutshell, the entire experience was more than just horrible. I first found out about the car I was interested in from AutoTrader.com. I sent Val In a nutshell, the entire experience was more than just horrible. I first found out about the car I was interested in from AutoTrader.com. I sent Valdosta Scion a request for information through Autotrader.com and received no response after multiple attempts. I then followed this up by giving an offer over the phone for the car that was flat out declined (by Chris Smith). The next day they reduced the price of the car from what I had offered. The new price was $5.00 less than what I had actually offered over the phone. So on a Thursday (in November 2014), I made the same offer as before and requested them to send me the breakdown of the cost with the details (again attempting with Chris Smith). I received no response. On Friday, I called in and either a Rodney or Ricky said they would send me the breakdown in ten minutes. I then received no further response. On Saturday, I then called again and this time talked to Chris and he gave me a break down on the phone. He added another $599.00 on top of the advertised price, and I told him he can’t do that to which he responded, “Yes sir, we can.” I told him I will send him the link explaining why he could not as he needed to send me the written breakdown for my bank to issue a check. I waited (and waited) as it was Saturday and I wanted to get the check from the bank and get the car the same day. I sent him another e-mail almost two hours later. He finally sent me the break down without the $599.00 included. Also, while I was responding he sent me another e-mail asking me “What are we thinking?” - showing no patience whereas so far all I have done is been patient with them. I sent them all of my information with the bank details, notifying them that they had to send my bank the ‘Bill of Sale’ or a ‘Buyers Order’ in order to be able to cut a check. Apparently, they sent the bank an unofficial document that could not be used to cut the check. My agent had to call them and walk them through what they needed. In the mean time I went to my bank to make sure they could cut me the check before they closed. It took a while between the dealer and the agent could get the proper documentation that would enable them to cut me the check. The bank was very courteous (CU of Georgia) and let me stay inside for an hour after they had closed to help me get this check. The bank closed at 1PM and I walked out with a check at about 2PM. I needed a second driver so I called my friend and we decided since the dealer closes at 6 pm, it would be too close and any traffic incidents would make it impossible to get down there in time. So I called the dealer and told them this and he said that they are open on Sunday 1-5pm. We set up an appointment for 2 pm for Sunday. The next day, a friend, my roommate and my brother joined me for the road trip. When we got there, the car wasn’t even washed. It was filthy and not prepared for sale. I have seen and looked at many cars, and this is the first time I saw a car on sale that was so dirty. Chris asked me if I had the check and I said “Yes”. I asked Chris if we could have a test drive, so he went in and he brought out the keys and I provided my driver’s license. When he came out he asked again, “You have the check, right? Because we have another customer inside doing financing inside”. Again I told him “Yes, I have the certified check from the bank”. I asked him if we could get a courtesy car wash, to which he said “can’t”. We took a drive around the dealership and when we returned he approached to us extending his arm with my driver license, saying they sold the car to another customer. I asked him, “How can you do that?” He said they are making more money with financing, so they are selling it to the other customer. He then tried to walk away. I stopped him and asked to speak to his manager. He pointed me to the counter. I went up the main counter and saw an employee (Dustin Arnold) looking at the screen. I stood there and he would not even acknowledge me. I asked him if this is how they treated their customers, stating I drove for almost four hours from well north of Atlanta to get this car for which I had made an appointment – to which I am now being told they selling this car to someone else. He actually said “We didn’t ask you to drive”. He said the car is being sold to another customer. I asked him “So it’s not sold yet?” He nodded. I confirmed I had the check and he needed to sell the car to me, because I made the deal first - to which he just replied “No.” I asked him to tell me why he would not sell me the car and he would not respond and avoided eye contact. He just ignored me. I asked him to explain why he was treating me like that to which he did say he did not need to say anything. All four of us were just stunned. I asked Dustin for his business card and asked him to write down why he would not sell the car to me. He said “No”. I eventually did receive his business card. I asked to speak to his manager and he said that he was the top person in there today. We just turned around and walked out as there wasn’t anything else we could do. We proceeded to make the long drive back to Atlanta. I returned the check to the bank and was forced to pay interest to them for 4 days. In conclusion - the worst part of this experience is not the fact I didn’t get the car. It was how I was treated. They did not even try to sell me the car. With the one car being sold, they did not even attempt to sell me another car. I had a check in hand and they turned down the business. They did not give me a call to notify me that there was another customer – even though we had scheduled an appointment. They did not ask me to pay down on a deposit to secure the car. They did not tell me that they do not hold the car for a customer who is traveling such great distances. On top of that, the way they looked and treated me was so offending that I felt like I was the one who had burdened them. As I am a non-white customer, it really makes me wonder if perhaps I was treated different simply due to the color of my skin and my name. This was by far the worst customer service experience of my life from start to the end. More

Believe in second chances If you’ve ever thrown the baby out with the bath water, then pay close attention to this cautionary experience. Nearly a year ago to the date of m If you’ve ever thrown the baby out with the bath water, then pay close attention to this cautionary experience. Nearly a year ago to the date of my most recent car purchase, I had what I considered to be a really bad experience with the collision department at Valdosta Toyota. I took my vehicle in for repair and they missed something. I’m reasonable, understanding and sympathetic…when you let me…or at least I try to be. This was caught before I left the lot. No big deal, nobody's perfect, we all make mistakes…fix it. I’m not happy about this. In fact I’m a little agitated, but thank God it was caught before I left the lot. Feel free to call it a lucky break, good fortune, or coincidence, but to me this was Devine Intervention. I was picking up my vehicle, days later than promised. I went to my car, opened the door and discovered my Husky floor liners were missing. The ones that had been keeping my beige carpet pristine since my vehicle purchase. Not only were they missing, there was no paper on the carpet, and there was dirt and sand in places that had never been dirty before. I was not happy, but while they looked for them, I decided to get my oil changed, since it was time and I was there already anyway. It was the service department that spotted the problem immediately when looking at my under carriage. They showed it to me. Now I’m really agitated. My car is obviously not ready yet, my liners are missing, the interior of my vehicle is not only dirtier than when I brought it in, it is dirtier than it has ever been before. That’s all right, I can still be reasonable, understanding and sympathetic, when you let me. Nobody’s perfect, we all make mistakes. Stuff happens. They locate the liners while I return to the body shop. I’m informed of the delay…I expect that. Told that my adjuster has to amend my estimate…I expect that. Told my adjuster is on vacation and it may take a minute to get the final approval. OK. Then it happened…I was told that the damage that had just been discovered under the front undercarriage of my car. The part of my car that was in there for repair initially…specifically the front under carriage, because I ran over a large eighteen wheeler re-tred. The part that showed visible damage during an oil change. The thing that could have been problematic getting repaired under my claim had I left the lot that day. The part that could have resulted in two blowouts, on my front wheel drive car. I was told - that damage is no big deal, and you weren’t in any danger. Really! All that – I can still be reasonable, understanding and sympathetic, nobody’s perfect, we all make mistakes, stuff happens. All that went out the widow…right then…right there. The only thing I could have possibly tolerated at that point, would have been something like, “We’re sorry. I don’t know how we could’ve missed that. We’ll take care of this right away for you.” Angry, just doesn’t begin to describe it. I wrote a seething detailed account of what happened and signed it Alicia “Ouch what a feeling Toyota” McCord. I no longer wanted my vehicle, a Toyota, or to return to the Valdosta Toyota dealership for anything EVER AGAIN. Which is odd, because when you see old people driving the same make and model cars, and their last five purchase have remained exactly the same…when I got my 2011 Prius, that’s exactly what I said to myself, “This is it! This is the one.” Hard to believe, that one encounter, with one individual could make me so angry, that I actually dismissed the friendly helpful service of everyone else at the dealership. So angry that I started taking my car out of town for oil changes, service, and shopping around for Honda’s. In case you weren’t sure, this is what throwing the baby out with the bath water is all about. Approximately a week ago I needed an oil change before going out of town to the hospital in Florida. Had to do it. I’m usually meticulous with maintenance, but avoiding my local dealership had me way over my oil change due date. Stopping at an oil change place, I was given an outlandish price, and told it would be cheaper to go to the dealership. So after relenting I came in grudgingly for service. Don’t get it twisted, I was still angry…just not enough to damage my vehicle. The waiting area was congested that day, so my niece accompanied me to the other side of the dealership to wait. While sitting there I was approached by the man with the misplaced “E” in his name, Mr. Grate, because surely his name should be spelled Great. He invited us into his office, struck up a conversation, and asked me about my new car purchase. “New car?” I thought. “I’m broke. I’m gonna be using the change left over from this oil change to put some gas in my car, and I can’t afford a more expensive car note right now.” Convinced it wasn’t going to happen anyway. “Yeah right.” I smirked. “I’m looking at Honda’s…McCord’s Accord. You know I’m still mad about what happened at the body shop here.” “Don’t do that.” he insisted, scanning the inventory. After finding a vehicle he thought I’d like, he had it pulled around so I could see it. As I hobbled around the corner on my cane, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A brand new 2014, dark blue Pruis with tan interior. What he didn’t know, (we didn’t discuss color) was that it was the exact color combination, I’d been telling people for over a year that my next Prius was going to be…before the collision department incident. I gawked at it, sat in it, and soaked up the new car smell. There was no need test driving the same car. “Oh well.” I thought. “Maybe someday.” After introducing me to another oddly spelled name person…my salesman Bob Dillan, not to be confused with the singer. The next thing I know, I was in a new car, zero down, with a lower note, and a full tank of gas. “Wheww.” I sighed. “I really needed that gas.” This was a lesson learned, and a great experience for me. You may think this is about boosting their car sales, or showing them my appreciation, but that’s simply not true. It’s all about second chances and not throwing the baby out with the bath water. Sometimes second chances aren’t about the people that wrong, hurt or offend us, sometimes second chances are about us loving, trusting and treating people like we want to be treated despite our experiences. Yeah, you can call it luck…but I know this was Devine Intervention. Best wishes on your next purchase. Sincerely, Alicia McCord Sgt US Army Ret. More

Sentra My husband and I enjoyed searching for a car with Skylar. She made it fun and did her best to get us the best deal! My husband and I enjoyed searching for a car with Skylar. She made it fun and did her best to get us the best deal! More

Best experience ever Had the best experience ever while shopping for a new Camry!The sales and finance departments were excellent and helped me with every step of the proc Had the best experience ever while shopping for a new Camry!The sales and finance departments were excellent and helped me with every step of the process. Will never by a vehicle from another dealer again More

Charis Smith - thank you Chris Smith helped us find the car we were searching for my wife - he even brought it to our house and showed us all the things we could do with the c Chris Smith helped us find the car we were searching for my wife - he even brought it to our house and showed us all the things we could do with the car - all the extras, etc. He was very friendly and quite helpful. Tim & Ellen Golden More

Sylar was a great sales person. Genuinely concerned about me finding a car for the right price. Not only was she friendly, she knew her stuff!! Not pushy at all. This made my first "real" car buying experien me finding a car for the right price. Not only was she friendly, she knew her stuff!! Not pushy at all. This made my first "real" car buying experience a great one. Courtney also had a great personality and was very courteous and friendly. I will recommend this place to everyone! More

Kurt ran my credit 9 plus times, I authorized him to run it ONE TIME, just to see what my approximate credit score was. Kurt revealed my credit issues with my son. I have called for 4 months, and NO ONE wi it ONE TIME, just to see what my approximate credit score was. Kurt revealed my credit issues with my son. I have called for 4 months, and NO ONE will help me. Courtney promised to get back with me, and after waiting a month, I left him a message on 6/5/13 to call me. Today is 7/11/13 and he has not called me back. I called and ask for and left a message for a supervisor. I left a message a week ago for Ricky. As of today he has not returned my call. I have good credit, but do to excessive credit runs that were not authorized, I recently had to pay a $600.00 deposit to have my electric turned on. I have an A credit rating with Georgia Power, but this was a different electric company. I have at this point decided to report them for FRAUD. Crooks! Don't use them, they will ruin your credit. The credit reports show, Kurt was running my credit for a 20 something thousand dollar truck, and then jump to a $32,000.00. I never ever would co-sign on a truck for that amount!!!!! The only problem I have being financed is because I'm not currently employed. COMMOM SENSE - If I don't work, I can't be a approved for a $32,000.00 vehicle. This ruins people's lives! More

I have been shopping for a new car for about a month now and, without knowing much about what was on the market these days, I was unsure and somewhat apathetic about what I actually wanted to buy. Truth be and, without knowing much about what was on the market these days, I was unsure and somewhat apathetic about what I actually wanted to buy. Truth be told, something safe and practical was all I really needed and wanted and it seems the majority of cars on the market are safe and most have a practical version as well as a luxury model. I decided to buy a Toyota here when my husband, who was not a Toyota owner nor a customer of this dealer, had a problem with a car he inherited. The salesman he spoke with could not answer his questions, but the manager (Ricky Stokes) listened to the quality control tapes later that day and called my husband back personally to help him find the answers he needed. This went above and beyond what we were expecting, since we were not customers at the time. I was in the market for a new car, so I decided to test drive a Toyota because of the friendliness and availability of the manager and salespeople here. I ended up buying a Highlander from Casey. This will be my first experience with a Toyota and I am really excited about it! More

Philosphy and execution of customer service is unmatched!It isno wonder why they sell so many vehicles as sales are a result of exceptional customer service - pleasure doing business here. unmatched!It isno wonder why they sell so many vehicles as sales are a result of exceptional customer service - pleasure doing business here. More

I have bought four of my last five new automobiles from this dealership. Pricing, convenience and professionalism have been far above par. They treat me like I'm the only customer they have, both for new this dealership. Pricing, convenience and professionalism have been far above par. They treat me like I'm the only customer they have, both for new sales and maintenance. In this town they are the premier dealer, not only with product, but attitude. You can rest assured they will be the only dealer to get my business. Their demeanor is far surpassed by any dealer I have ever bought a car or truck from. They make you feel at home and most of all, no pressure is exerted during the sales process. They determine my needs and fill these needs with the appropriate vehicle. Can't sing their praised any more tham I have. Great sales & service experience. More