Brandon McClatchey | Page 14

tina.bizios responded

A couple weeks ago I traded in my 2015 vehicle (that I bought brand new from Toyota of Des Moines) for a new 2023 vehicle. I called in the morning to verify that the new vehicle that I saw the night before was still available before I made the drive to Toyota. Even though I saw a little yellow "sold" tag tucked in the dash the night before, the sales person said it was still available but mentioned that I should hurry because he had someone coming to look at it at 10:30. I headed to Toyota and oddly enough, 10:30 came and went but the 10:30 appointment never showed. Coincidently, this was the exact scenario when I bought my 2015. Is it possible that there was actually other people interested in the vehicles that I was buying both times...yes but it does seem very suspicious and without going into all the details, my gut tells me otherwise. Regardless, I knew what I wanted and kept pressing forward. I questioned the sold tag that was in the vehicle and my sales person told me that the previous potential buyer didn’t qualify for financing. Forty-five minutes later another Toyota representative had to come help with a computer issue and he noticed I was buying the new vehicle. He looked at my sales person and said “wow I can’t believe that guy gave that up.” So now I’m wondering, did it have a sold sign in it because someone didn’t qualify for financing or because someone changed their mind? Either way it doesn’t matter because I came there to buy a new vehicle. I mentioned that the Toyota dealership in Iowa City had two identical trucks that I was looking to purchase and questioned why all three MSRP prices were different. My salesperson answered “because the competitor is stupid.” As a customer looking for information, that answer was irrelevant and unprofessional. The reason I was asking was to see if there were more or less options on each specific vehicle to ensure I was getting the options that I wanted. Please don’t misunderstand, I believe my sales person was a nice enough guy and he did treat me with kindness and respect…I just don’t necessarily care for the “sales tactics tone” of the experience. Once I moved on to finance, I was presented with some poorly explained options so I declined the additional options. Coincidently, this was also the exact scenario eight years ago when I bought my 2015. I then headed to the garage where the Toyota representative set me up and showed me all the new features of my new vehicle. He did an exceptional job and his customer service was top notch. Two days after my purchase, I had to bring my truck back because the tire sensor came on and was flashing. This is when I also mentioned that whoever “cleaned” the vehicle put so much tire shine on the wheels that it splattered and left oily spots all the way up to the windows. Additionally, it was evident that the detail team didn’t really take the time to detail it like it should have been before I drove it off the lot. Upon my return to the dealership to address the tire sensor and before anyone physically looked at the tires, I was told by three different people that the issue was probably due to temperature change or just low air pressure. I questioned why someone wouldn’t have checked the air pressure before I drove a new vehicle off the lot and the temperature had only changed from 90 degrees to 88 degrees so that didn’t seem likely. After what seemed like me convincing someone to do more than put air in my tires (which I could have done myself) the service team found a bad sensor and replaced it. While I was waiting, Dan approached me and we ended up in a conversation surrounding all the details of my recent purchase. Dan was very professional and genuinely seemed like he was interested in making everything right. He assured me he would have my truck detailed like it should have been to begin with and diligently checked on the status of my vehicle while I waited at the dealership 3 hours that day. While I truly appreciate his efforts, again the detail team did the bare minimum and I cleaned the truck myself. I purchased my 2015 and 2023 trucks from Toyota of Des Moines and my spouse has purchased three new vehicles from Toyota of Des Moines between then and now. As a repeat and loyal Toyota customer, I don’t need to be tricked or high pressured into a sale. As a buyer making a major purchase, I am looking for a pleasant and satisfying experience where I can trust the integrity of the organization and the people that I am working with. Unfortunately, that isn’t quite the feeling that I walked away with.

Toyota of Des Moines responded

Thank you for your recommendation and positive feedback about your recent experience with the team here at Toyota of Des Moines! Customer service will always be one of our team's highest priorities and it's great to hear how much you enjoyed working with our team. It’s customers like you that we enjoy seeing time and time again! Thanks for stopping in, Brandon, and we look forward to seeing you again next time!